Hi Cécile
 for xylophageous insects (e.g. termites ) there should be exit holes on the 
wood. But the droppings (frass) do not look typical like from termites.
For me, it seem more like old frass from keratophageous insects (e.g. dermestid 
larvae)

what would be realistic for skin and coat

But it is difficult to say just with this two pictures


Just one idea: One could take a small sample and set it alight in a Petri dish 
in the laboratory, where the keratin smells distinctly different from wood.


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Best Stephan


Stephan Biebl

Ingenieurbüro für Holzschutz

Mariabrunnweg 15

83671 Benediktbeuern

Germany

https://www.holzwurmfluesterer.de/
https://insectactivitydetectionsystem.de/
https://museumsschaedlinge.de/

________________________________
Von: [email protected] <[email protected]> im Auftrag von Costa 
Cécile <[email protected]>
Gesendet: Sunday, November 2, 2025 5:16:09 PM
An: 'Echo' via MuseumPests <[email protected]>
Betreff: [PestList] Frass identification

Hello everybody,

We are currently working on two arched harps that have signs (damages, frass) 
of past infestation from keratophageous and xylophageous insects and we wanted 
to know if by chance someone could be able to identify the pest species based 
on the frass we found (see attached image) ?

Those objects are harps from Congo, stocked in Switzerland for more than 15 
years.
Wood species are unknown.
Skins are antelope and monitor lizard.
For stitching (image "frass 1"), animal fibers were used, no further 
identification was made.

Thank you for your help,
Best regards,

Cécile Costa
Student at Haute Ecole Arc (Neuchâtel, Switzerlad)



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