Biological Control With Larval Parasitoid Lariophagus Distinguendus In Museums And Historic Buildings

Abstract:
In this paper the biological control of biscuit beetle (Stegobium paniceum) and spider beetle (Gibbium psylloides) found in different museums, historic buildings and a monastery library in Austria is described. Six case studies are presented where the insect pest monitoring with sticky blunder traps showed the activity of biscuit beetles and spider beetles. It was not clear if objects were actively infested or the pests were coming from the building. Success of the release of wasps varies and no clear trend was found. In two cases the monitoring in the years after the release clearly showed the success of this control method. In the other cases the number of the beetles remained about the same. In those cases the beetles were probably not living in infested objects but were coming from the building. In the infested library other measures needed to be taken as the trapped number of beetles increased significantly. Biological pest control with mass release of parasitoid wasps might have a future in preventive conservation of museum objects, but success depends very much on the local circumstances and the type of the infested objects.