TY - CONF A1 - Plarre, Rüdiger T1 - It´s just a point of view – destructions and creations of cultural objects by artifact pests N2 - Woodworms, carpet beetles, clothes moths and termites are well known pests on artifacts of cultural importance. Lately also silverfish have gained importance. Protection of our cultural heritage for future generations is not a new task but the methods have changed. Conventional use of pesticides in the past has preserved precious objects up to the presence, which otherwise probably would have been lost over time due to the destruction by insects and microbes. However, several of the objects were contaminated with poisons in such a manner that they became unsafe to be handled and thus are useless for exhibitions or scientific studies. Today, the concept of Integrated Museum Pest Management (IMPM) provides guidance for non-residue treatments of infested objects, followed by save storage or display under pest free (or maximum pest reduced) environments. Inert fumigants, physical and biological control measure, precise monitoring, threshold evaluations and detailed knowledge of the pest`s biology are key elements within IMPM. Woodworms, clothes moths and termites, however, are not always considered as only pests. Some professionals have also used them to produce new pieces of art or for the installation of ephemeral displays. Under more or less controlled conditions, the insects´ destructive nature on wood or textiles has been turned around to a process of creation with aesthetic or philosophical messages. Destructive or creative - it just depends on the point of view! T2 - XII European Congress of Entomology CY - Heraklion, Greece DA - 16.10.23 KW - Museum Pests KW - Integrated Museum Pest Management (IMPM) KW - Cultural Entomology PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58651 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -