Z badań nad zwalczaniem promieniami gamma owadów niszczących zabytki i muzealia : część 1 - odporność różnych stadiów rozwojowych

A number of experiments was conducted on various stages in the development of insects which cause damage to historical monuments and museum exhibits: the Hylotrupes bajulus L., the Stegobium paniceum L. and the Antbrenus museorum L. The development stages used in the experiments were marked with thick outlines in fig. 1. The conditions of the experiments i.e. the size of the doses of gamma rays, the strength of the doses, the number of insects in test groups, and the temperature of the air in the cultures of the radiated insects are presented in table 1. Radiation was performed in Section VII of the Institute of Chemistry and Nuclear Technology in Warsaw, using the „Issliedovatiel” ionisation chamber. The radiation source was cobalt 60 Co. The purpose of the experiments was to define resilience to gamma radiation by particular development stages of the insects which cause damage to historical monuments and museum exhibits, as well as the impact of temperature upon the effectiveness of the operation. Results concerning the resistance of particular development stages of the insects are shown in fig. 2, 4, 5 and 6 , while the impact of temperature on the effectiveness of combating the larvae of Stegobium paniceum L. are presented in fig. 3. The results are commented against the backdrop of the outcome of earlier research and functioning theories. The following regularities have been found, and an ultimate postulate has been formulated as a directive for further research: 1. The resilience of the development stages grows together with the progressing development of the inseas, without, however, assuming the form of a functional dependence. 2. The larger the applied radiation dosage, the more rapid the tempo of extinction, and the shorter the time of the total extinction of the radiated group of insects. 3. The factor which accelerates the extinction of the insects is the raised temperature of the surrounding environment. It improves the effectiveness of desinsection with small doses of gamma rays by reducing the time of the eventual feeding by the dying larvae. 4. The lowest examined doses causing the death of the older larvae also destroy the eggs and freshly hatched larvae, and cause the infertility of the remaining, and eventually surviving, development forms of the given species. 5. It is advised to use such doses of gamma rays for combatting insects that cause damage to historical monuments and museum exhibits, which eliminate the possibility of further feeding by the larvae. The outcome of experiments on the selection of such doses for combating various species of insects recognised as pests, will be presented in a future publication.