The Critters We Catch
Every couple of months, I move methodically throughout the Museum building in scientific pursuit. I scrutinize the nooks and crannies of my colleagues' offices, crawl behind stacks of ladders towards a dusty corner in the multi-purpose workroom, and get on my hands and knees as I stretch to grasp small, cardboard contraptions behind a stove, copying machine, and bathroom shelf. I perform these acrobatics in order to check our insect sticky traps.
Once I demand myself to get over personal objections to killing insects, I actually enjoy checking traps. Each trap sheds some light on the demographics of critters who have entered the building. Some finds are fascinating and occasionally troubling. Below are a few of the most noteworthy captures from my recent trap check:
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| How do most of our pests get into the Museum? Through the front door! Just as most of our human visitors use the front entryway, apparently so do the majority of our pests. The traps at this particular entryway always have the highest number and diversity of insects and friends. There's a reason why I'm always so fussy about others holding doors open around here--just look at all those unwanted visitors! |
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| Millipedes are occasional visitors at the Museum. They're a relatively harmless arthropod distantly related to lobsters, crayfish, and shrimp. The color of this particular millipede struck me. |
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| This is another relative of seafood who some might confuse with insects. Pill bugs are very similar in appearance to sow bugs. We run into a fair number of both at the Museum. In order to differentiate the two, I note whether there are tail-like appendages projecting from the rear of their body. I also look at the shape of the body--if the crustacean is rounder and can roll into a tight ball, I know it's a pill bug. |
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| Our sticky traps occasionally catch human debris and other materials. A messy eater left a chunk of cookie in this trap by our back door, and a seed must have blown into the trap while in transit. I often have to weed through grains of sand, grasses, and other non-pest materials while taking inventory of captures. |
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| My worst nightmare--signs of a Dermestid beetle! Dermestids are a family of beetles who feed on animal skins and furs. They can pose a significant threat to our taxidermy specimens, so I take extra precautions to limit them from inhabiting any area of our building. Found here is the cast (larval) skin of a Dermestid larvae. |
Disclaimer: By nature, I have always made an effort not to kill any insect intentionally or otherwise. Beyond their valuable contributions to their respective habitats, insects and their friends deserve to live out their lives just as much as any other animal. Even if we feel threatened by some sharing space in our homes, we can count on other critters, like spiders, to take care of much of that issue.
That being said, allowing insects and other pesky critters to roam free in the Museum can pose a significant threat to our collection. Silverfish will readily destroy paper records and hungry larder beetles will certainly devour taxidermy mounts if uninhibited. We keep disastrous situations such as this from happening in our building by limiting entryways, food sources, and cozy places for unwanted pests. Placing insect sticky traps throughout the building is just part of us monitoring how well we do our job of pest control. It may not be the most admirable task, but it sure is interesting.