Preventing "mold"

[Roger C. KENDRICK]

Andrew DeWeerd wrote:
>
> My son and I are very amatuer collectors (in Florida).  We really enjoy the
> hobby, but have found it almost impossible to keep our mounted specimens
> from "molding".  Usually about a month after they are mounted (just pins on
> corkboard), the specimen starts growing the fuzzies.
>
> Is there a way to keep this from happening?  Can butterflies and moths be
> mounted and kept nice?

A combination of silica gel (as a dehumidifying agent) and thymol
crystals (anti-mould agent) should do the trick. Para-dichloro-benzene
(PDB) acts as an anti-mould agent and kills unwanted minibeasts
(psocids, bookbeetles and so on), but is also toxic (a known
carcinogenic agent) and is now not used in most major museums. Having
said this, I use it very sparingly here in Hong Kong as there are too
many agents of destruction in the summer's heat and humidity to allow
for less toxic methods to be used successfully.

regards,

Roger.

________________________________________________
Roger C. KENDRICK   B.Sc.(Hons.)
PhD student & Demonstrator, Dept of Ecology & Biodiversity
The University of Hong Kong
mailto:kendrick at hkusua.hku.hk
http://web.hku.hk/~kendrick/hkmoth.htm   + Hong Kong Moths ;
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/1085/   + H.K. Lepidoptera
Group ;
mail: Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre
      The University of Hong Kong
      Lam Kam Road, Shek Kong,
      Yuen Long, New Territories
      Hong Kong
fax: (852) 24885285
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