Research Training Program

Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History

PROJECT SUMMARY
1998
Kevin Douglas Stewart
Howard University
Washington, DC

David Furth, Ph.D.
Supervising Scientist
Department of Entomology

"Having the opportunity to contribute a legacy to the well being of our national collections  was self-fulfilling. It was very much a'bout it, 'bout it' experience."

 Kevin D. Stewart

Pest Control Data Management in Entomological Collections

ABSTRACT

Destruction of research specimen collections by insects is a concern for all scientists and curators. Within a museum lies a micro-ecosystem that needs to be monitored to prevent conditions that allow the establishment of museum pest infestations. Recently, the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) has made an effort to survey possible insect infestations within the museum as part of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Each department is responsible for placing monitoring devices ("sticky traps") and periodically retrieve them to ascertain which pest species reside within each collection area. The following known museum pests pose a serious threat to the collections and were of significance to track: Thylodrias contractus (Odd Beetle), Anthrenus verbasci (Varied Carpet Beetle), Attagenus unicolor (Black Carpet Beetle), Liposcelis spp. (Booklice), Lepisma saccharina (Silverfish), and Gibbium spp. (Spider Beetle). A data management system tracking the influx of museum pests into the collections was devised. The system meets the criteria for the Department of Entomology in that data can be entered on the species trapped, and the system meets the criteria for other departments in that it uses general categories, allowing one to identify pests to their particular insect order. The data was entered on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet where it could be stored and calculated to allow for useful analysis of potential problem areas within the collection areas. Freezing of incoming specimens and periodic cleaning decreases the number of insects caught within treated areas. This project provides a database and analysis model for other departments in NMNH as well as for other museum IPM programs.

This research was supported by a grant from NSF AMP HRD-9732790.