Like a moth to a precious tapestry
Country Life UK|March 09, 2022
A campaign to save heritage fabrics from one of our most destructively proliferating insects is going well
Ian Morton
Like a moth to a precious tapestry
THE ghost of Anne Boleyn is one of several wraiths said to walk the panelled galleries and musty rooms of Blickling Hall in Norfolk, owned by the National Trust. ‘Well, I’ve never seen any of them,’ admits Hilary Jarvis. An assistant conservator for the Trust, she is in pragmatic pursuit of a more tangible presence. The early-17th-century country house is haunted by clothes moths and currently the focus of a new offensive, which is being watched by all who suffer the depredations of moth larvae that chew holes in valued fabrics, be they in modest homes or regal palaces.

Mrs Jarvis, house steward Ellie Hobbs and their team are adopting a pest-control system that has proved its worth in agriculture, a natural double hit that avoids treatments that would damage fragile materials. In 2020, the Trust caught more than 62,000 moths in 6,800 traps in 173 historic houses—which is a record. As the moth population has boomed at Blickling, the house is a crucial test bed.

The experiment involves the UK’s two material-munching moth species: the indigenous case-bearing clothes moth (Tinea pellionella) and the more virulent, silvery-buff common or webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella)—the real villain, which was probably introduced during the ‘big game’ era of the 19th century, in furs and skins imported from South Africa.

This moth-busting campaign involves two new elements in a broad, integrated pest management (IPM) technique favoured by the Trust. Artificial pheromones—matching those transmitted by the female moth—are stored on tabs, which are renewed every two or three months and attach electrostatically to the antenna and bodies of males to prevent them from finding and fertilising females.

Denne historien er fra March 09, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 09, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA COUNTRY LIFE UKSe alt
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
Country Life UK

Kitchen garden cook - Apples

'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
The original Mr Rochester
Country Life UK

The original Mr Rochester

Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre

time-read
5 mins  |
October 23, 2024
Get it write
Country Life UK

Get it write

Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution

time-read
6 mins  |
October 23, 2024
'Sloes hath ben my food'
Country Life UK

'Sloes hath ben my food'

A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
Souvenirs of greatness
Country Life UK

Souvenirs of greatness

FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
Plants for plants' sake
Country Life UK

Plants for plants' sake

The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson

time-read
7 mins  |
October 23, 2024
Capturing the castle
Country Life UK

Capturing the castle

Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker

time-read
6 mins  |
October 23, 2024
Nature's own cathedral
Country Life UK

Nature's own cathedral

Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods

time-read
5 mins  |
October 23, 2024
All that money could buy
Country Life UK

All that money could buy

A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages

time-read
8 mins  |
October 23, 2024
In with the old
Country Life UK

In with the old

Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery

time-read
5 mins  |
October 23, 2024