Got Squatters in your Case?

Picture this: you haven’t played your instrument for a while and you got the sudden urge to practice - which you should never resist. You open your instrument case and your find your bow is a mess with loose and broken hairs all over the place. Checking the breaking points you see little tips like these…

Diagnose: your case has a case of the bow-bug.

Our favourite free encyclopedia writes: “Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera that are commonly referred to as skin beetles. Other common names include larder beetle, hide or leather beetles, carpet beetles, and khapra beetles. There are approximately 500 to 700 species worldwide. They can range in size from 1 to 12 mm. Some species are pests and can cause extensive damage to natural fibers in homes and businesses. Some dermestid species, commonly called "bow bugs", infest violin cases, feeding on the bow hair.”

Bow-bug in your case is nothing to be ashamed about,
it happens a lot and it is not a sign of poor hygiene at all.

You might never see one, because they are quite shy and it is not the actual adult bug that is the problem, but rather the fluffy and cute looking baby. The adults feed on shrubs and flowers. Once I had the luck of catching one red-handed, so I could not resist a quick snapshot in case this ever would go to court. You get a good sense of size as well, this is on a full-sized violin bow. (The head is the round bit on the left).

If many hairs have been chewed through, your bow will need a re-hair (which any violin shop should be able to take care of for you. Do check the services section in the shop). Do tell your luthier or service person you’re bringing in a case with bow-bug, so they can take precautions or help you with treatment and prevent spread to their stock.

But that is not all of it.

You will also need to treat your case, or you will be back again soon for another re-hair. Don’t worry, it is easy and all-natural.

Luckily we have weapons to aid us in the fight. I do NOT advocate the use of poison (like moth balls), hard cleaning liquids or insecticides / pesticides. Any liquid cleaners have a big risk of damaging your instrument’s varnish, but besides that it is also not advised to use them on a surface where your skin might come in contact with. During playing a violinist/violist also breathes in the air from inside the instrument, so using poison is not your best solution - and a violin under your chin, which reeks of your great great great grandmama’s mothballed fur coat is no incentive to play either, right?

What we can use is a vacuum cleaner. Use the crevice tool - the skinny shaped accessory. With its angled tip, this one gets into the tight spots where the cute squatters tend to stay and stronger suction action due to a smaller mouth as well. It’s a win-win!
Vacuum the whole case inside and out once a day for about a week.

Another tool in the arsenal is SUNLIGHT. ‘Bow bugs’ love dark places where they are left alone. They hate light, fresh air and vibrations. So use your instrument and use it often, open the case, leave the case out and open for a week before closing it again and leaving your instrument in it.

Prevention

To prevent bow bugs coming to live with your instrument (again) you could use some cedar chips in the case to deter them.

Practice playing your instrument and leave the case open and close by when you play.

If you can’t find the time to play often - I know, life happens and gets in the way sometimes - you can leave your case open in a light flooded and well ventilated area.

…and of course the occasional hoover around wouldn’t hurt and keep checking your bow hair occasionally for signs.

Happy playing!

To finish up our story: this little buggy went straight to prison, it did not pass GO.
It continues to live there and feast until it morphs into an adult when I shall let it go free in the garden and let it serve the purpose that nature had intended for it.