Moths: The invisible danger for the conservation of cultural heritage

Did you know that a small insect that can cause great damage to cultural objects? We are talking about moths. These little animals are a big problem for the conservation of cultural assets, especially those made with natural fibers, such as fabrics, skins and feathers. There are two most common moth species: Tinea pellionella (Linnaeus) and Tineola bisselliella (Hummel).

Tineola bisselliella (Hummel)

They look similar, but the larva of Tineola bisselliella (Hummel) creates patches of silken cloth to protect itself while chewing on its collection, while Tinea pellionella (Linnaeus) creates a tubular cocoon.

Tinea pellionella (Linnaeus)

The moths are only about 11mm long. Adults lay between 40 and 50 eggs, which are too small to easily detect on an object. The larvae look like small white caterpillars. Only the larvae will harm your collection, but the adults are easier to spot and catch. These pests feed exclusively on materials of animal origin such as wool, fur, silk, feathers, taxidermy, and leather. Some warning signs to look out for include cobwebs or silk sheaths on objects and shedding of the substrate as the larvae feed on their object. Moths also leave a fecal material called excrement, which looks a lot like sand. Moth droppings are the same color as the material they eat, so they can be quite colorful at times.

Tineola bisselliella (Hummel)

Moth larvae do not like light, so you can often find evidence of their presence in the creases and crevices of objects. Areas close to sources of infestation need to be vacuumed in detail... but if you find one of these in your collection, you need to act fast! And do you know how to identify and mitigate these types of problems? In our new Integrated Pest Management course you will learn to: 1. Identify specimens, structures and traces of different organisms in collections; 2. Understand the behavior of different living things in storage and display areas; 3. Analyze the different situations that favor the contamination of the collections, presenting ideas on how to eliminate or minimize such conditions. To see all the information about this course and to enroll, visit the link: https://www.icrpachamama.com/challenge-page/10a0ad26-3c6b-4b62-a86e-fb73603f1577

And take the opportunity to watch the welcome video of this course with Prof. Ricardo França!

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