Hi Tim, maybe someone else out there knows the technique better than I
do, but I remember at pest workshop they talked about using heat as a
pest eradication technique. Items are placed in plastic and actually
left outside (in a secure place) on a hot sunny day. The temps inside
the plastic get so hot you kill off the pests without hurting your
artifacts. This is especially useful when you have composite artifacts
like animal mounts. I also remember something about a small fan being
used to help with the air circulation. Please do some more research on
this before attempting but at least this is another less expensive
alternative to freezing. And now with the sunny summer weather fast
approaching you can use mother nature to aid you. 
Good Luck
Jenny Yearous
Curator of Collections Management
State Historical Society of North Dakota

On Apr 5, 2005, at 3:36 PM, Timothy McShane wrote:

> Hi all;
>
> We've got some large pieces (taxidermed animal heads, including a 
> whoppin' big elk) that are/may be infested.  We usually freeze suspect

> pieces, but these ones are too large to fit in our chest freezer.  
> None of the commercial freezers in town want anything to do with bugs 
> coming in their facilities, which all store food items.  There are no 
> freezer trucks available in town (we're waiting on a quote to rent one

> from 2
> 1/2 hours down the highway)--I suspect that cost may be prohibitive, 
> and I understand they may not be cold enough to do what we want them 
> to anyway.
>
> I've looked into treating these pieces with chemicals, but I'd rather 
> stay away from stuff with names like chlorpyritos, diazinon or 
> pyrethrins....
>
> So, rather than kicking myself for not having been on the ball to take

> advantage of some days of our cold Canadian winter just passed, does 
> anyone have suggestions for non-chemical means of eradicating our 
> unwelcome residents?
>
> Thanks,
>
>

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