Josie, I would generally discourage efforts to spray the outside of the building, as I think it would neither be particularly effective nor sustainable. One could also argue that it wouldn’t be environmentally responsible.
What kind(s) of flies are entering in abundance, and during what seasons? Are you burdened with them now? If so, these likely are cluster flies that have been overwintering within the attic or wall voids, but then cause havoc within the human-occupied spaces. There are options to better manage these flies that don’t depend upon frequent and widespread pesticide applications. I anticipate that dermestids, booklice, and silverfish are already in residence within the museum. Accordingly, I’d encourage mitigation and prevention efforts inside to protect your accessions while continuing to exclude entry of new ones from outside. Richard J. Pollack, PhD Senior Environmental Public Health Officer Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) | Harvard Campus Services 46 Blackstone Street., Cambridge, MA 02139 C: 617-447-0763 www.ehs.harvard.edu President & Chief Scientific Officer IdentifyUS LLC https://identify.us.com From: pestlist@googlegroups.com <pestlist@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Josie Sneed-Gilliam <josie.sneed-gill...@crazyhorse.org> Date: Sunday, February 18, 2024 at 11:34 AM To: pestlist@googlegroups.com <pestlist@googlegroups.com> Subject: [PestList] Working with pest companies Hello all, My institution struggles with pest management due to the nature of construction and age of our buildings. Some of our biggest threats are dermestids, booklice, and silverfish. We also play host to many flies, which not only poop on our collections, but provide a meal for and attract more dermestids. Attempts at sealing our buildings have been made but we still struggle. Our problems are so extreme that we're considering spraying the OUTSIDE of our buildings to help mitigate these risks. The pest company has recommended the following products: demand, Temprid, and Delta guard granulars. I've spoken to the pest company about wanting to keep the pesticides outside because we're a museum, and they understood. I was hoping to receive some opinions about the safety and efficacy of the use of these chemicals and others at your institutions for pest management. Please feel free to share any experiences you find relevant to this topic, positive or negative! Thanks. Josie Sneed-Gilliam Collections Care Associate The Indian Museum of North America® Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation (605) 673-4681 -- 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/BL3PR02MB8939FA0A9A110DE4A81961E7D5522%40BL3PR02MB8939.namprd02.prod.outlook.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/BL3PR02MB8939FA0A9A110DE4A81961E7D5522%40BL3PR02MB8939.namprd02.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- 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/MN2PR07MB783965A2A31F366CEBE3034794522%40MN2PR07MB7839.namprd07.prod.outlook.com.
