Open Forum

Hello all,
I am undergoing the writing of the IPM plan for the museum I work at. We are a small Natural History Museum (5 full-time staff) and I'm trying to figure out the best way to treat our large, full-size taxidermy mounts if they ever have pest issues. For our small specimens, we simply bag them and place them in our deep freezer. But what about the large specimens that don't fit in the deep freeze!? We a re non-profit and run on a tight budget. 


Anyone have any ideas or solutions to this hypothetical situation?

One thought I had was to place the object in a black bag that allows air circulation and taking it into a local large kiln used for drying wood. Has anyone had experience with this?

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Kaylee Faltys
Curator
Cable Natural History Museum
Cable WI
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Hi Kaylee,
I think the treatment for your large specimens that you might want to research is anoxic treatments, where the oxygen is removed from a bagged object in a controlled environment. You can also try checking out museumpests.net and their museum pests listserv for more suggestions on IPM policies.
Best wishes on your policy writing!
Nezka

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Nezka Pfeifer
Curator
Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science & Art
Scranton PA
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​How about a large plastic wrapper, such as those a king size mattress comes in, or make your own from appropriately inert Tyvek sheeting, and finding some space in a friendly walk in freezer​?  I do not believe there is such a thing as a one size fits all description for solving every preservation contingency.  Creativity, adaptability and persistence, with some good counsel--such as you find on this AAM Forum, hem-hem, usually win the day.  You might want to have a conversation with the curators at the L.C. Bates Museum here in Maine, a small scale but superb collection of natural history items, including much taxidermy.  I have often heard them discuss these issues and related collections problems. You will find them at goodwillhinckley .

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goodwillhinckley View this on goodwillhinckley >

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goodwillhinckley View this on goodwillhinckley >

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Colin Windhorst PhD
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I would look into fur storage businesses near you and make contact.  They will likely have access to a large walk-in freezer.  If possible see if you can't arrange with them to freeze your larger items if the situation arises.  Discuss with them the need for 20 - 30 below temps.  It's likely they have dealt with this issue before treating peoples furs. If you haven't already, go ahead and invest in some large plastic sheeting and tape.  You will want to wrap anything up that is infested before walking it through your museum.  Best

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Ann Frisina
Textile Conservator
Minnesota Historical Society
Saint Paul MN
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I'd stay away from the kiln. Drying goes on long past the completion of a taxidermy mount, shrinking the skin tighter to the mannequin and can eventually cause splitting. Hair and feathers become brittle with sustained drying, and heat accelerates this. Large commercial freezers are an option - even freezer trucks - though most generally available freezer equipment isn't cold enough kill all bugs with just one treatment. Perhaps a local business would help out. Just one suggestion....

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James Bryant
Consultant, SOJOURN Science-Nature-Education
Santa Fe NM
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About 30 years ago I worked at a fort museum in Wyoming with several outbuildings that were unheated and closed to the public during the winter. In one building there was an elk and moose head on display which were infested. After discussing with several folks it was decided that, due to no space for conservation work, it would be best to hang a No Pest Strip from the antlers and seal the heads in heavy duty black garbage bags and duct tape from fall till the following spring. The winter temps were well below zero for extended periods of time. In the spring the bags were carefully removed to keep the bugs and pest strip contained. The hardest part was that it took two people on ladders to gently brush and vacuum the entire mount to get the remaining dead bugs cleaned out. It was successful for the time I was there, however i have no idea if they have continued any sort of maintenence program.

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Beth Sennett Porter
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Bradford Bredehoft
CEO
Museum Study - Museum Study, LLC
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Vizcaya Museum and Gardens has had a lot of success using Anoxia treatment for large collection items. We have been able to leave objects in their setting within the museum and use the Anoxia treatment as an interpretive moment as well, creating signage explaining the treatment, our overall IPM plan and also using an iPad kiosk showing a time lapse of a set-up once done for the treatment.

Found this resource: Solutions - Carbon Dioxide Treatment

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Solutions - Carbon Dioxide Treatment Brief description of treatment Controlled Atmosphere Treatment is sometimes inaccurately referred to as an anoxic or fumigation treatment. Because CO2 is an inert, atmospheric gas the preferred term is Controlled Atmosphere Treatment or CAT. Another associated term is hypercarbia which refers to excessive carbon dioxide as opposed to low oxygen. View this on Museumpests >

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Mark Osterman, Ed.D.
Adult Learning and Engagement Manager
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Miami, FL 33141
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-24-2017 10:43 PM
From: Bradford Bredehoft
Subject: Infestation Treatment of Large Objects in Small Museum

Kaylee,
Freezing, anoxia and heating are all options depending on the objects. Our Integrated Pest Management instructor, Gretchen Anderson Conservator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History says, "I suggest the heat treatment since she can move the taxidermy - but they should be double bagged, as per recommendations of Tom Strang. The double bagging is vital, because that will reduce the possibility of fluctuating RH - the same as in freezing. This will work on independent specimens - but this may not be appropriate if there is wax on the specimen or wax plants in a diorama. Tom Strang has done significant research on the subject of both freezing and heating to mitigate pest control."
Tom Strang at the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) has done some of the most comprehensive research on each of these. You can find some of it in CCI's Technical Bulletin #29 Combating Pests of Cultural Property. https://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/resources-ressources/publications/downloads/technicalbulletins/eng/TB29-CombattingPestsofCulturalProperty.pdf
Specifically on heating you can reference this publication by Tom Strang.

Strang, T.J.K. "Principles of Heat Disinfestation." pp. 114-129 in Integrated Pest Management for Collections (edited by H. Kingsley, D. Pinniger, A. Xavier-Rowe, and P. Winsor). London: James & James, 2001. (Explains how heat disinfestation can be efficacious, rapid, and non-damaging to cultural property.)

Hope this helps.

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Bradford Bredehoft
CEO
Museum Study - Museum Study, LLC
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