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Post by impairbear on Sept 7, 2020 19:29:14 GMT
These are almost certainly Psocids (book lice), and yes they will eat the whole specimen eventually. I suggest you freeze the shadow boxes for 3 days, take them out for a week or 10 days and then freeze them again for another 3 days. A second round of freezing is necessary to kill small individuals that hatch out of eggs which will not be killed by the first freeze. Eggs hatch in a week, so all should die in the second freeze. Adam. Thank you Adam for your advice, do you have an idea on how long it would take for them to eat through a specimen or for visible signs of them being there? I think they have only arrived when I decided to stop using moth balls in the relaxing chamber. Or this could just be a Coincidence.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Sept 7, 2020 21:02:05 GMT
Thank you Adam for your advice, do you have an idea on how long it would take for them to eat through a specimen or for visible signs of them being there? I think they have only arrived when I decided to stop using moth balls in the relaxing chamber. Or this could just be a Coincidence. Luckily with Psocids the damage often takes place over a long time because they are so small. It can take several months before any damage is noticeable if there are only a few of them on a specimen, but sometimes they reproduce explosively (especially in humid conditions) and then they can damage specimens rather quickly. In reality Psocids don't specifically eat specimens, they feed on mould; but the surface of dead specimens is usually covered in an invisible layer of mould, especially in humid conditions. Probably the lack of mothballs is NOT a co-incidence. Moth balls generally will not kill Psocids, but will keep them away, although I can imagine that they may kill Psocids inside a relaxing chamber. I expect it is quite likely that the Psocids could be in the papered specimens for some time before you relax them. Best practice in prevention (in an ideal situation) is to treat the collection room as a sterile area if possible, and quarantine all new arrivals by freezing them before taking them into the room. The best way to prevent Psocids in your room is to make the humidity as low as possible (a dehumidifyer or aircon unit is best), try to aim for about 20% humidity and you will find they mostly disappear, as well as other pests too. Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Sept 7, 2020 21:04:05 GMT
I forgot to mention, it is a good idea to check papered specimens in their envelopes every so often. If you see some dust it is a sign that there probably are pests inside.
Adam.
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Post by impairbear on Sept 7, 2020 21:45:06 GMT
Thank you Adam for your advice, do you have an idea on how long it would take for them to eat through a specimen or for visible signs of them being there? I think they have only arrived when I decided to stop using moth balls in the relaxing chamber. Or this could just be a Coincidence. Luckily with Psocids the damage often takes place over a long time because they are so small. It can take several months before any damage is noticeable if there are only a few of them on a specimen, but sometimes they reproduce explosively (especially in humid conditions) and then they can damage specimens rather quickly. In reality Psocids don't specifically eat specimens, they feed on mould; but the surface of dead specimens is usually covered in an invisible layer of mould, especially in humid conditions. Probably the lack of mothballs is NOT a co-incidence. Moth balls generally will not kill Psocids, but will keep them away, although I can imagine that they may kill Psocids inside a relaxing chamber. I expect it is quite likely that the Psocids could be in the papered specimens for some time before you relax them. Best practice in prevention (in an ideal situation) is to treat the collection room as a sterile area if possible, and quarantine all new arrivals by freezing them before taking them into the room. The best way to prevent Psocids in your room is to make the humidity as low as possible (a dehumidifyer or aircon unit is best), try to aim for about 20% humidity and you will find they mostly disappear, as well as other pests too. Adam. This is all brilliant information, thank you. So as I have only ever seen one on a couple of specimens (never more than one at a time) the likely hood of damage is lower. I think it will be wise for me to purchase a humidity monitor I’m order to check because right now I have no idea what the humidity is in the room. Definitely going back to using moth balls. Will keep them in the relaxing chambers and also in the storage boxes for pinned specimens. I do have a large delivery that came in from over seas so I think I will freeze the remaining specimens that o haven’t relaxed or pinned yet just to be safe and try to kill off anything that might be in there. So 3 days, remove for a week and then another 3 days? Can they be left in their plastic bags or should I remove them so they are just in the papers?
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Post by Adam Cotton on Sept 8, 2020 8:18:26 GMT
Anything that you put in the freezer needs to be SEALED inside plastic bags or boxes. This is very important because on removal from the freezer the bags/boxes must be kept sealed for 24 hours in order for the contents to return to room temperature before being opened. If the bags/boxes are opened straight out of the freezer condensation will form on the contents and serious problems will result.
I recommend that after the first 3 day freeze you take the bags/boxes out of the freezer, but don't open or unpack them, then on the 8th or 9th day put them back in the freezer for a further 3 days. When you take them out again put them straight in your collection room and leave them there for 24 hours before opening them. You should not open them somewhere else and then move them to your collection room, as re-infestation could occur then.
Adam.
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Post by exoticimports on Sept 12, 2020 18:41:02 GMT
Anything that you put in the freezer needs to be SEALED inside plastic bags or boxes. This is very important because on removal from the freezer the bags/boxes must be kept sealed for 24 hours in order for the contents to return to room temperature before being opened. If the bags/boxes are opened straight out of the freezer condensation will form on the contents and serious problems will result. I recommend that after the first 3 day freeze you take the bags/boxes out of the freezer, but don't open or unpack them, then on the 8th or 9th day put them back in the freezer for a further 3 days. When you take them out again put them straight in your collection room and leave them there for 24 hours before opening them. You should not open them somewhere else and then move them to your collection room, as re-infestation could occur then. Adam. Unless one lives where I do, in winter. We don’t put the drawers in the freezer, we put them in the garage for a week at -10C. No need for concern of condensation, as soon as they come into the 25% humidity they are dry. Humidity and condensation are wonderful rare conditions existing only in July and August. Chuck
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