about freezing materials

[rainbowchaser]

On SCIENCE FRIDAY today they played a clip from a u-tube series where a museum worker was dissecting a dead wolf. The carcass had been frozen two months when she thawed it. She was surprised by live fleas jumping in front of her scalpel. It seems that eggs survived the freezing and hatched quickly when it was thawed.

[Joe Billingsley]

That's why it's recommended to freeze, thaw, then freeze again.

[fishbum]

Forget the freezing altogether. Forget the microwave also.

Scrape off all of the fat and connecting tissue from the skin. Wash the skin in warm water and Dawn that has a couple handfuls of borax in the mix. Rinse in clear water and dry. Store in zip-lock bags or plastic containers with moth balls that contain paradichlorobenzene as the active ingredient. You can store in the bags with borax if you want. Use only borax to absorb any fat that remains. Never use salt.

The borax in the wash will kill bugs. The moth balls will kill both bugs and eggs should there be any left after a good washing. The moth balls also prevent any new infestations. Moth balls that contain naphtha as the active ingredient only repels the bugs.

Jerry

[Ray Kunz]

I've been told that paradichlorobenzine is only in the "flakes" form and that "moth balls" are naptha.
Was I misinformed?

[cannonx4]

I have used Tide detergent and washed the dogs and horses around the farm. That stuff will kill fleas.

[Allan]

Anytime I've gotten some skinned bird or pieces of hide I've done the following: Make sure I remove as much fat as I can; Place about a 1/4 cup of Dawn detergent and a cap full of Chlorox bleach into a bucket of very warm, but not hot water. If too hot the skin will expand and the hair might fall out. Swish material around and let it soak for a few minutes; Rinse completely; Wring as much of the water out as possible without injuring the skin. Oh, if you just have feathers, after the rinsing, put them in a woman's stocking and whirl it around to let centrifugal force force the water out; Place skin against cardboard and let it air dry. You can dry the feathers faster with a hair dryer. Once completely dry, place materials in individual a zip lock bags with a moth ball or two. Label the bag identifying the contents and date. Keep segregated from other materials for a month. You don't want to risk the possibility of any infestation. I've used this method for many, many years, and it's worked.
Finally, some stuff isn't worth the bother. Enthusiastically thank the provider and then carefully dispose of what you were given.

Allan

[fishbum]

I've been told that paradichlorobenzine is only in the "flakes" form and that "moth balls" are naptha.
Was I misinformed?

I have found it in flakes, balls, and cakes. Try the dollar store. The stuff I get is Enos.



Allen is right about "some stuff is not worth the bother". I politely decline to accept a piece of deer hair. I do whole deer hides and have more than I can use most of the time.

Jerry