Investigating the infestation : Understanding and communicating Deathwatch beetle activity on HMS Victory

Abstract

Despite a long history of knowledge, remarkably little is known about the Deathwatch beetle (DWB), a beetle that infests decayed wood. They have associations with folklore, as their tapping behaviour was commonly heard during the vigil before a person died. Despite this and the structural damage they cause, few investigations into DWB have been conducted, resulting in limited literature. HMS Victory has a longstanding DWB infestation. Campaigns of insecticide were conducted throughout the 20th century, but the poorly understood nature of the beetle and the size and complexity of the ship has meant the population remained. With the introduction of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) into the heritage sector, the emphasis shifted to management rather than eradication. To develop effective pest management strategies, a thorough understanding of the lifecycle and behaviour is essential. The National Museum of the Royal Navy, since taking over management of the ship in 2016, has policies that dictate retaining historical material whenever possible and only replacing timbers when structurally essential. While an IPM plan has been implemented, the structural damage the DWB has the potential to cause means a greater understanding of the population on Victory is essential to manage the infestation. Heritage conservation is a field not widely known to the public, as much of the work has historically taken place behind the scenes. This hidden nature is not sustainable as it contradicts the primary mission of cultural institutions, which is to transform audiences into stewards or custodians of heritage. It also has potential material impacts, as this lack of awareness at resource allocation levels has led to many funding and department cuts. The current conservation programme is a long-term project to enable the survival of the ship with only routine maintenance for the next 50 years. This PhD contributes to this programme by (1) using micro-CT of a DWB infested and rotten deck plank to understand more about the tunnelling behaviour of the DWB and (2) conducting investigations into potential methods of identifying areas of activity with non-invasive means. The results from both explorations will be used to (3) generate two public engagement prototypes to communicate findings from the research. The evaluation of these prototypes means the thesis also contributes unique insight into methods of disseminating complex conservation research to the public to raise awareness.