Cal Academy drawers in freezer?

[Cris Guppy & Aud Fischer]

I was the Entomology Collection Manager at the Royal British Columbia Museum
for 6 years. Freezing is a standard museum method of pest control. The
drawer should be placed in a plastic garbage bag before freezing. After
removal from the freezer the drawer should be left bagged until it warms to
room temperature, and most especially before opening the drawer lid, to
prevent condensation from forming on the drawer or specimens. Many drawers
can be frozen at the same time, but leave gaps between so that the cold can
penetrate rapidly to the center of the stack. The freezing should be as
rapid as possible, and the temperature should be -20 C for 24 hours or more
(a standard deep freeze is usually -18 to -22 C, which is fine). To ensure
that the temperature reaches maximum coldness at all points in the drawer
for 24 hours, leave it in for a total of 48 hours (at least, more is fine).
The Royal BC Museum no longer uses fumigants in the entomology collection,
all specimens are frozen prior to being put in a drawer. This includes
specimens that have been removed for research and left lying around where
they might get "infected". This pest control method may not be sufficient in
subtropical and tropical areas, given the much higher incidence of pests.
Neither the drawer nor specimens are damaged, because neither has enough
water in them to form ice.

-----Original Message-----
From: Amazon009 at aol.com <Amazon009 at aol.com>
To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Date: October 18, 1999 2:29 AM
Subject: Cal Academy drawers in freezer?


>Has anyone ever placed a BioQuip California Academy drawer (with
butterflies
>inside) in the freezer to eliminate unwanted pests? If so, were there any
>complications with cracking glass, warping wood, or drooping specimen
wings?
>How long should I leave the drawer in for?
>
>Jim Hanlon
>
>