Curation of the Wasp Nest Collection of The American Museum of Natural History

American Museum Natural History, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to the American Museum of Natural History under the direction of Dr. James Carpenter and Lisa Kronthal for partial support of curation of one of the largest collections of social wasp nests (family Vespidae) in the world, according to modern conservation techniques, and for digital photography of the collection to allow Internet access. The collection will be re-housed in new cabinetry, with appropriate supports constructed. The conservation will preserve a unique resource for future researchers, for without proper preservation the collection will continue to deteriorate and information will be lost. This project will also improve availability of the collection by permitting electronic access. This project represents a unique collaboration: scientists and professional conservators have never worked together on a wasp nest collection. We will produce a "Best Practices" document for treating such collections which will be made available on the AMNH natural sciences conservation website - the first resource for how to treat such collections properly. The document will provide general information on the construction and composition of the nests as well as information concerning their response to external environments and forces found within a museum setting. Instructions and parameters concerning handling, long-term storage and re-housing will be presented using supplementary diagrams. Images of examples from the collections will be presented to further illustrate specific steps involved in re-housing and building supports. Student training will also be provided, for an intern in the newly emerging field of conservation of natural history collections. The student will participate in both the conservation and imaging of the nest collection. The collection has already served as the basis for a significant number of scientific publications, including some of general interest to evolutionary biology. It has also served in an educational role, in the form of demonstrations at lectures and tours given to members, students, journalists, and other parties. The best practices document will serve the growing field of natural science conservators as well as collections managers worldwide through its accessibility via the Internet. The imaging that will be accomplished under this project will have a direct benefit to scientific researchers who will be able to study the images without having to visit the Museum and will act to preserve the collection by reducing the level of handling it currently endures, but it will also have indirect benefits as well.