Open Forum

Does anyone have experience with Indian Meal Moths damaging collection objects. They usually feed on grains and other food items and are not considered to be as threatening a pest as many others but I was wondering if any of you have seen them damage collections. Thanks!

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Talela Florko
Curator
High Desert Curation LLC
Boise ID
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Hi Talela,

Unfortunately we do have experience with this. We had a massive infestation of Tineola moths in our avian specimen collection in 2007 (before I was hired), which went undetected for some time. Our collection is particularly vulnerable to pest damage because many of the study skins are freeze-dried. Once the infestation was discovered, over 100 specimens had been reduced to skeletons--the moth larvae even ate the feathers! The bones are still useful to us, but it will take time to clean, process, and catalog them into the skeletal collection. Luckily our oldest specimens were largely untouched thanks to being preserved with arsenic. The infestation also gave us a reason to petition for Delta storage cabinets (which we were able to purchase in 2014).

To treat the active infestation, we bagged up what was left of individual specimens in Ziplocs and stored them in a -20 freezer for 3 days to kill eggs and larvae.

When I moved the collection into the new cabinets, I treated the unaffected specimens similarly to be on the safe side. I put as many specimens as possible onto a storage drawer and carefully placed the whole drawer into a large garbage bag, sealed it up with rubber bands, and into the freezer it went! The garbage bags prevent excessive condensation on the specimens when they thaw out, which may not be an issue in more arid climates.

I'm interested to hear how others have dealt with this issue.

Cheers,

Erin

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Erin Cashion
Curator of Natural History
Ohio History Center - Ohio History Connection
Columbus, OH

Original Message:
Sent: 05-20-2016 05:54 PM
From: Talela Florko
Subject: Indian Meal Moths / Pantry Moths

Does anyone have experience with Indian Meal Moths damaging collection objects. They usually feed on grains and other food items and are not considered to be as threatening a pest as many others but I was wondering if any of you have seen them damage collections. Thanks!

------------------------------
Talela Florko
Curator
High Desert Curation LLC
Boise ID
------------------------------

Hi Erin,

Thanks so much for sharing, what terrible experience. Did they ever find out the source of the infestation or know how they initially got in? Glad that you have been able to deal with it, but what a loss.

Best, Talela

------------------------------
Talela Florko
Curator
High Desert Curation LLC
Boise ID

Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2016 09:34 AM
From: Erin Cashion
Subject: Indian Meal Moths / Pantry Moths

Hi Talela,

Unfortunately we do have experience with this. We had a massive infestation of Tineola moths in our avian specimen collection in 2007 (before I was hired), which went undetected for some time. Our collection is particularly vulnerable to pest damage because many of the study skins are freeze-dried. Once the infestation was discovered, over 100 specimens had been reduced to skeletons--the moth larvae even ate the feathers! The bones are still useful to us, but it will take time to clean, process, and catalog them into the skeletal collection. Luckily our oldest specimens were largely untouched thanks to being preserved with arsenic. The infestation also gave us a reason to petition for Delta storage cabinets (which we were able to purchase in 2014).

To treat the active infestation, we bagged up what was left of individual specimens in Ziplocs and stored them in a -20 freezer for 3 days to kill eggs and larvae.

When I moved the collection into the new cabinets, I treated the unaffected specimens similarly to be on the safe side. I put as many specimens as possible onto a storage drawer and carefully placed the whole drawer into a large garbage bag, sealed it up with rubber bands, and into the freezer it went! The garbage bags prevent excessive condensation on the specimens when they thaw out, which may not be an issue in more arid climates.

I'm interested to hear how others have dealt with this issue.

Cheers,

Erin

------------------------------
Erin Cashion
Curator of Natural History
Ohio History Center - Ohio History Connection
Columbus, OH

Hi all,

I noticed some stink bugs on the windows outside of the museum. Does anyone know if they cause damage to objects? (if so I plan on doing some preventative measures). I know they feed on fruits and veggies, but has anyone had them munch on objects?

Thanks,

Kali

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Kali Mason

Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2016 02:25 PM
From: Talela Florko
Subject: Indian Meal Moths / Pantry Moths

Hi Erin,

Thanks so much for sharing, what terrible experience. Did they ever find out the source of the infestation or know how they initially got in? Glad that you have been able to deal with it, but what a loss.

Best, Talela

------------------------------
Talela Florko
Curator
High Desert Curation LLC
Boise ID

Hello Talela,

I am guessing that your infestation may have been webbing clothes moths, which eat a variety of natural materials, including fabrics and feathers, as opposed to Indian meal moths, which eat stored grains and many pantry items. Both kinds of pests are found almost everywhere, although if additions to museum collections are not examined properly, they can ride into the museum on new acquisitions or borrowed items. In order to treat any pest problem, you have to know for certain which pest your are trying to control. A good source of information and safe control materials is Insects Limited (insectslimited.com/museums), a company that has provided a lot of help to museums over the years. Often there are pheromone lures and traps to help control the insects, but it is best to identify the pest and then rely on the experts to recommend the best and safest methods to eradicate them in collections.

Best,

Bruce

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Bruce MacLeish
Curator Emeritus
Newport Restoration Foundation
Newport RI

Original Message:
Sent: 05-24-2016 10:14 AM
From: Kali Mason
Subject: Indian Meal Moths / Pantry Moths

Hi all,

I noticed some stink bugs on the windows outside of the museum. Does anyone know if they cause damage to objects? (if so I plan on doing some preventative measures). I know they feed on fruits and veggies, but has anyone had them munch on objects?

Thanks,

Kali

------------------------------
Kali Mason

Hello,

I have been battling webbing clothing moths for a year here at our little museum and library. Head my warning, if you see a moth kill a moth and figure out exactly what kind you are dealing with, then find their nest, or nest remnants. We have tineola bisselliena. The most important thing you need to understand is that it is the moth larva is what actually does the damage (and that is true for pantry moths as well.) If you see moths flying then you have had a nest of larva living undisturbed for 3 - 9 months, feeding (even up to two years, from egg drop.) You have to find the nests! You have to find the eggs! Webbing clothing moths live off of, wool, silk, feathers, hair and fur primarily, but any animal protein is vulnerable. Normally you;'ll find nests of larva feasting off of a textile, but they are capable of living even in cracks in floor boards, if there is a human hair or two or adequate dander. You have to clean everything, and inspect EVERYTHING. you have to move EVERYTHING. The best ways to kill are freezing, heating (depending on what is safe for your objects) or safest is to create anoxic enclosures and use oxygen scrubbers in them in order to starve the eggs and larva or oxygen. Seriously, you can't let them take, hold, and you can not slough off the appearance of a few moths, until you know they are not a threat to your collections. There are pheromone lures available, and you should use them, but they will only alert you to the problem, as the only attract the males. Another fine moth point to understand (at least for tineola bisselliena) is that they are attracted to the dark. they shy away from light (many people assume they are similar in habit to what I call now "night moths" and they are not.)

Moth hunting has become  part of my every day here. We have sustained a barest minimum of damage, but that is due to unending vigilance and understanding the moth life cycle.  If you have more questions pertaining to webbing clothing moths I do have experience and links, I wish I had the magic bullet but alas that does not seem to exist (the best I can do is light a candle in solidarity.) I have consulted with , exterminators, entomologists and conservators... they have told me I am doing all the right things... Don't let them tuck in!!! 

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Christina Doe
Facilities Manager
Rosenbach Museum & Library
Philadelphia PA

Original Message:
Sent: 05-20-2016 05:54 PM
From: Talela Florko
Subject: Indian Meal Moths / Pantry Moths

Does anyone have experience with Indian Meal Moths damaging collection objects. They usually feed on grains and other food items and are not considered to be as threatening a pest as many others but I was wondering if any of you have seen them damage collections. Thanks!

------------------------------
Talela Florko
Curator
High Desert Curation LLC
Boise ID
------------------------------