Survey of insect pests in the manuscripts library of Coptic museum in Egypt

• Main Authors: Gawhara M.M. Abu El-Hassan, Saleh Alfarraj, Sulaiman A. Alharbi, Nagwa H. Atiya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-09-01
• Series: Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences
• Subjects: Survey; Museum pests; Antiquities; Egypt
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319562X21003946

Museums are the main sources of cultural, political, economic, scientific and historic information in the communities. Pests in a museum, library or archive environment can cause serious damage to highly valuable and irreplaceable materials. A survey was conducted in the Manuscripts Library of the Coptic Museum (Egypt) to determine the biodiversity of insect pests infest the place. Sampling were done monthly for a year (from October 2018 to September 2019) using sticky traps with a nontoxic sticky substance. The sticky traps were placed at the corners of the library, behind doors and on the windows edges. A total of 1047 specimens belonging to nine species under six families and five orders were collected and identified. The most abundant species was Monomorium pharaonic with a total of 639 collected specimens followed by Ochetellus glaber, Thermobia domestica, Gibbium psylloides, Anthrenus verbasci, Periplaneta Americana, Lasioderma serricorne, Liposcelis bostrychophila, Attagenus fasciatus with total number of 193, 62, 45, 39, 23, 21, 13, 12 collected specimens, respectively. The traps which sited in the corners of the library trapped 60% of the total recorded specimens.