Paper can, and will be eaten by many insects. Especially larvae do
the eating, they do this to reach adulthood: in this case the moth or
butterfly [life cycle= egg, larva, pupa, adult(imago)> egg etc.]. So when
you see the moth/butterfly the damage has already been done. Try to catch
the moth because she can lay eggs, and who knows if its a he or she that's
flying there? When the photo's are not damaged by larvae one can assume
there will be no future damage because then the substrate (food) of this
particular moth would have been the rug and not what the rug covered. Also
check the boxes for bore holes, if not present the chance that the insects
will have been in them is very small.
In general most sorts of moth larvea eat proteinous material (eg.
wool) they will however eat through paper (a carbohydrate: cellulose) to
reach this. The gelatine of photos is a good substrate for moths but is not
often attacked because there is not enough nutritional matter in it. This
may sound strange but in order to live (maintain its metabolism) from the
substrate, the substrate has to deliver other stuff also than proteins only
can give (stuff to make enzymes, hormones etc.). For this reason moth
larvea look for dirty wool (bodily excretions, spilled food) so there are
enough compounds present to have a full daily allowance of vitamins,
minerals etc. So clean environments/substrates act as a guard against
insect attack.
All (almost all) chemicals used against insects use the vapour
phase to enter the insect and do its work. Almost all such chemicals can
cause image deterioration eg silver attack. So do not use such chemicals
near photos. Therefore I would suggest to open the print boxes, check
whether there is insect damage: if so clean out the boxes and vacuum
(details below) every print from two sides and get new boxes (addresses
below). If not: clean out dust from the boxes (always a good idea) and sit
back.
Vacuming paper: take small vacuum cleaner, preferably with a so
called absolute filter, a filter that will catch even very small particles.
Adjust the suction to be very low (openings in the hose or lower speed of
motor). Cover the hose end with a wide mazed cloth to prevent small loose
parts of photos being sucked in and protect the photos from scratching when
accidently touching the hose on the paper. Without touching the paper,
vacuum the photo on both sides to remove any eggs and dirt from the photos.
To help lift dirt, eggs etc from the surface use a soft brush and brush in
the direction of the hose mouth. Carefully remove the dirt bag from the
machine and dispose of it.
Good boxes can be had from:
Preservation Equipment
Shelfanger, Diss, Norfolk
England IP2 2DG
t 00 44 37 965 15 27
f 00 44 37 965 05 82
Gaylord
PO box 4901
Syracuse NY 13221-901
USA
t 00 1 315 457 50 70 ext 287
f 00 1 315 453 50 30
Ask for their catalogues.
hope this helps to calm creepie crawlie fear
Bas
Jonge Eland papierrestauratie
eland@knoware.nl
t +31 20 623 79 89
f +31 20 627 32 23
VeRes***NEW ADDRESS***VeRes***NEW ADDRESS***VeRes***NEW ADDRESS***VeRes
VeRes (Dutch Association of Professional Restorers)
Prins Hendriklaan 12
1075 BB Amsterdam
t+f: +31 20 670 33 28
VeRes***NEW ADDRESS***VeRes***NEW ADDRESS***VeRes***NEW ADDRESS***VeRes
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