Catch of Reesa vespulae in Heritage Environments.

The skin beetle Reesa vespulae is regularly found beyond North America where it originated. The larvae cause considerable concern in museums, as they damage hides or furs in addition to being a special source of damage to collections of dried plants in herbaria or collections of insects and other zoological specimens. Reesa vespulae arrived in Europe in the mid-20th century and was associated mostly with stored food products, but over time, it has become recognised as a museum pest. Although it is still uncommon and may only be observed in a small fraction of museums, when the insect is found in large numbers, it can cause problems. Catches from blunder traps in Austrian museums and from an online database in the UK were used to track changing concern over the insect. As a single female beetle can continue to reproduce because the species is parthenogenetic, its presence can persist over long periods of time. Although small populations in museums are typically found in the adult form, the larval forms are more common where a site is infested by high numbers, perhaps because the larvae and adults must range more widely for food. Although R. vespulae can be controlled using pesticides, it is also possible to kill the larvae within infested materials through freezing or anoxia.

Public and media interest in bed bugs-Europe 2023.

In late summer of 2023 bed bug (Cimex lectularius) infestations received much media attention especially from Paris Fashion Week (2023-09-25/2023-10-03). Concern in France has grown in recent years and the public may have been sensitised from the recent release of the report Les punaises de lit: impacts, prévention et lutte from the Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire. Additionally, families returning from summer travel for the start of the school year (2023-09-04) may have brought Cimex spp. with them. A belief, typically false, that they are associated with poor housekeeping and the commercial sensitivity of infestations makes quantitative data on the occurrence and frequency of the insects difficult to find. Often it was based on the number of consultations with physicians and enquiries about bed bugs. Our study has used Google search frequency (Google Trends) to assess the growth and spread of public interest. It found that concern over the Paris outbreak spread to neighbouring countries and was an inverse function of distance. Health issues are a popular topic in science journalism and articles with bad news, threat, continuity and geographic proximity helped generate considerable media activity such that the public perceptions of the problem were enhanced and suggests that government agencies need to collect well standardised data on bed bug occurrence. Google Trends proved a sensitive tool to follow the public concern over an insect that invokes considerable dread.

Fungal Biodeterioration Risk in Monastic Libraries without Climate Control.

Fungi have always posed an unquestionable threat to heritage collections worldwide. Now, in a future of climate change, biological risk factors may have to be considered even more than before. Models and simulations to assess possible impacts a changing outdoor climate will have on indoor environments and, in turn, on biodeterioration are still underdeveloped and require a more substantial data basis. This study aimed at filling some of these knowledge gaps through a broad-based approach combining microclimatic and microbiological monitoring in four historic libraries in Austria with an uncontrolled indoor climate: Altenburg Abbey, Melk Abbey, Klosterneuburg Monastery and the Capuchin Monastery in Vienna. Data were generated from thermohygrometric sensors, cultivation-dependent air- and surface sampling and further surface dust sampling for cultivation-independent analyses. Results gave insights on the status quo of microbiological loads in the libraries and outdoor-indoor relationships. Influences of the geographic location and room-use on corresponding indoor fungal profiles were identified. Lower fungal diversities were found at the most rural site with the strongest climatic fluctuations and extreme values than in the most urban, sheltered library with a very stable climate. Further, the humidity-stabilizing potential of large collections of hygroscopic materials, such as books, was also examined. Implications for a sustainable approach to prevent future biodeterioration are discussed, supporting the long-term preservation of these valuable historic collections.