Key Takeaways:

• Museums, libraries and archives face higher pest risk because their collections contain wool, fur, feathers, paper and wood that insects feed on.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) replaces routine pesticide spraying with prevention, monitoring and targeted, low-toxicity treatment.
• Isolation, freezing, baiting, heat treatment and gas treatment are five of the most effective control methods for collection-holding institutions.
• Monthly checks of adhesive traps at wall and floor junctions, entrances, loading bays and food areas catch infestations before they reach artifacts.
• Sealed metal cabinets, layered enclosures, clean objects and relative humidity below 65% make collection materials far less attractive to pests.
• Most treatments require trained, licensed professionals, so a long-term partnership with a commercial pest control provider protects both the collection and compliance.

The only thing worse than mice or cockroaches feeding on breadcrumbs in your kitchen is finding them munching on invaluable paintings and artifacts in your museum or library. Insects are responsible for significant damage to museum objects, historic books, and in buildings of historical or architectural importance. Various wood-boring beetles, various moths, and booklice can destroy materials, objects, and building parts. Termites, cockroaches, and other insect pests are also common in museums and libraries, and their presence results in even greater damage to wood and paper materials.

Insects do not infest all items in equal ways, however. At the highest risk of infestation are natural history collections, dried insect collections, dry plant materials, stuffed animals, items containing fur, and keratin- or chitin-based materials. Usually, items made from these vulnerable materials are stored together in dark areas, making the spread of infestation easier and more successful.

In the past, pest control in such collection-holding institutions involved regular applications of insecticides to the infested areas and to the objects themselves. Recent health and safety concerns, however, have convinced many institutions to move away from spraying toxic chemicals in favour of a combination of proactive and preventative measures collectively known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Rather than just treating the existing infestation over and over again, IPM is focused on identifying risk conditions, locating access points, and providing feasible mitigation strategies that are both safe and effective. Here are some of the most successful control methods currently used in museums and libraries to eliminate insect infestations.

1. Isolation

Although isolating contaminated items is not an IPM treatment per se, it can indicate the presence of an active infestation, a crucial part of any IPM plan. Isolating, inspecting, and cleaning items entering the institution helps avoid granting pests access to the rest of the collection and building.

2. Freezing

Freezing, also known as controlled low-temperature treatment, is a common pest management and inspection method in museums. Not all items can be frozen, however; the ones that can undergo this treatment and sustain no damage include:

• Oil and acrylic paintings
• Photographic materials
• Audio-visual items such as tapes, discs, cassettes, VHS, glass archival materials, and others

Freezing is also carried out by some museums as a preventative measure whenever collections are moved into a new facility or if bulk collections that cannot be individually inspected are acquired.

3. Baiting

A lot of museums use baiting systems, typically using a nontoxic material, to instigate large-scale consumption within the pest population. When insect workers are seen feeding, the original nontoxic bait is replaced with bait containing a slow-acting insect growth regulator that ends up disrupting the breeding cycle of the colony. As the worker population is reduced, the colony soon starts collapsing and dying. This method is particularly successful at eradicating subterranean termites and is used as a safer treatment option because it eliminates poisoning of non-target insects.

4. Heat Treatment

Heat treatment for infested artifacts is perhaps the most effective method for ensuring 100% efficacy in eradicating insect pests. Museum managers prefer this method for treating both small individual objects and entire multi-story buildings. It is inexpensive compared to other treatments, easy to conduct, and can be applied to a variety of objects.

5. Gas Treatment

The use of atmospheric gases such as nitrogen or argon gas in sealed enclosures to eradicate insect infestation of museum objects is another effective alternative to toxic substances. This method works by introducing gases that reduce the oxygen levels in an infested area to 0.1%, which interferes with the glucose production of insect pests, resulting in weight loss and eventually death. Almost all art objects can be treated with this method.

Pest Monitoring and Prevention Strategies for Museums, Libraries and Archives

Monitoring is how you find out an infestation has started before it reaches your artifacts. The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) recommends small adhesive traps for routine monitoring of collection, display and support areas in its guide to preventing infestations. Place traps along wall and floor junctions, where crawling insects and rodents travel, with priority given to loading bays, doorways, mechanical rooms and any café or food service area.

Traps only work if someone checks them. The adhesive loses its grip after a couple of months, and old traps full of dead insects become food for dermestid beetles, which can then move into nearby collections. A monthly inspection and replacement routine prevents that, and a log of every catch shows where activity is building.

Prevention starts outside the collection rooms. Keep food and garbage out of storage and exhibit areas, clear clutter that hides pests, and keep plantings away from exterior walls. Seal gaps around pipes, vents and doors, since rodents and bats can enter through openings larger than 5 mm. A professional facility audit can map these entry points and set a trap layout for your building, at far less cost than restoring damaged artifacts, which is why waiting and seeing is the most expensive strategy for commercial pest control.

How to Protect Collection Materials From Pest Damage

Every barrier between a pest and an object lowers the risk of damage. Conservators think of protection in layers: the building, the room, the cabinet, the box and the bag. The more layers around an artifact, the safer it is, and sealed containers stop an infestation from spreading if one starts.

For storage, choose tight metal cabinets with gaskets over wood cabinets with loose doors, and keep objects on raised metal racks rather than the floor. Avoid packing objects in corrugated cardboard or felt, which can harbour insects. Clear polyethylene bags or containers let staff check contents without opening them.

Cleanliness matters at the object level too. Dust, hair and food residue draw insects to materials they would otherwise ignore, which is why soiled silk and cotton are attacked more often than clean fabric. Wool, fur and feathers are favoured by carpet beetle larvae and clothes moths, so inspect these items along seams, folds and linings.

Finally, manage the environment. Cooler temperatures slow insect development, and relative humidity below 65% discourages mould and the booklice that feed on it. The CCI’s guide to pests as an agent of deterioration explains how to match these controls to your facility, and a provider who knows what actually works for pest control in Ontario can put them in place.

The application of most methods of treatment used to eradicate insect pests in museums, whether chemical or fumigant, requires training and licensing. It is essential to work with a knowledgeable and experienced pest management professional to make sure that all legal and safety regulations are met. Establishing a working relationship with a reputable commercial pest control company in your area will also guarantee prevention of future infestations and ensure the safety of invaluable exhibit items.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Integrated Pest Management in a Museum?

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in a museum is a planned approach that protects collections by keeping pests out, detecting them early and treating problems with the least harmful method that works. Instead of spraying pesticides on a schedule, staff remove food sources, seal entry points, monitor with traps and inspect vulnerable objects. When pests are found, they choose targeted options such as freezing, heat or low-oxygen treatment. The goal is to protect artifacts and people while keeping chemical exposure as low as possible.

What Insects Damage Books and Paper?

The insects most likely to damage books and paper are silverfish, booklice, cockroaches and certain beetles. Silverfish graze on paper, starch-based pastes and bookbinding adhesives. Booklice feed on mould growing on damp paper, so finding them usually points to a humidity problem. Cockroaches chew paper and leave stains, while drugstore beetles can tunnel through bindings and wood-boring beetles attack wooden shelving. Leather bindings can also attract carpet beetle larvae, and rodents shred paper for nesting material.

How Can You Tell if a Pest Infestation Is Active?

Fresh evidence is the best sign of an active infestation. Look for live insects, new cast larval skins, webbing or cocoons, and frass, the fine powder or pellets insects leave behind. For a wooden object, leave it undisturbed over white paper for several days; frass that keeps piling up beneath exit holes means larvae are still feeding. Old damage on its own does not prove a current problem, so clean affected areas after treatment to make any new activity easier to spot.

Are Booklice Harmful to Library Collections?

Booklice rarely cause serious direct damage, but they are an important warning sign. These tiny, pale insects feed mainly on microscopic mould that grows on paper, bindings and starch-based glues in damp conditions. A booklice problem usually means relative humidity in that area is too high, which puts the whole collection at risk of mould damage. Lowering humidity with dehumidifiers and better air circulation, then cleaning affected materials, typically brings booklice under control without pesticides.

How Often Should Museums and Libraries Check for Pests?

Most institutions check monitoring traps monthly and replace them at the same time, since trap adhesive loses effectiveness after a couple of months. High-risk zones such as loading docks, entrances and food areas need the closest attention. Vulnerable collections, including textiles, natural history specimens, fur and feathers, should be visually inspected at least once a year, with extra checks in spring and summer when many fabric pests are most active. Logging every inspection helps staff spot patterns early.