Rather than treating them to prevent pests--which means poisoning them--you would be better off to use an integrated pest management approach to the housing of the bones. They can be bagged in polyethylene, for example, to monitor them for pest infestations, and then the cases elevated off the floor a few inches. Sticky traps can be used to check for pests before housing them in the collection permanently. Monitoring, proper housing and good housekeeping is far more effective in preventing pest infestations than the use of chemicals. Check: Williams, S.L. 1992. Metal frames for raising storage cases above floor surfaces. Pp 253-254in Storage of Natural History Collections: Ideas and Practical Solutions, SPNHC. Jessup, Wendy C. 1995. Pest management. Pp. 211-220 in Storage of Natural History Collections: A Preventive Conservation Approach, SPNHC. Jacobs, Jeremy F. Pest monitoring case study. Pp. 221-231 in Storage of Natural History Collections: A Preventive Conservation Approach, SPNHC. --John -----Original Message----- From: Margaret M. Tamulonis [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 1:13 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: treatment of bones -- Hello again Listers-- Here's another one--Does anyone have suggestions on good resources for the care of bones (of various ages, some collected in the 1800s) within museum collections? I am especially interested in the care of bones coming in from other collections--how can I treat them prior to storing them in collections in order to prevent pests? Thank you again for any help, Margaret Tamulonis Project Manager The Fleming Museum The University of Vermont 802-656-0153 ========================================================= 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).