Silverfish (Zygentoma) in Austrian Museums before and during COVID-19 lockdown

The lockdowns that came with policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in 2020 required some 90% of museums and historic properties across the globe to be closed. Lowered visitor numbers and reduced staffing levels allowed a range of fauna to make their way indoors, bringing an increase in birds, rodents and insect pests. Silverfish are shy, so benefit from low occupancy in museums and present a potential vector for damage to books and paper. This study is the first to report changes in insect populations in museums and examines six years (2015-2020) trapping data for silverfish and similar insects (Lepismatidae): Lepisma saccharinum, Ctenolepisma calvum, Ctenolepisma longicaudatum and Ctenolepisma lineatum from: (i) the Technisches Museum Wien, (ii) Schönbrunn Palace, (iii) Hofburg Museum and a shorter record from (iv) Weltmuseum Wien. Analysis of the trap contents gives an impression that the number of insects caught had increased over time, but 2020 was distinctive and gave typically higher insect numbers during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to other years, especially for Lepisma saccharinum. Individual traps caught up to 100 silverfish in only a few weeks. Because silverfish usually need between four months to one year to become mature, we assume that it was increased activity during museum closure and not higher reproduction which led to higher numbers. The parts of the museums showing increased populations under lockdown were similar to the areas where they were more frequent in earlier years. This means that such areas deserve continued monitoring even when the museum is closed. No damage to paper objects were reported in the museums investigated.