Hello again, Thanks very much for your informative responses. I really appreciate you so candidly sharing your museum pest experience and knowledge, and I'm very glad to hear others have found this thread informative as well.
Your responses and suggested resources all support the practice of wrapping for infestation. To be more resource-friendly I will look at ways we can re-use our plastic wrap (maybe purchasing thicker, more durable polyethylene plastic that is less likely to puncture) as well as re-useable plastic containers (sealed and buffered as needed). Thank-you again, Alyssa Becker Conservator Royal Saskatchewan Museum 2340 Albert Street Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 2V7 P: 306-787-2667 F: 306-787-2645 [email protected] ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Becker, Alyssa TPCS Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 4:18 PM To: [email protected] 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]
