Yes, infestations are a real problem with any untanned hide products, or
indeed with any unprofessionally processed natural fly tying products.
For that matter, bugs can even be a problem with professionally
processed tying products. Several years ago I noticed an infestation
that had worked half way accross a tying materials display in one of the
local fly shops! Neither the owner, nor most of the buying public
apparently, had detected it. Nearly a third of the display had baggies
full of half bald patches with bug poop and eggs and loose hair laying in
the bottoms. I've even had a few infestations myself. A beautiful red fox
squirrel tail that I picked up in one of the finer West Yellowstone shops
a few years ago decimated a couple of nice Metz necks and sundry
other pieces in my travelling tying kit before I noticed the problem.
My recommendation: Freeze all new natural tying materials for a week
(preferably in a non-automatic defrost freezer) before turning them loose
with the rest of your tying materials. As an added precaution, you
might want to periodically box up and freeze all your tying materials,
just in case something made it past your initial screening procedures.
Include your synthetic materials as well; while they are not susceptible
to attack themselves, eggs from infected natural materials can be
picked up by them and later infect your natural materials. Beyond that,
tightly sealed ziploc bags can be useful in deterring the spread of bugs,
especially stuff tucked away for long term storage.
-Wes
Date forwarded: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 05:27:35 -0700
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date sent: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 08:27:23 EDT
Subject: Re: Deer Hide
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Forwarded by: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Scrape off all flesh and work borax into the moist hide. Failure to do this
> will almost certainly result in a carpet beetle infestation which can spread
> to your other fly tying materials.
> Terry Whitworth
>
>
Wes Neuenschwander
Seattle, WA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
