Pest control for skeletal material

Susan Woodward in the Mammalogy Department here at the Royal Ontario
Museum has asked me to send in this question.

     Our Mammalogy department ceased degreasing their skeletal
     material in vapourized trichloroethylene 3-4 years ago.  Since
     then there have been repeated infestations, primarily of
     red-legged ham beetles, experienced in the skeletal material of
     large mammals like hippo and rhino.  Large bones are drilled
     and the marrow is blown out.  Despite fumigation with
     Phostoxin--hydrogen phosphide, and the sealing of storage
     boxes, recurring infestations are occurring.  We are currently
     experimenting to see if these recurrences are a result of
     incomplete fumigation or reinfestation of material.  Soaking
     bone in 10% solutions of ammonium hydroxide has resulted in an
     unacceptable amount of cracking along bone shafts and crazing
     of articular surfaces.  The department is looking into
     alternative methods of degreasing and would be grateful for
     information about what has been effective in other museums.  We
     are also interested in the possibility of using detergents,
     either in an aqueous solution or used to enhance the degreasing
     effect of alcohol, odourless mineral spirits or
     111-trichlorethane--used at room temperature.


Barb Rice
Conservation Department
Royal Ontario Museum
Toronto

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:70
                Distributed: Thursday, February 6, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-70-007
                                  ***