One thing important to bear in mind *before* you rush out to buy sticky
traps is that they are good monitors but poor control. That is, they are
excellent at giving you an idea of what the problem is, but will not
solve it for you. For this and other reasons, you are much better off
sitting down to draw up an integrated pest management plan first. You do
not have to panic: you have time to plan a course of action.

Bait-type sticky traps (whether pheromone, peanut butter, or anything
else) actually draw more pests into your area of concern--if you think
about it, you will see why this is so--and actually can increase your
problem over time. It's better to get non-bait traps for a more accurate
sample of the true problem. Don't forget to get traps for flying insects,
too. And for godness' sake talk to someone who specializes in museum pest
control and is aware of all the issues, rather than simply the nearest
licensed pest control professional.

No trap system is any good if you don't use the results to make
significant changes that get at the source of the problem instead of
treating the symptoms. Pests in your collections are there because they
can physically get in, have a source of food, and are sheltered (usually
they are able to find dark, seldom-disturbed, seldom-cleaned areas). These
three factors are what you must address if you want to get the pest
problem under control. Like hygrothermographs and light meters, traps are
monitors but not controls. You will waste your money if you buy them as
anything other than part of an integrated control program that also
addresses gaps in the building fabric, open doors and windows,
failing case gaskets, food (yours and theirs), and building-wide
maintenance programs.

Sally Shelton
Director, Collections Care and Conservation
President-Elect, Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections

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|                                                                       |
|                 San Diego Natural History Museum                      |
|                          P. O. Box 1390                               |
|                San Diego, California   92112  USA                     |
|             phone (619) 232-3821; FAX (619) 232-0248                  |
|                     email [log in to unmask]                          |
|                                                                       |
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