[Nhcoll-l] Mold in our bird collection

[Gaffney, Ariel M]

Our collection here at the National Fish & Wildlife Forensic Laboratory is experiencing an unprecedented mold outbreak in our bird collection and we could use some advice about mold removal and cleaning while protecting the specimens.


A few weeks ago we found two cabinets with mold growth, some skins were nearly encased in a thin mold film. The specimens with obvious mold growth were moved to the freezer, then cleaned with a cotton swab dipped in ammonia. All other specimens were placed in a hood with a UV light for 24 hours. The drawers were cleaned with ammonia and then a UV light was placed inside the cabinet for 24 hours.


We have now discovered more cabinets with mold. Has anyone encountered large-scale mold outbreak in their collection? How did you handle cleaning?

From what I've read, UV light exposure will kill the mold and won't necessarily harm the specimens unless exposed to UV light for an extensive period of time.
Is ammonia the best way of cleaning specimens? Should we be using Ethanol or another solution for the specimens with visible mold growth?

How would you wipe down/rid the bird skins of mold growing on them? Damp rag with ethanol? Cotton swabs?


This is a brand new facility built in the last year. The humidity in the building ranges from 40-42% and the temperature is kept from 64-68 F. We put in dehumidifiers this week to try and drop the humidity even further and are considering an anti-fungal fogger. If anyone has had experience with any of these foggers, we'd appreciate your insight.


Any/all advice would be appreciated.


Thank you,

Ariel Gaffney



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Ariel M. Gaffney, M.Sc.
Forensic Scientist / Ornithologist
Office of Law Enforcement
National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory
1490 E. Main Street
Ashland, OR  97520

phone:  541-488-6516
fax: 541-482-4989​
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