I've just started flytying again after a 25 year layoff. The
materials I had stored in cedar cigar boxes are as good as new while
the necks and bucktails I had in cardboard or plastic containers had
completely disintegrated. (Some of my old boxes of Mustad hooks were
priced at just a buck for a hundred hooks. Talk about inflation!)
Kent Lufkin
>The freeze-thing is a great idea--I'll start doing that myself! In
>addition, put some of those cedar blocks/chips like you do in a
>closet/sweater drawer in with your stuff. I had some beautiful
>sable watercolor brushes some years back that turned into bug fodder
>and was told I should have stowed them in a cedarbox, I've since
>done that with my flytying stuff as well and have fortunately had no
>problems.
>
>Vicki
>
>------Original Message------
>From: "Wes Neuenschwander" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Sent: October 16, 2000 2:47:49 PM GMT
>Subject: Re: Deer Hide
>
>
>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]
>
>
