[NHCOLL-L:745] Re: Dermestid question

[Gordon Jarrell]

Cod liver oil may also get dermestids interested in stale, old "leather."

I would be tempted to soak the skull and try to slip the horns off of
their cores.  Dried tissue between the horns and horn cores could attract
unwelcome attention from insects after the specimens are in the
collection.  Separating the horns can also simplify storage.

Gordon H. Jarrell, Ph.D.	
Mammal Collection Manager	
University of Alaska Museum     	
Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960 USA

phone - (907) 474-6946
fax -  (907) 474-5469
www.uaf.edu/museum/mammal

On Tue, 10 Oct 2000, Dan Brooks wrote:

> Greetings all,
> We have some extrememly old African Antelope skulls from a collecting
> expedition that took place in 1959.  The skulls were basically mummified,
> and we are in the process of cleaning them properly (albeit many years
> later!).
> The problem is, in some cases the dermestids like chewing the horns more
> than the mummified flesh off the skulls!  We have tried wrapping the horns
> in celophane, but the dermestids even chew the wrapping over the mummified
> flesh.
> Has anyone encountered this problem before, and if so, how did you handle it?
> Thanks and best wishes,
> Dan Brooks
> 
> ________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> Daniel M. Brooks, Ph.D.
> Curator of Vertebrate Zoology
> Houston Museum of Natural Science
> One Hermann Circle Drive
> Houston, TX  77030-1799
> 
> Telephone: 713-639-4776
> E-mail: dbrooks at hmns.org
> 
>