Hi Katelynn, Your objects sound too large for effectively killing clothes moth larvae and eggs which may be inside of the taxidermy or even just under the skin depending on how the skins were produced. Important question: what are the chairs stuffed with? Is the velvet silk (older) or synthetic?
I have a lot of experience with webbing and case-making clothes moths and the only 100% guaranteed way to kill eggs, larvae within a mount such as an elk head is to fumigate it. Find good fumigator in your area and inquire about Vikane fumigation. If you are concerned about the effect of fumigants on the particular dyes used in the chairs - try to get a small sample and give to to the fumigator to test - a good fumigator will do that for you. Dichlorvos (DDVP in Nuvan) and basic “no-pest” strips have limited effectiveness. You could put a few sweaters in a sealed plastic box with a few Nuvan strips and probably kill the eggs and larvae in the sweaters but even several strips are not enough to penetrate an elk head mount or chairs. While it is a true gas - it is not “propelled” the way Vikane is in a fumigation - so it will only penetrate the objects in question a little bit. Regards, Jill Gordon > On Mar 12, 2026, at 8:48 AM, 'Ulmer, Katelynn - FS, PA' via MuseumPests > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi all, > > I'm seeking some advice about the possible use of Nuvan strips our IPM > contractor has suggested to treat cloths moth infested taxidermy mounts and > upholstered chairs in our collection. > > The artifacts in question are two elk mounts and two large carved wood & > velvet upholstered chairs. All objects are too large to utilize a freezing > method, and after several years attempting to control the infestation with > cleaning and monitoring, the activity of moths remains. > > I've read on the MuseumPests Pesticide database that dichlorvos may affect > red dyes and other textile colors--our upholstered chairs are a maroon color > so this now worries me as it may not be a safe option for the chairs. > > I'm wondering if anyone has experience with Nuvan strips and if it had any > effect on your artifacts. Or if there are other safer alternatives? > > Thank you in advance! > > > > Katelynn Ulmer > Library/Museum Technician > US Forest Service > State, Private, and Tribal Forestry > Grey Towers National Historic Site > p: 570-296-9678 > [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > 151 Grey Towers Dr. > Milford, PA 18337 > www.fs.fed.us <https://www.fs.fed.us/> > <https://usda.gov/> <https://twitter.com/forestservice> > <https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Forest-Service/1431984283714112> > Caring for the land and serving people > > > > > > > > This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for > the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the > use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and > subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have > received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email > immediately. > > -- > This PestList and the MuseumPests.com <http://museumpests.com/> web site are > made possible due to the talent, intelligence, devotion and donations of > hundreds of volunteers. Your donation to help this resource continue would be > greatly appreciated. > > Please consider a donation donating at https://givebutter.com/MuseumPests > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MuseumPests" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/PH0PR09MB732226F969E404C5D40BF2B0EA44A%40PH0PR09MB7322.namprd09.prod.outlook.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/PH0PR09MB732226F969E404C5D40BF2B0EA44A%40PH0PR09MB7322.namprd09.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.  Dr. Jill Gordon Urban Entomologist Mantis Consulting 86 Crease Rd Mt. Olive NJ 07828 (973) 945-1776 [email protected] -- This PestList and the MuseumPests.com web site are made possible due to the talent, intelligence, devotion and donations of hundreds of volunteers. Your donation to help this resource continue would be greatly appreciated. Please consider a donation donating at https://givebutter.com/MuseumPests To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MuseumPests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/EBBF3840-F3BC-411B-B86F-515D8234ED8B%40gmail.com.
