Hi, Christopher; ------------------------------------------------------------ Tim McShane, Assistant--Cultural History Medicine Hat Museum and Art Gallery 1302 Bomford Crescent S.W. Medicine Hat, AB T1A 5E6 (403) 502-8587 [log in to unmask] >>> 1) What kind of collections do dermestids infest? I can automatically assume they get into biological exhibits (stuffed aminals (as my daughter says), but what else? Dermestids will feed on just about anything with a biological origin--wool, fur, feathers, hair, hides, horn, silk, velvet, felt, bone, seeds, grains, spices, leather, dead insects, bird nests, cotton, linen, rayon, jute, etc., etc. When we find them in our collection (which isn't often or widespread, thank goodness), they seem particularly fond of our horsehair artefacts. >>> 2) Are there preventative measures one could take to avoid infestations? A good Integrated Pest Management system incorporating regular housekeeping (sweeping up dust, dead insects, food crumbs, cut flower or potted plant debris--all of which should be kept far away from your collections areas), and monitoring insect activity--we use a number of sticky traps around our facility for monitoring >>> 3) How do you get rid of the voracious little creatures if you do find them amongst your stuff? Freezing. Wrap the affected artefact in polyethylene sheeting, remove as much air as possible (we use a vacuum to suck air out of the package) and seal all edges (air will insulate the inside space and might give the larvae time to go into hibernation). Place in a freezer that will go below -28 degrees C--most household chest freezers will do this. Let the piece stay below -28 degrees C for at least 48 hours, then remove the piece but do not unwrap it. Let it come to room temp. for 48 hours, then re-freeze it. This will catch any of the little guys who did get a chance to prepare for the first wave of cold; they can't come out of hibernation and then re-enter it in so short a time span. For identification of insects and info on their life cycles, the Ohio State University has a great website at http://ohioline.osu.edu/htdigsearch/search.php Cheers, Cheers, Disclaimer: The information transmitted is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential, proprietary and/or privileged material. Any unauthorized review, distribution or other use of or the taking of any action in reliance upon this information is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete or destroy this message and any copies ========================================================= 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).