Abstract
To find the environmental friendly alternative methods for control taxidermy pests in natural history museum, six species insect pests at various stages of their development were exposed to a low-oxygen atmosphere of 1.5% for a period of one week. Apart from a 50% survival rate for the larval stage of <em>Anthrenus verbasci</em>, the modified atmosphere was observed to have a lethal effect on all insect stages tested. When the exposure period was extended to periods of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 weeks, respectively 100% mortality was recorded for all insects tested. Evidence from this investigation supports the view that atmospheres reduced in oxygen may represent a viable alternative to chemical control methods. The feasibility of using this technique for the routine control and eradication of insect pests in natural history museums is discussed.
Highlights
Methods used for the eradication of insect pests in natural history museum taxidermies have traditionally involved the use of chemicals including arsenic, mercuric chloride, strychnine, DDT, ethylene dichloride, methyl bromide, ethylene oxide, sulfuryl fluoride and numerous others (Ornstein, 2010)
The only stages that exhibited any indications of viability were pupil stages of D. maculatus and larval stages of A. verbasci
Six species insect pests at various stages of their development were exposed to a low-oxygen atmosphere of 1.5% for a period of one week
Summary
Methods used for the eradication of insect pests in natural history museum taxidermies have traditionally involved the use of chemicals including arsenic, mercuric chloride, strychnine, DDT, ethylene dichloride, methyl bromide, ethylene oxide, sulfuryl fluoride and numerous others (Ornstein, 2010). Those chemicals may react adversely with museum materials and taxidermies, can be toxic to the public, may be harmful to the environment and their use is, in many cases, highly regulated (Dawson and Strang, 1992; Jedrzejewska, 1967; Linnie, 1987, 1994). The resulting atmosphere inhibited fungal growth and maintained the quality of the food product over an extended period
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