Insects

[Nancy McMillan]

Mark Potter wrote:
> Yesterday I made a first-time call with a new customer whose daughter was
> complaing about the keys feeling "loose".  When I opened it up, it was
> very clear what had happened.  There were THOUSANDS of what I guess were
> larvae "casings" piled up in and around the keys.  These were the
> exoskeletons, I presume, and were app. the size of a center pin in length
> and thickness.
>
> Anyway, they had COMPLETELY eliminated the key button bushings - licked
> 'em clean!  Many balance rail felts were partially eaten, but no other
> felt in the entire piano was disturbed.  I have never run into this
> particular critter before..... any idea what is was?
>
Hi Mark,

Might be meal bugs.  Does the customer have any pets in which they leave dry
food out for? Did you see any signs of dry food in the piano. The bugs would
have eaten that first - more nutrious and delicious then felt.  Signs of
mice would be an indication of dry food perhaps being dragged into the
piano, then the bugs multiplying, driving the mice out.

I've experienced this once.  Like you said thousands of bugs, the piano I
saw the bugs where living.  Luckily, the people were living in another house
try to sell the one the piano was in.  I vacuumed up as many as I could then
had the customer go out and get a flea bomb.  They set that off before they
left for the week.  We met back at the piano the next week and all the
remaining pests were dead.

Good luck.

Doug Mahard, Associate