"Where will the next pest infestation happen?

The surprising answer and 7 tips to make sure you're prepared"

By Guest Blogger, Arianna Spiller, Art Conservation Intern

Where could it happen!? In your art and antiques?!!! Your collectible toys?!, Imagine turning over a panel painting that USED to be worth $1,000s or a family heirloom wooden antique to find that it has now become a nursery and cafeteria for bugs that are not so slowly ruining them. Wood eating beetles will have a not indifferent impact on the items integrity, the long term preservation and the value. This article will help you prepare for and know what to do about the damage these bugs can bring about that is so common to antiques and artwork. 1st important tip: The wood pests will spread to other wood items into your storage area or display area.

A multitude of moths, worms, beetles, termites could be a potential danger to your wooden artifacts and keepsakes ruining your precious and expensive wooden antiques, furniture, and art. They like a variety of woods but are also attracted to natural adhesives used in making the items (or old school restorations) like paste, hide and rabbit skin glue. 2nd Good tip: Fecal matter, larvae, the bug itself are all good clues to tell whether you have interlopers. Others bugs will shed their skin or wings and traces of these will be left in the areas of holes or infestation. Frass or insect created sawdust is a tell tale sign you have wood boring visitors the sawdust will come out of the holes they have burred into. However, if you see frass it does not mean there has been recent activity but there has been activity in the past. If the color is light and the saw dust looks fresh then watch out because they are active! If its dark brown then its probably from an old luncheon appointment. If any of these signs are spotted, take action against these pests right away before the damage is too extensive or the bugs spread to other wood objects. If the pests are active, the situation will not get better by ignoring it and the bugs will not go away on their own. Recently in the painting restoration business of Fine Art Conservation Laboratories a painting by Edgar Payne with a recently made frame by

Richard Toby came in with holes and frass. They followed these steps (A solid 3rd tip!): When an artifact is received with wood damage due to pests, it is immediately wrapped in plastic and sealed. An eye is kept on it to see if new frass or other debris appears to prove that the infestation is active and how bad the infestation is. Then, the infested wood item is sent through a gas chamber using a Vikane pest killing gas product called Sulfuryl Fluoride.

A Barbizon painting on wood panel (see photo below) rattled with beetle and worm holes that tunneled under the paint and caused loads of damage and loss of value.

Chief Art Conservator, Scott M. Haskins is often asked whether the fumigation affects paintings, wooden antiques and other collectibles and artifacts. He said, The product that used to be used almost universally was called methylene chloride and it was considered safe. But I, personally, had not heard anything about Sulfuryl Fluoride directly associated with museum artifacts and artwork so I called the company. Several references in their literature and the person in customer service say that there has been ample testing and evaluation since 1961. Several days of fumigation treatment are required before it is removed from the gas chamber. After, the item is sealed with a consolidant to strengthen the weakened wood structure which also helps prevent reinfestation. If the wood is not treated after it is gassed (and all the pests are dead), the wood item can be immediately re-infested again if it is exposed to new pests. Seeing how dangerous these pests can be should inspire you to take some pro-active actions against them. The 4 remaining helpful tips are: Wood boring bugs thrive in warm moist places but to tell you the truth, they live in all climates. But the optimum general temperature and humidity for collection care is 55% relative humidity and 65% deg. Fahrenheit temperature and keep the fluxuations of these numbers to less that 20 points per a 24 hour period. CLICK HERE to an article on this subject. Keep an eye out for fresh frass. Vacuum cracks and crevices, of wood especially, every so often to make sure you see the newly formed deposits.

Try and isolate infested items from non infested items (wrap them in plastic?): but keeping them all in the same room (even if they are separated) will not work. Moths distribute eggs far and wide. Pesticides and insecticides may work, especially for items like silverfish/firebrats (not wood boring but bad for items on paper and fabrics). Call a fumigator and ask about a chamber you can take your infested item to for gassing. But be aware: after an item is fumigated, the wood item can be immediately re-infected again if it is exposed to new pests.

Oopps that was 5 more tips To learn more about what you can do at home to take care of your stuff, download now a copy of Scott Haskins book, How To Save Your Stuff From A Disaster at 50% off! CLICK HERE to know more: http://saveyourstuffblog.com/products-supplies/ For a news article featuring Scott M. Haskins, Click here: http://www.fineartconservationlab.com/media-room/artrestorerconservator-scott-m-haskins-featured-in-life-section-ofnewspaper/ For art conservation and painting restoration questions call Scott M. Haskins 805 564 3438 or faclartdoc@gmail.com For art appraisal questions call Richard Holgate at 805 895 5121 or jrholgate@yahoo.com Follow us on Facebook Fine Art Conservation Save Your Stuff Scott M. Haskins

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