Integrated Pest Management

Amanda Pagliarino <amanda.pagliarino [at] qag__qld__gov__au> writes

>I would like to hear from anyone with knowledge of the use of herbs
>or essential oils for insect control, any anecdotal evidence or
>recommended articles.

The use of natural products has as many problems as commercial
products.  The main concern is staff health. Using volatile oils
means that they are continuously breathed in and we do not have any
idea what a toxic level is.  The oils are fat soluble and possibly
accumulate in fatty tissue. Pyrethrin works on flying insects by
influencing the nervous system which suggests accumulation in the
fatty myelin sheath of nerves.  There is a lot in the literature
about the medical aspects of overdoses in humans which also suggest
this action.  The best approach is an integrated system which
involves regular collection inspection, killing insects on objects
by the freezing process, and complete clean up after an infestation
and accurate records.

This type of program is illustrated in my book, Heritage Eaters:
insects and fungi in heritage collection", 1997, James and James,
London. I also have reviewed some problems in doing research on
natural products which shows that there is no research work on the
effects of these toxic natural chemicals on the objects treated, see
Florian, Mary-Lou E. 1998.  "Natural products" - for insect and
fungal control. ICOM Ethnographic, Newsletter, Oct.,18:4-8.

Mary-Lou Florian
Research Associate, Royal British Columbia Museum


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:54
                 Distributed: Tuesday, February 5, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-15-54-001
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