[NHCOLL-L:4252] Re: 1895 Egg collection: freeze or not?

[Bryant, James]

Well counseled, John.

 

I have to say I've seldom seen much pest activity in blown egg shells.
The packing and storage material may attract more pests, in many cases,
so if they are repacked in sterile materials then you're set. Packing
not sterile: then treat the packing first.

 

James M. Bryant

Curator of Natural History

Museum Department, City of Riverside

3580 Mission Inn Avenue

Riverside, CA 92501

(951) 826-5273

(951) 369-4970 FAX

jbryant at riversideca.gov

________________________________

From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
[mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of John E Simmons
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 7:08 PM
To: susan.hochgraf at uconn.edu
Cc: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:4247] Re: 1895 Egg collection: freeze or not?

 

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






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