Clayton,
Passing along this response from our Integrated Pest Management expert Gretchen Anderson.
Brad Bredehoft
Vikane was the prefered fumigant for collection items for many years, however it is a controlled substance and toxic to insects and to humans. Before you consider it you need to make sure that it is legal to use in your state and that the company applying it is registered to use it. In the 1990's it was considered one of the safer pesticides for collections.
There are much better ways, less toxic ways to rid yourself of an infestation. There are a couple of steps to go through before treating the object.
- Determine if the infestation is active or not. That is, do you have a live infestation or simply residue from a long dead infestation? Do you see live insects? Set out sticky traps to see what you are getting. Identify the culprit. This will determine the course of action.
- If it is not active, clean up the frass and debris, and monitor it to make sure.
- If it is active, identify the pest. and determine a course of action.
- Treatment options: I would consider the following treatment options before using Vikane (sulfuryl fluoride), both for human health reasons and potential deterioration of the object. Pesticides like vikane should be your last resort.
- Thermal treatments: Using heat or cold are viable treatments that can deal with any infestation on just about any type of object if done properly. See the Museum Pest Network: https://museumpests.net/solutions/ for instructions. Limitations will be on the size of the object/boat. A tent for heating can be created.
- Controlled atmosphere: For an object this size a tent using Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen or Argon might be the most practical. Museum Pest Network has information and recommendations.
- Finally, the Museum Pest Network also has recommendations for how to apply toxic fumigants such as Vikane. All of this information can be accessed on the web site noted above.
I have been practicing pest management on natural history and anthropological collections for many years. I have experienced and noted damage to many collections caused by pesticides.I also teach IPM for museums through Museumstudy.com. My recommendation is to be as conservative as possible. Vikane is dangerous to the insects, humans and possibly the object. Make sure that the infestation is active before moving ahead and treating. Identify the culprit. There is a lot of information on the Museum Pest Network website. Other resources include:
If you decide to use Vikane you will want to make sure that your tent is air tight so that none escapes. Also, everyone present should be wearing the proper ppe.
Please feel free to contact me for more information.
Gretchen Anderson
Conservator
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
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Bradford Bredehoft
CEO
Museum Study, LLC
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-06-2023 03:20 PM
From: Clayton Richards
Subject: Use of Vikane Fumigation
Hello All,
I am the Registrar for the Florida Holocaust Museum. At our offsite facility we have a boat that needs to be tented and fumigated for bugs. The offsite facility is warehouse building that contains other crates and containers housing exhibits and materials for the museum. Only the boat will be fumigated, but the rest of the building will be closed for a number of days as a precaution in case of a leak. Has anyone fumigated a museum or collection space with Vikane before, and is it safe to use around collections materials? Are there any other precautions that we should take with our items?
Thank you for your help!
Clayton Richards
Registrar
Florida Holocaust Museum
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Clayton Richards
Registrar
Florida Holocaust Museum
Saint Petersburg FL
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