“They love to feast on our collections: Pests! Identifying risks, finding solutions”

This year’s first Baden-Württemberg Collection Day, held on February 27, 2026, at Hohenheim Palace, focused on a key topic in collection management: managing pest risks in scientific collections.

In her presentation titled “They Love to Eat Our Collections: Pests! Identifying Risks, Seeking Solutions,” Dr. Rhinaixa Victoria Duque-Thüs (Curator, Herbarium Collections Manager & IPM Officer, University of Hohenheim) highlighted specific risks, prevention strategies, and possible courses of action.

The intensive exchange between the participating universities, collection curators, and other responsible parties demonstrated that in-depth knowledge and networking are essential for identifying and implementing appropriate measures in the event of an infestation.

The program was complemented by expert-led tours of the herbarium (Dr. Duque-Thüs), the Hohenheim Gardens and Botanical Garden (Dr. Helmut Dalitz), and the German Agricultural Museum (Dr. Jürgen Weisser).

The shared goal of the collection coordinators remains to strengthen the visibility and significance of university collections in the long term.

We look forward to the next Collection Day, which will take place at Heidelberg University.