[Nhcoll-l] Freezer Fumigation: is wrapping necessary?

Tue Apr 11 11:17:59 EDT 2023

Hi Matthew,

As part of our museum move, as a precaution, we recently froze all of our exhibited taxidermy before moving them into the new building.  We treated 7 small specimens, mostly birds, in a chest freezer and 13 large mammals in a rented reefer unit, both at -30C.  The specimens are various ages and conditions.  No damage was noted.  I have also routinely frozen taxidermy in the past with no problems using the guidelines Dee linked to.  I think as long as your birds are not in a high humidity environment before going into the bags, you don’t need to worry about moisture.

Mike

Mike Quigley (he/him)
Assistant Curator
Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum

Bowdoin College
9500 College Station
Brunswick, ME 04011
United States
207-725-3305

mquigley at bowdoin.edu<mailto:mquigley at bowdoin.edu>
bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum<https://www.bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum/>

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Dee Stubbs-Lee <Dee.Stubbs-Lee at nbm-mnb.ca>
Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 10:31 AM
To: Matthew Becker <m.becker at musnathist.com>, nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Freezer Fumigation: is wrapping necessary?
Hi Matthew,

I have frozen small taxidermy specimens of all ages many times with no issues. The bagging actually serves two purposes: it helps to contain any live pests and prevent their spreading, and it helps to protect the specimens during the freezing process. You may find the following two resources helpful as background reading. Do be careful handling any frozen specimens as they are more vulnerable to physical damage while frozen because many materials are more brittle while frozen.

https://museumpests.net/solutions-low-temperature-treatment/

https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/controlling-insects-low-temperature.html

Dee

Dee A. Stubbs-Lee, MA, FIIC, CAPC
Conservator / Restauratrice
New Brunswick Museum
277 Douglas Avenue
Saint John, New Brunswick
E2K 1E5
Canada

(506) 643-2341

From: Nhcoll-l [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Matthew Becker
Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 11:10 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Freezer Fumigation: is wrapping necessary?

Hello all,

I recently discovered a dead dermestid beetle near some extinct bird taxidermy we had on display and we are looking to fumigate these specimens to be safe. We have a large walk-in fumigation freezer that we have used in the past with success, but I'm feeling a little more nervous than usual given the importance of the specimens.

In the past, I had been trained to wrap specimens in airtight bags before putting them in the freezer. Does anyone know the reasoning behind this? I was told it was help to prevent condensation but I'm almost more afraid of trapping moisture inside the bag. I'm wondering if I can get away with putting them in an airtight storage container or even leave them exposed to avoid handling them more than I have to.

Please let me know if you have any advice with fumigating delicate bird taxidermy. I currently have them in a fume hood with a pest strip in the meantime.

Many thanks,

Matthew Becker

Collections Curator

Museum of Natural History and Planetarium

Roger Williams Park

1000 Elmwood Ave

Providence, RI 02907

401.680.7248
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