author(s)
Fatma Faheem

abstract
It is estimated that there are 900 million insects that come under the category of pests, such as beetles, ants, bees, wasps, flies, moths and butterflies, etc. Pests have been pestering people since ancient times. Historians believe that cave dwellers might have used smoke to get rid of mosquitoes. In 2500BC, it is believed that people warded off insects and mites by using sulphur compounds. In 1200BC, the Chinese came up with a revolutionary idea of controlling pests, for instance, they tackle the problem of pests like caterpillars and beetles by using an army of predatory ants. Henceforth, it can be seen that humans have always found several ways to combat the genuine problems of pests, but sometimes we behave imprudently while misapprehending all the insects and other living organisms as pests, which usually we don’t like or want around to be. The problem of pests is found everywhere from houses to even heritage sectors. Most of our heritage areas like museums, cultural centers, libraries or, archives have innumerable precious and irreplaceable collections which are persistently at higher risk due to the infestation of pests. To prevent these damages the components of integrated pest management (IPM) program should be materialized with more advance tools and techniques. Consequently, a holistic program should be developed according to the needs of the building and the collections it owns, as well as the variety of activities that take place within the building. This program should be always considered as a process of evolution rather than a revolution.