[Nhcoll-l] Pest control q- Shiny Spider Beetles

[Rehan Scharenguivel]

We have had some problems with Spider beetles in the past, I have never had them infest collection material and are usually within a space as a scavenger/secondary pest.

Every time we have had them in large numbers they have been associated with a birds nest in the roof. We've usually had the beetles come from the nest through the drains into a space. If you can find the initial food source this may help with the pests. Once we removed the birds nests and found the associated pathway into the stores (ours was a combination of weakened seals/HVAC), the problem was greatly reduced, to the point where I rarely find them within our Collection spaces.

If there are no birds nests, its possible the beetles are associated with other animal activity, looking for vertebrate activity may help with the beetle problem.

Best of Luck, hopefully you find a solution!

Regards,

Rehan Scharenguivel
Collection Care Conservator | Australian Museum Research Institute
Australian Museum  1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia
T 61 2 9320 6282 M 61 415 872 547
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