Hello List -
I just found a web site with well organized images of many many
beetles (picture gallery)
in adult and larval stages :
http://www.dermestidae.com/
My congratulations to Andreas Herrmann on this site.
I wish I could read German so that I could fully appreciate all
of the information.
Mary Baughman
Book Conservator
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O.Drawer 7219
Austin, Texas 78713-7219
Telephone (512) 471-8635 or 471-9117
Fax (512) 471-7930
Book Conservator
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O.Drawer 7219
Austin, Texas 78713-7219
Telephone (512) 471-8635 or 471-9117
Fax (512) 471-7930
Dear List:
Back in May I wrote for advice on freezing a very fragile flag, which we did and it now appears to be pest free and is otherwise stable. I attached images to my original e-mail and David Pinniger replied that they appear to be Reesa vespulae. This was confirmed by Alain VanRyckeghem, BCE, Technical Director of Insects Limited Inc.
He said there is limited information on them so I appeal to you for anymore besides the following:
"It is a beetle that can take 3 months to three years to complete a life cycle. It feeds mostly on dead insects, but can attack herbarium materials and apparently textiles with certain plant based or insect based red dyes. There is no pheromone for this pest." Although Alain did suggest that I could try a food bait.
I did read David's paper on Enhanced Pest Capture Rates Using Pheromone-Baited Sticky Traps in Museum Stores (Ackery, Pinniger and Chambers). I guess these beetles are more common in British Museums than American ones, but according to Alain they are becoming more common here. I have since found them in two other cases. Hence my plea. Thanks as always.
Betsy Bruemmer
Collections Manager
Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)
2700 24th Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98112
(P) 206-324-1126 x22
(F) 206-324-1346
www.seattlehistory.org
