[Nhcoll-l] Killing dermestids from large cervid skulls

Sat Aug 2 04:24:16 EDT 2025

Hello everybody,

well, 1,4-dichlorobenzene is now difficult to obtain.
However, there are insect sprays that contain pyrethroids (the most
effective ones also contain  insect growth regulators like
Pyriproxyfen or Fenoxycarb).

I use these on objects that don't fit into the freezer.

On the other hand, is there a company near you that has a nitrogen
chamber? Maybe The Montana Museum of Art & Culture?

You might be able to use that too.

Good luck
Joachim

--  
Joachim Haendel

Center of Natural Science Collections
of the Martin Luther University (ZNS)
- Entomological Collection -

Domplatz 4
D-06099 Halle (Saale)
Germany

Phone:  +49 345 - 55 26 447
Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de

>>> Am 01.08.2025 um 19:24, Simon Moore <couteaufin at btinternet.com>
schrieb:
I agree with Katrina for this as the 1,4 (or para) dichloro-benzene does
kill off little critters effectively. I used to use it in
taxidermy cases and entomology collections until it was banned from use
in the UK being an organ-chlorine! It dissipates quite
quickly and I find it more effective than naphthalene which was in UK
mothballs and can make one feel woozy!

With all good wishes, Simon

Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR
Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian.

www.natural-history-conservation.com

> On 1 Aug 2025, at 18:12, Jacqueline Miller <jmiller at rom.on.ca> wrote:
>
> Hello Katrina,
> I would adopt the second option, but I would not advise isoflurane.
Instead, try 1,4-Dichlorobenzene (what is used in
“mothballs” or toilet bowl deodorant).
> Hope you find this useful.
> Jacqui
> Jacqueline Miller, PhD (She/Her/Hers)
> Collections Technician 2 - DNH
>
> 100 Queen's Park
> Toronto, ON M5S 2C6
> 416 586 5769
> ROM acknowledges that this museum sits on the ancestral lands of the
Wendat, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Anishinaabek
Nation, which includes the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation,
since time immemorial to today.
>
> Le ROM reconnaît que le Musée est situé sur les terres ancestrales des
Wendats, de la Confédération des Haudenosaunee et de la
Nation Anishinabek, y compris la Première Nation des Mississaugas de
Credit, et qu’ils occupent ces terres depuis la nuit des
temps.
> From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of
Derieg, Katrina
> Sent: August 1, 2025 12:08 PM
> To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Killing dermestids from large cervid skulls
> Some people who received this message don't often get email from
katrina.derieg at mso.umt.edu. Learn why this is important
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> Hi folks,
> I'm looking for some advice on how to proceed with some large cervid
skulls I've got in my bug colony. One is a bull elk with a
full rack, the other is a mule deer buck, also with a full rack. I don't
have a walk-in freezer and none of my freezers are large
enough for these skulls with their racks. The skulls are clean and I
need to move them out of the bug colony, but I'm not sure the
best way to get rid of any stray bugs.
> Options I've considered:
> •
> Bagging them up with some dry ice (will sublimate fast though, a
little pricy)
> •
> Bagging them up with isoflurane-soaked cotton (maybe not a good use of
veterinary-grade drugs)
>
> But I am open to suggestions if anyone has dealt with something
similar.
> Many thanks in advance!
> -Katrina
> KATRINA DERIEG (she/her)
> Curator | Museum Collections and Outreach Coordinator
> Phillip L. Wright Zoological Museum (UMZM)
> Health Science 104 | 32 Campus Drive | 406-243-4743
> katrina.derieg at umontana.edu | umzm at mso.umt.edu
> University of Montana
> On now, Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. Tickets on sale now at
rom.ca.À l'affiche : Auschwitz. Pas si longtemps. Pas si
loin. Billets en vente sur rom.ca/fr.
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NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
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