Pest expert Stephan Biebl has observed that museums in Germany all have problems with the same pests. “Via loans they move from museum to museum.” The pests are not necessarily in the art, but in the transport boxes and packaging.

“That’s how the pests are spread worldwide”, says Biebl.

An Asian longhorned beetle has just appeared in a German hardware store, says Biebl.

The next thing the wood-eating pest it might do is conquer museums, as the paperfish did before, which has become a real problem.

“For two or three years it’s been increasing,” Biebl said.

Paperfishes are a bit bigger than silverfish insects- and they have an enormous appetite for paper and cardboard.

Biebl has already seen the insects puncture canvases in a short time and completely destroy historical sheet music.