[NHCOLL-L:4250] Re: 1895 Egg collection: freeze or not?

[Steve Halford]

Susan,
Eggs of that period would in all probability have been treated with
mercuric chloride as an insecticide.  You may have more of a concern
with the health risks of the specimens than the chance of them being
infested.
Steve.
-- 
Steve Halford (halford at sfu.ca)
Museum Technician
Department of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C. Canada               Phone
V5A 1S6                                  778-782-3461





On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 7:08 PM, John E Simmons <simmons.johne at gmail.com> wrote:
> Freezing is a conservation treatment.  You should never freeze anything
> unless you have a good reason, as freezing puts materials through stress and
> strain.  Ideally, you should quarantine the collection, set out lots of
> sticky traps, and monitor it closely for several weeks for signs of pest
> activity.  If you can't do that, then seal the eggs, cushioning material,
> and containers in polyethylene bags.  Monitor the bags for any signs of pest
> activity.  Only freeze the eggs if you know you have pests.
>
> Freezing is a great way to kill pests, and for most types of collections it
> is safe.  However, it should not be used indiscriminately.  Only freeze when
> you know you have pests.
>
> --John
>
> John E. Simmons
> Museologica
> 128 E. Burnside Street
> Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
> simmons.johne at gmail.com
> 303-681-5708
> www.museologica.com
> and
> Adjunct Curator of Collections
> Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
> Penn State University
> 19 Deike Building
> University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-2709
> jes67 at psu.edu
>
>
> On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 11:12 PM, Hochgraf, Susan <susan.hochgraf at uconn.edu>
> wrote:
>>
>> We have just acquired a small collection of bird eggs, fully documented,
>> from the turn of the last century.  The eggs appear to be in excellent
>> condition, and we have transferred them from the original wood cabinet to
>> plastic boxes, with a cushion of polyester fiberfill.
>> What's the accepted practice on integrating to our collection:  freeze? or
>> don't freeze?
>> Many thanks for your words of wisdom.
>> Sue
>>
>> Susan Hochgraf
>> University of Connecticut
>> Vertebrate Collections Manager
>> Biological Research Collections
>> Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
>> 75 North Eagleville Road
>> Storrs, Connecticut  06269-3043
>> office: 860-486-8945
>> fax: 860-486-6364
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
>
>