Damage By Pests
Pests can cause damage to organic artefacts such as textiles, paper and wood as they eat away the materials from which artefacts are made. They can also cause staining and leave harmful residues and debris behind. Pests can leave unsightly holes on artefacts as they eat through them. Insect pests are most active and therefore damaging during their larval stage as larva exist as eating machines and can be extremely difficult to detect.
You should:
- Keep display and storage areas clean all the time.
- Inspect your artefacts and their environs regularly.
- Isolate an infested artefact from the others before the infestation spreads by sealing it in a polyethylene bag.
- Inspect new artefacts every time you acquire them to make sure that they are not infested. New artefacts should be quarantined for a period of time to identify potential problems.