At our museum, the practice is to routinely wrap and freeze most material coming in from outside the building (there is quite a lot of it as our exhibitions and collections storage are in separate buildings) in a walk in freezer unless the items are felt to be at high risk of damage from freezing. Our collections storage facility, like many, is overcrowded and infestations could potentially spread quickly -- we feel the risk of infestation outweighs the risk of damage of freezing most collections objects. I share Alyssa's concern about the wastefulness of using plastic only once (we use polyethylene sheeting, sealed with packaging tape), and we do sometimes reuse larger pieces of plastic for that reason. The idea of using a reusable freezing container sounds appealing on many levels, however, I have always been under the impression that it is important to: a) eliminate any extra air in the "bag", and b) seal the "bag" so that it is airtight Both of those would be difficult in the case of any reusable see-through container or bag that I can imagine. Any thoughts? Dee Stubbs-Lee, CAPC, MA Conservator, The New Brunswick Museum 277 Douglas Avenue Saint John, New Brunswick Canada E2K 1E5 telephone: (506) 643-2341 fax: (506) 643-2360 e-mail: [email protected] www.nbm-mnb.ca
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: June 3, 2009 8:35 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [pestlist] Wrapping infested objects for freezing Alyssa - You pose a lot of good questions about wrapping before freezing. I think the foremost reason from wrapping is to prevent ice crystal formation on the surface of the object being frozen. Using any kind of wrap, such as muslin, kraft paper, cotton cloth, etc. will prevent this from happening. Most use zip-lock type bags, which can be re-used. If something has been properly frozen, the wrapping will not be "contaminated" and can be re-used. For larger mounts, you may want to consider constructing a framework "box" with polyethylene stapled to the 5 sides, and a Velcro fastening system for the final side for putting the mount inside and then sealing it with the Velcro attached to the perimeter of the polyethylene. This framework can therefore be used again and again. I can't imagine the object being reinfested after being properly frozen as it sits on a countertop acclimatizing; no institution has that rampant an infestation which would cause almost immediate reinfestation. Tom Parker -----Original Message----- From: Becker, Alyssa TPCS <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 6:17 pm Subject: [pestlist] Wrapping infested objects for freezing Hello, Here at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum I wrap anything to be treated for insect pest infestation in polyethylene plastic prior to freezing. These objects are most often natural history specimens (mounts) and textiles or leather/hide/feathered objects from our Aboriginal History collection. Lately this practise has come into question - is it not a waste of time and resources to do this, especially since much of the plastic must be thrown away to prevent possible cross-contamination? Could the wrapping stage be eliminated for adsorbent objects in good condition? My reasons to continue wrapping are listed below. However, I wanted to pose these questions to the list for thoughts, from a practical point of view, as to whether wrapping is important, and if so, how and when. Has anyone has come up with a more environmental alternative? For example, has anyone found a line of vapour -proof, washable tubs that would do the same job for a variety of sizes of mounts? Reasons for wrapping: 1. To contain infestation while transporting specimen to the freezer 2. To prevent moisture content changes in the object during freezing, which could result in dimensional changes and physical damage 3. To prevent damage from possible freezer failure (water drips/ floods, debris from ceiling) 4. To prevent condensation from forming during its acclimatization before the bag is opened 5. To prevent (or slow) re-infestation during acclimatization Your thoughts and ideas on the subject would be most appreciated! Sincerely, Alyssa Becker Conservator Royal Saskatchewan Museum 2340 Albert Street Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 2V7 P: 306-787-2667 F: 306-787-2645 [email protected] _____ Wanna slim down for summer? Go to America <http://www.aolhealth.com/diet/weight-loss-program/?ncid=emlcntusheal00000001> Takes it Off to learn how.
