Issue 41 Spring web - Flipbook - Page 87
Above, some conservation efforts have been made using controlled
environments inside display cases, but not all artefacts can be displayed
in cases.
But what if there is a better answer to this problem that
results in zero pests?
Above, one of the Dealey technicians applying Bluefume in a
flour mill
A Solution for All Environments and Insect Pests
A few years into our love affair with Bluefume, I heard of
some of our friends in Europe beginning to test it on
structures that weren’t mills. Among the expected hotels,
ships and aeroplanes there were some unexpected
applications including a church in Czechia and a Castillo
in Spain.
Above, clothes moths stuck on a pheromone trap.
A New Solution that started in our Mills
The flour milling industry has long been on the front line
of the war with moth pests. You can tell because of the
sheer number of moths that have been named after
milling. For example, the Indian Meal Moth, which is
partial to corn flour, the Mediterranean Mill Moth, and
the Flour Moth.
When I dug deeper, I was told the church was being
treated for woodworm and the castle was being treated
for clothes moths. That’s when I had a lightbulb pop on
and thought, “Well, those are the two species of bug
making a mess in our heritage properties!”
In 2019, Dealey Environmental was the first UK pest
control company to trial a new product called Bluefume.
According to the technical data, Bluefume could spread
through a flour mill and completely eradicate all pests
inside. We used it. We loved it. And the moths hate it. It
has been a great success.
Effective Solution to Protect Our Heritage Buildings
We are looking for a conservation officer, custodian or
curator who needs a moth or beetle solution.
How Bluefume Eradicates Pests
The gas works by interrupting the mitochondria of the
target pests, completely shutting them down, and killing
the pest off. Working at the cellular level it is tremendously effective. As it is a gas, when you want it to disappear, it is very easy to move. With our extremely expensive
gas measurement instruments, we can marvel at the gas
dispersing in real-time until a mill is safe to re-enter. A
mill fumigation takes 48 hours- 24 hours to gas and 24
hours to clear. The process is entirely non-residual, unlike
your traditional insecticides, and is safe to use on buildings
that handle food.
If you are tired of prolonged monitoring, insecticide
applications or biological controls on a repetitive cycle,
then we can help.
We can promise you pest numbers will reach absolute
zero.
If a custodian is out there who is looking for an ultramodern and effective solution for pest problems with great
ecological credentials, we are waiting to hear from you.
Martin Cobbald
Dealey Environmental Ltd.
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
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