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Hello all, 

I am wondering if anyone has heard of museums in the US using micro wasps to manage moths in collections. I've read about their use in UK museums, but can't find anything suggesting they're being used stateside. I am interested to know both how well they work, and whether anyone has encountered or heard reports of any negative, longer-term ramifications associated with their use. 

Thanks!

Alyssa Shirley (Collections Manager, Nichols House Museum)

Hello all, 

I am wondering if anyone has heard of museums in the US using micro wasps to manage moths in collections. I've read about their use in UK museums, but can't find anything suggesting they're being used stateside. I am interested to know both how well they work, and whether anyone has encountered or heard reports of any negative, longer-term ramifications associated with their use. 

Thanks!

Alyssa Shirley (Collections Manager, Nichols House Museum)

Dear Alyssa,

Have you consulted museumpest.net ? The site is a rich resource and there is an active discussion list.

They will surely know!

regards,

Gretchen. 

Hello all, 

I am wondering if anyone has heard of museums in the US using micro wasps to manage moths in collections. I've read about their use in UK museums, but can't find anything suggesting they're being used stateside. I am interested to know both how well they work, and whether anyone has encountered or heard reports of any negative, longer-term ramifications associated with their use. 

Thanks!

Alyssa Shirley (Collections Manager, Nichols House Museum)

Hello all, 

I am wondering if anyone has heard of museums in the US using micro wasps to manage moths in collections. I've read about their use in UK museums, but can't find anything suggesting they're being used stateside. I am interested to know both how well they work, and whether anyone has encountered or heard reports of any negative, longer-term ramifications associated with their use. 

Thanks!

Alyssa Shirley (Collections Manager, Nichols House Museum)

Dear Alyssa,

In addition to the helpful suggestions from Sharon and Gretchen I will add that there is a short presentation by David Stevenson in the Conferences Section of MuseumPests.net that you may find useful. I suspect you can reach out to him directly for more information. You are correct that this form of treatment has been tested more widely in Europe but there are a few people who have experimented with it in North America. As you will see from David's presentation the wasps don't do harm, they may do some good but they should be considered as a solution in conjunction with the range of other prevention/monitoring/remediation techniques that are unglamorous but essential in controlling any moth issue in an institution. 

Best, Rachael, MuseumPests Working Group co-chair

Parasitic Wasps vs. Clothes Moths
David Stevenson, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Canada

Tricho Mite vs. Tineola Bisselliella (Wasps vs. Moths). Our museum had an infestation of clothes moths that came to light after reopening our galleries after a period of closure due to the pandemic. We did the requisite remedial work after our unfortunate discovery: cleaning, removal of infested or at-risk objects, CO2 treatment of the infested objects, installation of traps, and frequent inspection. The situation has greatly improved. In anticipation of an upcoming exhibition that will contain keratinaceous objects, we have decided to deploy a small number of parasitic wasps to combat the persistent yet very low-level presence of moths that remain in the building. This short presentation will attempt to describe the process, and for some, introduce the idea of parasitic wasps as a way of combatting Tineola Bisselliella, commonly known as clothes moths.

Hello all, 

I am wondering if anyone has heard of museums in the US using micro wasps to manage moths in collections. I've read about their use in UK museums, but can't find anything suggesting they're being used stateside. I am interested to know both how well they work, and whether anyone has encountered or heard reports of any negative, longer-term ramifications associated with their use. 

Thanks!

Alyssa Shirley (Collections Manager, Nichols House Museum)