We are launching Pest Partners, a new collections care project in the South West – with support from Historic England.

Our project will help museums and heritage organisations in the South West identify, monitor and manage pests in their collections throughout 2020.

The closure imposed by COVID-19 has coincided with the period when pests are most active. This project will help you trap, track and identify pest activity and manage infestations, using a free Monitoring & ID Kit and a free Quarantine & Cleaning Pack. The project will also give guidance on planning for better prevention and pest management in the future.

Organisations can apply, whether they are planning to open this year or not.

For further details and to apply for a Pest Partners’ Registration Pack, email Helena Jaeschke at [email protected]

About the Pest Partners project

Aims:

  1. Raise awareness of the problems collections face with pests
  2. Increase confidence and enthusiasm in staff and volunteers for identifying pests and dealing with them
  3. Encourage links between local entomologists and collections
  4. Provide valuable data for scientific research, in the spread and variety of pest infestations and climate change
  5. Find ways of improving our protection of collections

Eligibility

We have places for 200 Pest Partners – museums, historic buildings, galleries and privately owned heritage collections, as long as they meet BOTH of the following criteria:

  • Are in the South West of England as defined by the Office of National Statistics (OSN)
  • Have a collection which is open to the public.

Organisations do not have to be Accredited, or Working Towards Accreditation, a charity or not-for-profit.

We will provide free  trapping and identification kits to help assess the scale and variety of pests that may be threatening collections and further supplies for quarantine and cleaning where needed.

Find out more about Pest Partners here

For further details and to apply – email Helena Jaeschke at [email protected]. Apply soon – only 200 places available across the South West.