Sponsored by the
Museum of Natural
Science, Louisiana State University
Freezing bird
specimens to kill pests
From:
Brian Schmidt
Subject: Re: [AVECOL-L] pest management and freezing
To: AVECOL-L at LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Alison,
The NMNH Bird's collection
has been successfully using freezing as part of our Integrated Pest Management
program for at least 14 years. The key is to get the pests frozen as quickly as
possible. It's the formation of ice crystals in the cells of the pests that
kill them. If the pests are not completely frozen (i.e. killed) they can
develop "anti-freeze" in their system and become resistant to further
freezing. We use a -20C chest freezer to accomplish this task, and keep our
specimens in there for a minimum of 3 days (10 days typical). The specimens
either placed in a sealed plastic box and/or in a plastic bag before they are
placed in the freezer. This prevents condensation on the specimens when they
are later removed from the freezer and allowed to come to room temperature.
We have not seen any
effects on the specimens from freezing. There are some papers (sorry I don't
have the references handy) that show that repeated freezing and thawing may
cause the bill covering to come off from either a direct result of freezing or
from the expansion and contraction of the wooden stick that has been 'seated'
into the bill during the preparation process. However,(at least in our
collections) most specimens will probably not be frozen more than a couple of
times in their lifetime. Thus, it's a minimal risk from the freezing compared
to the damage that pests can do to the skins.
In the event of an
outbreak that cannot be accommodated by our freezer(s), we seal the case with
an overdose of PDB for at least a month.
Brian K. Schmidt
Museum Specialist
Division of Birds
Smithsonian Institution
========
From:
Brian Schmidt <SCHMIDTB at SI.EDU>
Subject: Re: [AVECOL-L] pest management and freezing
To: AVECOL-L at LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
A couple additional
comments:
First to correct a typo on
my previous post...we use a -10C freezer not a -20C freezer.
Second, I have been
reminded by my co-worker (Claudia Angle) that another effective freezing method
for dealing with infestations is to quickly freeze the object(s), quickly raise
the temperature, then freeze the object(s) again. This creates a temperature
shock effect that will help kill insects that might survive the initial
freezing. This has been said to be more effective than a single freeze to kill
the "hard to kill" eggs of dermestids and other museum pests.
Third, in addition to
insects developing a chemical antifreeze, insect larvae can eliminate their
systems of water when faced with slowly falling temperatures. This leaves only
fatty tissue, which is not vulnerable to freezing.
Main point: The most
important thing to remember about using a freezer for killing pests for
preventative measure and dealing with infestations is the faster the freeze
rate, the more certain the kill will be.
-Brian
PS A useful reference is
"Approaches to Pest Management in Museums" by Keith Story 1985
==============
From:
"Hinshaw, Janet" <jhinshaw at UMICH.EDU>
Subject: Re: [AVECOL-L] pest management and freezing
To: AVECOL-L at LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
We also have been using
freezing for a number of years, and it seems to work just fine for incoming
material. We usually do it for at least 72 h- 1 week. Freezing quickly (so
don't just pop a box of specimens wrapped in cotton in the freezer) and then
thawing for a few hours, then refreezing will really do the job. If you have
good seals on your cases, air conditioning (under 84 degrees), and low humidity
all year (under about 55%), that really is the best prevention. However, if you
discover an infestation in a case, you can't freeze the whole case. You could
freeze all the drawers, but I think you would still have to fumigate the case.
We have university pest control people who can do that, and they use an
encapsulated pyrethrum. They also treat the skin room every spring by spraying
a 6" wide strip along the floor/bottom edges of the cases, under the
windows, doors, pipe openings, etc. If a bug walks through that, it is dead. It
is safe for you (I guess unless you want to lick the floor), and you can apparently
wash (but not wax) the floor and it will stay there. It lasts about 6 months.
We have it done in the spring, which lasts all through the warm months any bugs
are likely to get in through the windows if they don't seal tightly (as our old
ones).
The bugs that damage skins are not the same species as the ones used to clean
skeletons. The wild ones here that are a problem for skins are much smaller
integument specialists (adults about 1/8"). As we are sort of on
this topic, here is a great link (if I do say so) to information on setting up
and keeping a bug colony for skeletons:
http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/mammals/dermestid.html
Janet Hinshaw, Collection Manager
Bird Division
Museum of Zoology
Univ. of Michigan