>Sorry to impinge on the list--am I the only one who doesn't know what
>Dermestids are? I did look them up in my largest dictionary and they
>aren't there. I gather they are something I don't want. So why is anyone
>going to the trouble to setting up a colony of them?

Simply stated, a dermestid is a family of beetles which attacks (feeds on)
organic material.  Obviously, they can be problematic in museums.  There
are two broadly defined types:  Carpet beetles, which attack woolen fibers,
such as in clothing and carpeting, as well as other types of hair, fur, and
feathers, and Hide beetles, which attack tissue, and skin.  These materials
are often found in Native American and other aboriginal collections, and,
of course, natural history study skin/dry tissue collections.

Dermestid colonies are maintained by natural history labs because they are
very effective in removing flesh and tissue from skeletal material.  Mammal
skeletons are valuable in various areas of mammalian research and teaching.
Museums which have natural history research components often maintain
dermestid colonies under strictly controlled conditions.  To some it might
seem a scary thought, but when controlled properly, dermestid colonies can
be a benefit to a mammalian research program, not a detriment.  Although
dermestid colonies can be difficult to control, when properly maintained,
they do not pose a serious threat to museum collections.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Henry B. Crawford                                       v
Curator of History                                       v
Museum of Texas Tech University               v
Box 43191                                                   v
Lubbock, TX  79409-3191                         v
806/742-2442                                          v
FAX 742-1136                                            v
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All opinions expressed are mine                   v
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