Hi Richard, I’m very curious to know why do you recommend residual chemical treatment. I understand that this is in the context of treating a room and not collections, right? But still: do you usually recommend any further action to remove residues?
Cheers for Asheville, NC! Nidia Navarro-Potel Collections Care Conservator, Museum Services [Biltmore]<http://www.biltmore.com/> 1 Approach Road Asheville, NC 28803 Phone: 828-225-6151 | Mobile: 848-252-9518 www.biltmore.com<http://www.biltmore.com/> [facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/Biltmore> [instagram] <https://instagram.com/biltmoreestate/> [pinterest] <https://www.pinterest.com/Biltmore/> [twitter] <https://twitter.com/BiltmoreEstate> From: 'Pollack, Richard J' via MuseumPests <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 5:44 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [PestList] Re: Webbing Clothes Moth spray treatment Kate, The carpets and the textiles on the walls are likely to be primary sources for the moths. Larvae could feed on organic fibers of the carpets, padding beneath the carpets, and on the wall textiles. Even if all the carpets and textiles are Kate, The carpets and the textiles on the walls are likely to be primary sources for the moths. Larvae could feed on organic fibers of the carpets, padding beneath the carpets, and on the wall textiles. Even if all the carpets and textiles are synthetic (doubtful), there’s likely considerable organic debris accumulated within the carpets and particularly along the edges where standard vacuuming is difficult. I’ve seen this kind of problem in several museums and libraries. Where the carpets have become threadbare, it makes good sense to remove the old carpets and pads in their entirety and then clean the floor beneath. If the carpets are simply dirty, consider hiring a carpet cleaning company that can thoroughly steam as well as shampoo and vacuum the carpets. A thorough professional steam treatment can instantly cook any insects (and eggs). Consumer-level ’steamers’ generally fail to produce enough steam to have much of an effect. The fabric on the walls could also be so treated. Run industrial dehumidifiers until the carpets, pads, and walls are fully dried. Shampooing and vacuuming the carpets will remove much of organic debris that will otherwise continue to attract and nourish future generations of larvae. For chemical treatments, consider products that are residual. The rugs and textiles could be treated with a pyrethroid spray formulation delivered via a fan nozzle from a backpack pressure tank . Consider Suspend SC<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/bynder.envu.com/m/3188c640dbe60647/original/Digital_PPM_Suspend-SC_label_NA_US_EN.pdf__;!!AICBUC8eM8hH!ktOLl2Mvi4RFoVm-sHVIA9yRZLEJtbpTzEpEU75GiVJz6OU_1CvZ9yh9wCbQUQw5LsFpTjwFq2su0zQ9AZ3RUms$> or similar. I recommend installing one or just a few pheromone traps to monitor moth abundance thereafter. Richard J. Pollack, PhD Senior Environmental Public Health Officer Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) | Harvard Campus Services 46 Blackstone Street., Cambridge, MA 02139 C: 617-447-0763 www.ehs.harvard.edu<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.ehs.harvard.edu__;!!AICBUC8eM8hH!ktOLl2Mvi4RFoVm-sHVIA9yRZLEJtbpTzEpEU75GiVJz6OU_1CvZ9yh9wCbQUQw5LsFpTjwFq2su0zQ91cIwsJs$> [A blue and black logo Description automatically generated]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.linkedin.com/in/richard-pollack-6818997/__;!!AICBUC8eM8hH!ktOLl2Mvi4RFoVm-sHVIA9yRZLEJtbpTzEpEU75GiVJz6OU_1CvZ9yh9wCbQUQw5LsFpTjwFq2su0zQ9cnYCn-U$> From: 'Kate Fugett' via MuseumPests <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Date: Monday, October 6, 2025 at 2:57 PM To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: [PestList] Webbing Clothes Moth spray treatment Hello All, I am considering options to treat clothes moths in a film screening room and hallway and would appreciate your thoughts. A bit of background: We frequently see large numbers (20+) of webbing clothes moths flying in the screening room and hallway, which does not have any accessioned objects, but is adjacent to a gallery with rotating exhibits. The hallway and screening room are carpeted, and the walls have a textile on them. It is unclear what the exact materials are. Though this area is regularly cleaned, hard to reach areas are dusty providing enough to munch on even if the textiles themselves are not food for the moths. The room and hallways are kept dark, perfect for watching a short film and for webbing clothes moth to flutter around as much as they would like. We monitor this area and adjacent exhibit spaces with pheromone traps which have shown we have webbing clothes moths throughout the museum, but not in such high numbers. We are considering a spray since there are no accessioned objects, this area can easily be closed to visitors, and it is such an ideal webbing clothes moth breeding ground. Our pest company has given us two options: · A green option: EcoVia CA: Thyme Oil – 0.88%, Rosemary Oil – 0.53%, and Cinnamon Oil – 0.26% · PTPI: Pyrethrins - 0.5% and Piperonyl butoxide - 4.0% Both would be administered in an aerosol spray. I am especially curious about the green option but have not had much luck finding anything on the efficacy of these oils on webbing clothes moths. Does anyone have any experience using this combination of oils or any of these oils on webbing clothes moths? If we are going to spray, I want it to be effective. I don't want to simply push these moths into other areas of the museum especially since there are galleries with accessioned objects nearby. Thanks for your help and thoughts! Kate [cid:[email protected]] Kate Fugett | Preventive Conservator NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM 200 Liberty Street, 16th Floor | New York, NY 10281 www.911memorial.org<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.911memorial.org_&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=GO7C3XN3WgFy2IP-bFBbnUs_CYntqj57Dprtl40-_KE&m=lLZCkPUsM6D-SGuMB3M_pdcXkuoxelNQaPnmsNAs1UblFcIThnu9tOdQwiNZio7E&s=CdacwtnqUeG7ZAiUce1yBwA17jJM4DJ5OmboHWi3T_A&e=> | [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> O: 212-266-5210 | C: 215-280-2211 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MuseumPests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. 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