Amanda, The presence of bats above would confirm that there’s a portal large enough to admit those beasts…and anything smaller. I’d advise you consult with a bat or wildlife expert who can advise how best to legally exclude the bats. Once that’s done, the area should be evaluated, cleaned (as practical) and sealed.
The carpet beetles are likely feasting upon bat carcasses or on other insect remains attracted to this area. The ‘small spiders’ might be just that, or they could be bat ticks or any of many kinds of mites that could frequent a bat roost. Contact a good pest management professional to inspect, to offer recommendations, and to mitigate as appropriate. -Rich Richard J. Pollack, PhD HARVARD UNIVERSITY Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Senior Environmental Public Health Officer 46 Blackstone St. Cambridge, MA 02139 Office: 617-495-2995 Cell: 617-447-0763 www.ehs.harvard.edu richard_poll...@harvard.edu<mailto:richard_poll...@harvard.edu> linkedin.com/in/richard-pollack-6818997<https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-pollack-6818997> From: pestlist@googlegroups.com <pestlist@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Amanda Robinson <amanda.ashley.robin...@gmail.com> Date: Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 10:03 AM To: pestlist@googlegroups.com <pestlist@googlegroups.com> Subject: [PestList] Help re: Potential Beetle Infestation Dear all, Myself and a conservation colleague have been monitoring the presence of carpet beetles in one of our storage spaces for the past 3 months. We initiated this monitoring process due to the discovery of a high volume of beetles present in this area at the very beginning of this year. The insects appear to be concentrated along the north wall of this space, are all dead upon inspection, and have within the past 4-6 weeks started to increase in volume. Outside of this pest, we also note the presence of very small spiders, about 1/2 the size of the beetles. They are not appearing in the same volume as the beetles, but are present in the same areas as the beetles. It should also be noted that the roof above this storage area is home to a bat colony. While we continue to monitor these spaces, we wanted to reach out and see if anyone else has dealt with a similar issue, if you know of a relation to bats, spiders, and carpet beetles, or what next steps you might recommend we take at this junction? As always, many thanks in advance for the guidance provided. Best, Amanda -- Amanda A. Robinson Museum Registrar, Collections Management M.A. Art History, Museum Studies, Florida State University Specializing in the management and care of all Fine Art Objects amanda.ashley.robin...@gmail.com<mailto:amanda.ashley.robin...@gmail.com> www.linkedin.com/in/amandaashleyrobinson<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.linkedin.com_in_amandaashleyrobinson&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=GO7C3XN3WgFy2IP-bFBbnUs_CYntqj57Dprtl40-_KE&m=3JTD9b84XnxoMBsgMJB77-OOqlGw_c-YdCu-wAnWa2Z-4P8iytjaDtnMrjwlu6ff&s=aABDXVauPDwhhhBDbBFq2XOrwiNIoa4o3BKyMiYaPzM&e=> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MuseumPests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pestlist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<mailto:pestlist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CAGcvShMDkM-2agu7d9EQNTEEDOe4%2BOViiAfOQzvCzU%3DELfuJmg%40mail.gmail.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__groups.google.com_d_msgid_pestlist_CAGcvShMDkM-2D2agu7d9EQNTEEDOe4-252BOViiAfOQzvCzU-253DELfuJmg-2540mail.gmail.com-3Futm-5Fmedium-3Demail-26utm-5Fsource-3Dfooter&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=GO7C3XN3WgFy2IP-bFBbnUs_CYntqj57Dprtl40-_KE&m=3JTD9b84XnxoMBsgMJB77-OOqlGw_c-YdCu-wAnWa2Z-4P8iytjaDtnMrjwlu6ff&s=_m6mmdzEbV49o8zt9AwKUbdeW5wFbcIN5xVzdVBg01Q&e=>. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MuseumPests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pestlist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/MN2PR07MB7839C84D9FD4157E1EFFAD8E94819%40MN2PR07MB7839.namprd07.prod.outlook.com.
