الأربعاء، 7 أكتوبر 2009

EFFECTS OF INSECTS ON MUSEUM OBJECTS AND THEIR CONTROL

EFFECTS OF INSECTS ON MUSEUM OBJECTS AND THEIR CONTROL


O P AGRARIAN


Abstract


Museum exhibits, particularly organic materials, face problems with insects of different kinds leading to their form. This paper deals with different species of insects, the harm they do and the preventive control from their attack.


Introduction
Insects probably are the worst enemies of art objects, particularly of organic nature like wooden objects, textiles, books, animal trophies, etc. They bore holes into the material they infest and eat it voraciously. There would hardly one any museum or art collection in which objects have not been damaged by insects at one time or the other. In libraries also insect is a great menace. Books are damaged fast by insects like book-worms, silver-fish or termites. So much material is destroyed
cleanliness and the use of appropriate insecticides protect museum objects from insect attack. Recent developments in the field of ehttfmol6gy have placed at the service of conservators a wide range of chemicals which can be safely and easily applied for control or elimination of insects.
The insects menace is greater in tropical climates than in temperature zones beware high temperature and humidity favour insect growth. The curator of a institution in a country in the Tropics should, therefore, be more alert to this danger than his counterpart in European countries1.


General principles of insect control
The design of a museum or a library building and the material useil for its construction play an important role in prevention of insect attack. As far as possible, insect-proof materials, like steel,

against termite attack. As high humidity promotes reproductive activity of insects, air-conditioning and climate control inside museum and library buildings are important means of suppressing insects. However, air-conditioning is beyond the resources of most institutions in the developing countries. Therefore, other means of protection against insects will have to be employed. Prevention of insect attack by chemicals is one such means.


Chemical control of insects
Many chemicals, referred to as insecticides, kill insects, while others which do not kill, but repel them, are known as repellents. A large number of insecticides can be used for general purposes,





Dr. M.M.Abd El Hady

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