Canada Museum Using Cold Treatments to Protect Artwork, Artifacts

The Royal BC Museum is addressing pest issues using cold treatments, according to a Chek News article.

"We try to avoid chemicals at all cost," Kasey Lee, senior conservator at the museum, told Chek News. "Chemicals can be detrimental to the artifacts, as well as to the people who handle the collections, and our visitors. We have a freezing protocol, and it's very specific so that it doesn't harm the object, and so that it is ensured to eradicate the insect at all stages of its lifecycle.”

Lee said all artifacts, artworks, objects, records and other items that come into the museum, either returning from being out on loan or exhibit, or coming in for the first time, enter a room for inspection; insects sometimes can be found.

"Quite often these insects undermine the fur on an artifact, like a moccasin, and so you can't just vacuum it afterwards or all the fur comes off in the vacuum cleaner,” she told Chek News. "We painstakingly pick through the fur, and remove every bit of adult moth, larvae, and even the frass — the excrement that the bugs produce, as much as possible."