Anobia

Karin von Lerber <prevart [at] access__ch> writes

>The wood of the building itself as well as of the museum objects is
>infested with anobia (wood boring  insects).

We have had good experiences with a product called Bora-Care.  It is
Borax dissolved in Polyethylene Glycol.  It penetrates deep into the
wood and carries the Borax with it.  As the beetles eat the Borax
laced wood, they die.  It does not eradicate all infestation
immediately, but from our experience, over a few years, activity
slows and stops. We have used it on sections of buildings.  It can
only be applied to unpainted wood, since any paint or varnish blocks
the penetration.  It is available as a wood preservative from

    PRG (Preservation Resources Group)
    P.O. Box 1768
    Rockville MD 20849-1768, USA
    301-309-2222

They will send you lots of information and are very helpful
answering questions about their products. The best part is this
stuff has a very low toxicity for people and does provide residual
protection.

Richard L. Kerschner
Director of Collections Preservation
Shelburne Museum  802-985-3348 x3361

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:72
                Distributed: Tuesday, February 24, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-11-72-004
                                  ***