Fly swaps, and bugs

[DUB]

When you participate in a fly swap, do you know how each individual tier gets rid of parasites in his/her material? Does the question ever come to your mind that you may be getting an infestation when you join these swaps? I'm not trying to make anyone paranoid about joining swaps, but it is food for thought.

About 15 years ago, I had a minor infestation probem. It wasn't transmitted through a swap. It was my own fault. I killed a few starlings, and harvested their wings. It did cost me few dollars in capes, and hides.

I placed a call to the Colorado State University cooperative extension, and told a fellow there about my problem. He urged me to wash my reamaining materials in soapy water, air dry them, then place them in a trash bag with a teaspoon of 'Sevin Garden Dust'. Give the contents a good shake and leave them in the bag for 14 days.

Since then I have had no other infestation problems. I did take his advice a step further. Now whenever I bring home material of questionable origin (swap flys included), I put them in the old"Sevin Dust" quarenteen.
I use the garbage bag for hides, and wings, but that isn't a practical way for flys. For the flys, I place them in a small cedar jewlery box, with a sprinkle of Sevin Dust. The box is placed in a ziploc freezer bag, and sealed for 14 days.


[This message has been edited by DUB (edited 05 February 2006).]

[Night Angler]

this may sound alittle funny..

But I replace my flea collars every 3months... all swap flies goes in a flea collar bug for 5 days.. and then they get fished

[Riverdancer]

Why do people go through the trouble of curing and skinning their own hides, and birds when they could easily buy them for cheap at a fly shop?

-Jude

[DUB]

Jude, some of us like to . Is that a problem? When I shoot a deer, or an elk, or for that matter a pheasant, should I just waste the material? I like the hide off a calf elk my buddy shot during bow season, better than any store bought hide I have seen. I cant believe you would throw a perfectly good pheasant tail away, just because you didnt want to take the time to debug it.

Perhaps I was too vague in this thread. My intention was to show there is more than one way to get an infestation problem. I also related my personal choice for getting rid of that same problem.

Speaking of ways to get infested. Ever wonder if those over seas fly patterns are bug free? I wonder who the inspector for that department is?

Wayne

[Rick Z]

Being a fly swap addict I have to trust the other tyers as much as they trust me.
None of us wants to have bugs in our materials. I don't worry about it.


Rick

[lee s]

Grand site!
STILL learning about bugs!
Like Rick, we never gave that any thought. Just like the "no lead" issue.
NOW we will think about it....at least THINK about it.

I've been in fly swaps for several years now and have never had a problem. Then again, the flies go into my fly boxes and are usually fished soon after I get them. Then they are usually lost to a log, tree branch or hopefully, some huge trout. Either way, I don't have them long enough to be a problem.

Like others, I am assuming that other tyers care for their materials like I do and keep them bug free.

REE

[Lew]

Rainy Riding has a fly tying operation in Taiwan, and has instructed her tyers NEVER to go to their mouth with their fingers while tying. Just a little food for thought for those of us who(used to)like to use a little spit to tame unruly or wispy materials. "Where has this stuff been"?

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Lew

[Ron Mason]

I think this is being ridiculously paranoid. How do you know the the materials/flies at a the fly shop are any safer? What is Sevin?
I'm not sure I would want to be handling materials or flies that are coated in poison.

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Ron M

[Rick Z]

Sevin is a garden insecticide. Avaialbe at many stores. You arne't supoposed to eat stuff out of the gardenfor several days after using sevin. I can';t rmemeber how many days it was.

Rick