Um, common moth balls aren't toxic and won't solve your problem. Napthalene is a repellent; paradichlorobenzine is a fumigant, but needs quite a large amount to work. Either can damage various types of material. What kinds of objects are we talking about? Have you contacted someone who deals with museum pests on a professional basis? While brown recluse spiders are not necessarily deadly to human, their bite is truly nasty and can cause major, major health problems. Try Tom Parker of Pest Control Services ([log in to unmask]) who has LOTS of experience with museums, libraries and brown recluse spiders. Janice Klein Director, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian [log in to unmask] www.mitchellmuseum.org -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Stephanie Daniels Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 3:18 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Pest Infestation We are acquiring a large collection that is known to be infested with brown recluse spiders. It has been suggested that the artifacts be treated with a chemical that is the crystalline form of common moth balls. Does anyone have a better, less toxic method for dealing with spiders? -- Stephanie L. Daniels Collections Specialist ITARP 209 Nuclear Physics Lab 23 Stadium Champaign IL 61820 ph. 217-333-0263 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).