And on the subject of unwanted bugs … the wood we use, Obeche, has many desirable properties for manufacturing artist’s canvases and frames; stable, lightweight, knot-free, easy to machine and sustainable. But it turns out wood-borer love it too. As such all timber must be kiln-dried and fumigated at various stages, including port of entry. To further ensure that all stretchers and frames reach you borer-free, we have started heat treating ALL timber to safeguard against current and post-infestation. The procedure is widely accepted and well-documented.

“Heat treatment in the framework of ISPM 15 is a process relying on a minimum wood temperature of 56 °C being reached and maintained for at least 30 continuous minutes throughout the wood. This specification has been proven to be effective at killing most wood related quarantine pests at their different life stages.”

At least we can kill this one.