Number 29 Winter 2007 Alaska State Museums Bulletin An Information Source for Alaska’s Museum Community

Integrated Pest Management Made Easy by Ellen Carrlee

Your building has things that attract pests. Yes, it really them, you’re prevent- does. So does ours. ing the problem in Identification But are they a threat the first place. to your collection? 12 Monitoring 11 Common Heritage Eaters With an Integrated 1 1. Cigarette Monitoring your pest 10 Pest Management 2. Drugstore beetle populations with (IPM) system, you 3. Confused can be actively pre- sticky traps gives you 2 4. Saw-toothed grain beetle an early warning of vent infestation and 9 5. Carpet beetle trouble afoot. We or- effectively respond if 6. Common carpet beetle larvae der our traps through 3 one occurs. 7. Varied carpet beetle Limited. For 8. Common dermestid beetle In the past, mu- our approximately 9. Larder beetle seums responded 24,000 square feet, 8 4 10. Webbing clothes moth to infestation with we set about 50 5 11. American spider beetle poisons. Many of traps where a bug 7 12. Hide beetle these are now illegal; is likely to stroll in. 6 some contaminated This includes along or damaged the the base of walls, artifacts, and were near water, and next Common “Harmless” Bugs dangerous to mu- to doorways. We 12 1&2. Spiders eat other insects, seum staff. Museums not collections. Spiders can be number each loca- 11 1 reduced by sticky traps. took a cue from the tion on a map, and 3. Minute scavenger eat agriculture industry, label each trap with 10 2 mostly molds and fungi. which needed to its number, location control bugs without 4. Common weevil, a grain eater. and date. We change 3 contaminating food. 5. Carpenter ants don’t eat artifacts the traps every three but indicate building problems. months, and chart Housekeeping 9 6. Common housefly, mostly a what we find. We 4 nuisance for leaving droppings An IPM system uses take a flashlight and called “flyspecks.” good housekeeping check dark corners 8 7. Picnic ants look for sugar. to keep pests out, 5 for rodent droppings 7 8&9. Sowbugs come in many 6 traps to monitor the or other debris. shapes and live in damp areas. presence of bugs, 10-12. Carabids, click beetles and and extreme low Our traps at the other large beetles are generally temperature to treat ASM usually contain harmless. infestations. Good lots of spiders and housekeeping aims sowbugs as well as to keep pests out in ants, large black Insect Debris the first place. If you click beetles, and 1. Frass avoid carrying in centipedes. Google 2. Larva and casings pests, stop them from Images is helpful in 1 2 3 3. Cocoons entering, and reduce see > IPM on page 3

page 1 Museum Kodiak’s Baranov Museum Success by Miriam Landau The Baranov Museum in um made a successful ap- many people to watch as Stories Kodiak displays one of the plication to the ASM for a well as participate. “One rarest baidarkas in exis- 2007 Grant-In-Aid to bring of those wonderful things tence. The hundred-year- in Dana Senge, an objects about small museums is old kayak is a portable, conservator, to repair the that the boat is in proxim- boat. She worked with staff ity of the audience,” Bob from Kodiak’s Baranov and says. This was certainly Alutiiq Museums to clean true when students from and restore the baidarka. Kodiak’s St. Innocent’s Academy, crews from local Dana stabilized and fishing vessels, biologists repaired the boat with the from the Department of help of the Kodiak commu- Fish & Game, and others, nity. She taught a workshop provided much-needed as- for Baranov and Alutiiq sistance in transferring the museum staff on how to boat from its mount to the clean the baidarka. “They floor where the work could [Kodiak residents] are so take place. Alfred Naumoff, receptive to working with a local kayak builder, also the conservators and I re- did an analysis and created ally enjoyed collaborating a sketch of the boat. with them!” Dana said of her experience. After per- The project also brought forming her work, Dana did the baidarka more recogni- an assessment survey of tion in the community. Peo- the Baranov Museum’s col- ple who hadn’t been to the lection for future projects. museum in decades came to see the conservation Bob Banghart, the Curator process. “It was definitely a of Exhibitions at the ASM, rallying project for us to get was brought to Kodiak people interested and there through the State Museum were people who didn’t Outreach Program to devise know we had this baid- The first day of cleaning. Dana Senge, a more efficient way to Objects Conservator, and kayak builder Al- arka,” Katie said. During fred Naumoff are in the bottom left. Tricia hang the baidarka. Bob de- restoration, the museum Alaska State Museums Squartsoff and Rose Kinsley of the Alutiiq signed a mount that better Museum are in the upper right. was free to the public and Bulletin supported the kayak struc- the month of November skin-covered, wooden- turally and spent four days brought in double the usual Alaska State Museum frame boat used by Alaska working with the museum’s number of visitors. 395 Whittier Street Native peoples. It is one staff sharing his knowledge Juneau, AK 99801 of only five three-hatch and experience. Phone (907) 465-2901 Fax (907) 465-2976 baidarkas in the world and The three-week project one of two in the western brought the community to- Sheldon Jackson Museum hemisphere. gether in a show of hands- 104 College Drive In November 2007 the Ba- on support for the museum. Sitka AK 99835 ranov Museum embarked Katie Oliver, the Baranov Phone (907) 747-8981 on a project to restore the Museum Director, did a Fax (907) 747-3004 baidarka. This is the first great job orchestrating com- facelift it has seen since munity involvement. The To contact Museum Services: entire treatment was done 1978. With the baidarka Community members examine the surface Toll-free (888) 913-MUSE in the main room of the Email: [email protected] now needing attention and construction of the baidarka. again, the Baranov Muse- Baranov Museum, allowing museums.state.ak.us page 2 < IPM | from page 1 IPM at ASM identifying bugs. When we temperature and brittleness example, would definitely find an insect that looks that occurs when things go in our freezer before it ASM Housekeeping Rules like a “heritage eater,” but are cold. Place the artifact went into our clean collec- we aren’t sure, we put out in a plastic bag that is well tions room. But what if you • Food and eating is restricted extra traps in that location sealed. Squeeze as much don’t have a freezer, or the to the kitchen and confer- ence room. for next time and send the air from the bag as you can incoming artifact is too big? trap to the Forest Ser- and seal the zip-lock or use Careful visual inspection • Eating in the galleries is vice Regional Forester for a heat sealer if possible. into the object’s dark crev- limited to special events and to one area. The carpet is positive identification. Staff ices can help set your mind catches any bugs they see Lucky for us, most museum at ease. Look for holes, vacuumed, linens laundered, artifacts don’t have enough and trash taken out of the on a piece of Scotch tape. loose hair, bald patches, building right after the event. Anything that was origi- water in them to create ice. live bugs, bug parts, co- nally a plant or has However, upon removal coons, webbing, bug nests, • Beverages on staff desks are from the freezer, conden- restricted to water, coffee or potential for insect infesta- and tiny bug droppings tea in a closed container. tion. At the top of the list sation will form, and it is known as “frass.” for tasty bug treats are: fur, better for that moisture to • Collections are kept free of form on the plastic than Frass is round, so suspi- non-collections materials feathers, leather, and wool. and clutter. The cleaner your on your artifact! After a cious looking dirt can be space, the faster you notice Treatment day of adjusting to room sprinkled on a piece of pa- something is wrong. Treatment involves a freez- temperature, you can safely per and the paper tilted… • Packing materials are dis- er. Research indicates that remove your artifact from if it rolls easily, it might be posed of in the dumpster our “heritage eaters” can be the package. Removing all frass. If you don’t see this outside the building. killed in all phases of their the old bug debris is a good evidence, the next step is to • No plants or flowers in the life cycle by one week be- idea, so any future bug de- lay the artifact on a pristine building. None. Not even low -20°C. However, many bris will be a clue to a new white surface and place for a few hours. They are a museums only have access infestation. Brushing the some sticky traps around it. known source of bugs as to a frost-free freezer, with debris into a mesh-covered Wait two months or so to well as bug food. temperatures that cycle nozzle of a vacuum cleaner allow any eggs to hatch and • Structural gaps in the build- well above -20°C. Many with a soft brush usually get active. If you see no ing are closed with silicone insects are “frost tolerant” does the trick. debris on the white surface caulk, weather stripping and can make a substance and nobody in the sticky or door sweeps. Holes are When infestations occur, like antifreeze to survive a traps, you’re probably safe. plugged with rust-proof, not only do the artifacts Preventive treatment is also brassy steel wool to stop dose of cold. But our brains go into the freezer, but the done with most organic rodent infestation. are bigger! The artifact can infested storage or exhibit be placed in the freezer for items for sale in the Alaska • ¼” steel hardware cloth cov- space must be vacuumed, State Museum gift shop. ers floor drains. Rats swim! a week, then remove for 24 the carpet steam-cleaned, hours to allow it to reach • Water drains on the roof and the perimeter of the An Integrated Pest Manage- are cleared with a hose to room temperature, and area dusted with boric ment system is part of pro- eliminate gnats. then put back in the freezer acid. Occasionally, it is fessional museum practice, for another week to deliver necessary to turn to bait. just like monitoring your a deadly second round of Ant traps and D-Con are temperature and relative To Order Sticky Traps cold. Be sure to leave the examples of bait, which are humidity, and keeping your Insects Limited object encased in its pack- not pesticides but kill the light levels appropriate. (317) 896-9300 aging between freezings to pest through mechanisms Dealing with an infesta- www.insectslimited.com make sure water does not like thinning the blood to tion after it happens is condense on the artifact. induce internal bleeding. upsetting, time consuming, Online Bug Identification It is very important to pack- Bait typically kills much difficult, and often means more efficiently than traps. irreversible damage to mu- www.images.google.com age the artifact properly for low temperature treatment. A recent infestation of pic- seum collections. An ounce www.bugguide.net Wrap the artifact in a soft nic ants at the Alaska State of prevention is truly worth www.museumpests.net absorbent material such as Museum was controlled a pound of cure. Have plain tissue paper, white with ant bait that was car- questions? Call us! Scott (non-decorated) paper ried back to the nest. Carrlee 465-4806 or Ellen Carrlee 465-2396. towels, or a soft cloth. This Many museums do preven- helps protect it against tive treatment of incoming both the increase in rela- artifacts with the freezer. A tive humidity at lowered donation of a fur parka, for

page 3 What is the difference between accessioning and Ask ASM:cataloging objects?

Although accession- and accessioning it. At the Alaska State cludes where it came entering the data into ing and cataloging An acquired object Museum, the Staff from and how the a computer program seem to be similar is an artifact on loan Acquisition Commit- museum it. Acces- produced by ARGUS at first glance, they to the museum but tee decides whether sioning refers to both Software created for perform two different will not or has not to accession an incorporating the ob- this purpose. functions. Acces- yet become part object. Accession oc- ject into the perma- sioning is primarily of the museum’s curs when the object nent collection and A rule of thumb to a legal distinction permanent collec- is initially accepted the formal process differentiate between that occurs when a tion. An accessioned into the museum’s done to legally mark accessioning and museum acquires object has already permanent care the transition. cataloguing is that ownership of an ob- been brought into the and the transition is accessioning occurs ject, while cataloging permanent collection marked by the act Cataloging is done before the objects is a practical process through transfer of of recording the new after objects are ac- are catalogued and that records details ownership. This is an artifact (accession- cessioned and refers in general items are about the artifact. important distinction ing). Every accession to a more detailed, only catalogued once that affects how the at the ASM is given cross-referenced re- they are accessioned. There is also a dif- object is documented a number and an cording of significant ference between and has extensive accession record - a information. At the acquiring an object legal ramifications. written trail that in- ASM this includes

This years Grant-in-Aid applications (FY2009) will be mailed out and available online on April 1st. Note: Start thinking of your great museum projects! Call for help shaping ideas into fundable projects. Scott Carrlee Curator of Museum Services 1-888-913-6873

the Bulletin Alaska State Museums 395 Whittier Street Juneau, AK 99801-1718