Page 26 - Mothmageddon

“What’s Eating You 2?” Mothmageddon
Unfortunately, the extension’s heating and air conditioning systems also provided the perfect conditions for clothing moths to breed. With the many thousands of costumes stored in the new extension, it soon became a major problem.
The Royal Opera House’s Head of Costumes and Wigs Corrine Jones-Lord said the moths were laying their eggs in the costumes and when they hatched, were eating their way out. It was causing holes and damage to the costumes. Worst affected were the ballet dancers’ costumes, which were ingrained with sweat, something that greatly appealed to the moths.
The cost of repairing or replacing the costumes began to run into tens of thousands of pounds a year so the Opera House turned to a non-toxic method of stopping the moths from breeding.
In just over a year, the moths, which had once been a very visible presence in all the corridors and dressing rooms, had virtually disappeared.
David Pinniger, an entomologist and renowned heritage site pest control consultant, is the person Britain’s largest museums call when they discover bugs are making inroads into irreplaceable exhibits. He told the BBC that clothes moths have been causing havoc in recent years.
“Virtually all the major museums now have clothes moths, and some serious problems, whereas 10 years ago we found very few indeed,” he says.
It’s the nooks and crannies in historic buildings that provide perfect hiding places for clothes moths, he says.
Parliament Falls Prey To Moth Invasion
The Palace of Westminster is the latest historic building in the UK to fall prey to an infestation of moths, according to The Telegraph.8
8 'Parliament suffering from infestation of moths amid fears from peers that their 'clothes will be turned to lace', Swinford, Steven, The Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk, February 7, 2018
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