Last summer I purchased an upright music box at an auction in Georgia
which had evidence of wood worms. A look in Ord-Hume's book, "The
Musical Box -- A Guide For Collectors", revealed that, while the worms
were a problem in Europe, they die quickly in the U.S.
My wife was not pleased when sawdust started appearing around the
base, caused very probably by live wood worms which were apparently
doing quite nicely here in Florida.
The fix was a trip to a reputable exterminator who performs the task
routinely. He placed it with other antiques in a sealed vault
overnight and used a gas to destroy the worms. Cost was $20.
Wayne Eidelbus
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