Effective pest control on art and cultural goods
Pests are the greatest enemy of the museum object: woodworm, moths and the like infest a wide variety of materials and cause great damage to the objects. In order to combat the pests effectively and to protect our collections, the Hanover State Museum uses a low-oxygen storage chamber.
The technical process
Items affected by pests are stored in an airtight chamber for 4 to 5 weeks. The oxygen content is reduced to less than 1%, while at the same time the nitrogen content increases to around 99,5%. Animal pests as well as larvae and eggs are completely killed in this way.
The great advantage of this method is that it is non-toxic. On the other hand, pollutants used for pest control damage the objects and endanger the user.
Spare capacities
The Lower Saxony State Museum in Hanover has two low-oxygen storage chambers with a capacity of 34 m3 each (5,70 x 2,65 x 2,30 m / door dimensions 1,60 x 2,10 m). This fully automatic, computer-controlled system is one of the most modern of its kind. The process takes temperature and relative humidity into account. All desired parameters are automatically kept constant during the treatment.
If there is free capacity, we also treat objects from other institutions and private individuals. If you have any questions, please contact Jan Hoffmann, Tel. (05 11) 98 07 – 8 07, email jan.hoffmann@landesmuseum-hannover.de
