Viola, Cello and Violin Bows, Bow Bugs and Bad Hair Days

Tiny, bow hair-eating bugs really exist and they can wreak costly harm to violin, viola and cello bows. Save yourself aggravation and money by following these preventive steps.

Almost all decomposition is actually the work of small bugs and microorganisms. That includes the unfortunate destruction of the hairs of cello, viola and violin bows, the work of millimeter-size bugs known as dermestidae or “skin beetles.”

You’ll know them by their “work” - the evidence of a bow hair bug infestation is when bow hairs on violins unaccountably break. This can happen to the hairs of viola and cello bows as well. It’s not that these types of bugs (there are between 500 and 700 separate species worldwide) are music haters. They simply prefer to eat dry organic material, from plants and animals, which includes skin, animal hair, feathers, and natural fibers. That includes horsehair, the material used in most bows of string instruments (lower quality bows use nylon or other synthetic material).

Unfortunately, their food source on instrument bows isn’t limited to bow hair. The same bug has been known to damage the frogs on fine bows by consuming both tortoiseshell and ivory. They can also eat whalebone wraps on the bow grip.

You will naturally turn to your local violin shop for advice if this happens. Unless you know how to string horsehair yourself, you have little choice but to have a skilled craftsman do that for you. But that’s addressing a symptom, not the problem - and it will happen again if you don’t find the little bugs and banish them to as far away from your bow as possible.

The facts are that these dermestidae find violin cases a perfect home. It’s a dark place most of the time and evidently the horsehairs provide them with a delicious meal.

If your violin “lives” most of its life in a human-occupied home, it’s almost inevitable they will find their way into your violin case (our homes are host to thousands of species and billions, possibly trillions, of bugs and other microorganisms, many of which are beneficial).

Fortunately, there are a number of relatively easy steps one might take to keep them at bay, protect your bow, and reduce the number of visits you make to your preferred violin shop:

1. Breathing and sunshine exposure - Air and light, sunshine in particular, are what the bow bugs fear most. So open up the case, remove the bow and violin and allow each a few days of exposure.

2. Vacuum your case - The bugs leave their larvae (offspring) in nooks and crannies that might escape the air and light. But a good nozzle vacuuming will remove most if not all of them.

3. Repair/replace your bow - If your bow is already suffering from bow bug damage, it will be necessary to replace the bow hair. Your violin shop will or should be able to recognize when a repair or replacement is due to bow bugs.

4. Replace the case? - Particularly if it’s an old case that hasn’t been opened in a while, it might be a good idea to start over (while having the bow repaired) with a new case. But be forewarned, there are always bow bugs looking for new places to inhabit.

5. Store the bow outside the case? - In a situation of uncertainty about bow bugs living in your case, it might make sense to store the bow in a light, airy location until you can resolve what’s happening inside the case.

6. Kill them with sweet scents (not pesticides) - Essential oils such as rosemary oil, cedar oil, or cedar wood and cake of camphor, can be placed inside the case to repel bow bugs. Mothballs are believed to be harmful to human health, and pesticides might hurt the instrument.

Perhaps one additional piece of advice is simply to play long and often. Making music with your stringed instrument brings more light and air to the instrument overall. The fiddler on the roof knew what he was doing!

Bow Rosin: How to Choose the Right Rosin for You

The friction created by rosin is essential for playing all bowed stringed instruments such as violins. But the choices of types and brands are varied and vast.

There are quite a few questions - and unresolved matters of opinion - on the technical matter of rosin use on violin, viola and cello bows. It’s common for beginning, intermediate and advanced players to ask, “Which rosin is right for me?” Unfortunately, there is no single or simple correct answer.

The reason for this is there are too many variables. A concertmaster from Helsinki might need entirely different rosin for performing in Havana - because of the effect of temperature and humidity on the substance. A violinist may be comfortable with one type of rosin early in their training then switch to a different rosin later because he or she discovers they get a different, richer sound as a result of the new rosin.

For the most part, finding the rosin for your stringed instrument bow is a matter of trial and error - and, personal preference. A rule of thumb is that the larger the instrument, the softer the rosin; so the rosin for a violin bow would likely not be ideal for a cello. At most violin shops - brick and mortar or online - you will find rosin made specifically for specific instrument bows.

Consult first with your teacher, and second with your local violin shop, if you are a new violinist or are unhappy with the rosin you are using. They should be able to provide specific ideas for you to try, depending on your instrument and the sound you wish to produce.

That said, understanding the very nature of rosins is going to make you better able to understand what to expect from what is essentially tree resin. Called colophony or Greek pitch, rosin is a sap derived mostly from conifer trees.

As a product of nature, it comes with variations. Rosins from Indonesia, China and Vietnam - where the majority of rosins originate - are from Pinus massoniana and P. Elliottii (Masson’s Pine and Slash Pine, respectively). Rosins sourced in the Americas are from Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) and P. taeda (Loblolly Pine). Mexican rosin is likely from one of several pine varieties. European rosin is from P. pinaster (Maritime Pine) or P. sylvestris (Scots Pine) or P. halepensis (Aleppo Pine).

The point to be made regarding these different sources is that with so many different types of conifer trees, differences between one tree and another, and one season from another, the product is not unlike grapes to the winemaker. There will be subtle differences even within one rosin manufacturer’s brand.

Some instrumentalists will opt for “all natural” rosins, although that’s slightly misleading in that there are no absolutely “pure” rosins. Some have additives (including tiny amounts of gold, silver, essential oils, powders, and gums). But even those without additives have naturally occurring impurities.

In some cases, the violinist or cellist might have an allergic reaction to the dusty nature of rosin. Antihistamines are a way to fight that; for the medicine-averse, frequent hand washing and cleaning of the instrument is recommended.

Bottom line: Get to know which rosin works best for you (with objective assessment from your instructor). And if traveling to a different environment, where humidity and temperatures can be different, plan to spend a day or two in advance of performing to test out rosins that other players there recommend to you.