I know this is going to raise hackles but......
I don't want to sound like a whining weaning but Al's article scared the hell out of me the first time that it appeared on FOAL. Not because of the chances bugs eating up my Conranch and Whiting Capes but because of that description of a fly dying on the cape that had been left out in fresh air for over a week. I don't want to handle anything that is so poisonous. All those chemicals can be absorbed through your skin. Flies are tough guys; they will be here long after the human race is gone. If it killed a fly before the fly could get away, what is it doing to our system? The situation is worsened for those of us, like Flyrodde, who have frequent oral contact with our fly tying material. I mean no disrespect to Al, JC or anyone else, but I would remind you that Al died at a very young age of brain cancer. I've often wondered if those No Pest stripes didn't play some role in his untimely, unfortunate death. If fly tying materials remain that deadly after being exposed to No Pest Strips, it certainly seems possible.
I, for one, will stick with my flea collars. At a buck a collar, they aren't unreasonably expensive and if they don't kill my dog, I don't think they will kill me. I know that some (many?) are going to disagree and I expect some will do so vehemently. Once again, I mean no disrespect but I have a genuine concern for the safety of those members using No Pest Stripes. Well, that's my 2% of a dollar. 8T :(
DollarTree and other stores
Flyrodde,
I get my flea collars at Dollartree for, you guessed it, a dollar. I don't think that you will ever see a dollar "sale" on flea collars at a regular store but the Dollartree and other similar stores often have them available. I would advise that you buy a bunch when you see them because they don't always have them. Also try and buy dog flea collars because they are twice the size of the cat collars. I cut the collars into four pieces and put a piece in each corner of my fly tying drawers. I also put an inch-sized piece in each material bag.
Even with flea collars, I would wash my hands after tying and keep the material out of my mouth. James Smith has a pretty good suggestion with the stamp wetter. My hands turn black from handling dry marabou and it seems like it would be pretty unpleasant to wet with my mouth unless of course I just spit on it. :) Good luck with your flea collar hunt. 8T :)