Hi Becca,
First of all, you need to determine what kind of bugs that you have.
Collect some and take them to your County Extension Service. They should
be able to help identify them for you.
If you have dermestids (beetles that will eat fur and hair) you will need
to freeze the artifacts before cleaning them to assure that you kill any
that may be still alive. Most artifacts can be safely frozen but some
cannot. When in doubt, consult a conservator. There is a certain
procedure to follow (temperature and time) and if you need to do this- e-
mail me off-list and I will send it to you.
If the artifacts are in cases they are essentially isolated from the rest
of the collection already. Keep them in the cases until you determine
what kind of problem you have. I would then go case-by-case and freeze
and clean as necessary. I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
David Ryan
Registrar
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
www.cspm.org
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