At 09:34 AM 27/8/97 -0700, you wrote:
>While I'm not at a natural history museum, I do know that a number of
>institutions keep colonies of dermestid beetles  to strip the flesh from
>specimins for storage and display.  From what I understand they are very
>efficient.  I know that I've seeb discussion of these beetles on this
>list before, so someone aught to be able to comment.
>
>Leslie Johnston
>Stanford University Museum of Art
>
Unfortunately, dermestids usually wont touch material that's been through
formalin or similar materials.  Such materials always pose a problem and
I've seen few really good specimens from preserved materials.  I've heard
claims that thorough soaking (with numerous changes of water) followed by
immersion in melted bacon grease will entire dermestids, but this may just
be rumor.  The few preps I've tried myself involved physically pulling away
the flesh fragments, usually with indifferent results.

Art Harris
Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum
University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX  79968-0519
[log in to unmask]              (915) 747-6985
http://www.utep.edu/leb     http://www.utep.edu/museum