Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Ontario Trophy Bucks forum. Enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Moths in Mounts
Topic Started: Feb 18 2014, 10:00 AM (752 Views)
Posted Image Muskoka Whitetails
Member Avatar


I vacuumed all my mounts this week and found some have been getting eaten by moths. Has anyone experienced this problem? How have you dealt with it? I have an exterminator booked for Thursday but am not convinced this will solve the problem. I have 10's of $1000 of dollars worth of mounts at risk and priceless memories. Any help would be much appreciated.
Quote:
 
"A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter has no gallery to applaud or disapprove his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importantance of this fact."                                      Aldo Leopold
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Shane
Member Avatar
Team Ontario Trophy Bucks
Holy. I don't know what the answer is for this bit I can sure see why your concerned I'm sure the taxidermists on here should know
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image coptordoctor
Member Avatar



When i do my mounts. The guy that taught me told me to always put detol in the hide paste with the water.. I have never seen any moths around.. Now that you have them i have no idea what to use.. they can be a real bitch.. I know My wife has tons of wool she uses for rug hooking.. They are all seale din Rubbermaids.. i would think Advanced may have heard of this.. and give you some idea what to do?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image Muskoka Whitetails
Member Avatar


coptordoctor
Feb 18 2014, 12:35 PM
When i do my mounts. The guy that taught me told me to always put detol in the hide paste with the water.. I have never seen any moths around.. Now that you have them i have no idea what to use.. they can be a real bitch.. I know My wife has tons of wool she uses for rug hooking.. They are all seale din Rubbermaids.. i would think Advanced may have heard of this.. and give you some idea what to do?
I've talked to James. Actually I have talked to quite a few people. The problem seems to be that they are hardly an issue anymore. 20 years ago they were a problem but with all the synthetic fabrics now they are almost non existent. The issue now seems to be that there is very little recent experience dealing with them. I had a two week old fawn freeze-dried and I believe that is where they originated. I have work from many different taxidermists and the only common thing I find is that they prefer the really dense thick under fur like in my spring bear mounts and rugs, also the caribou hair. So far the moose heads, and deer mounts seem to be OK. I have a full mount turkey with a freeze dried head that I will really have to keep a good eye on. I had a bad feeling about the fawn when I got it back. (goes to show you have to be real careful about the taxidermist you choose) I will say that it was NOT from advanced and after careful examination of all my mounts done by them, I am quite happy to say there are no problems. I have no doubt though at this point none of my mounts are safe until I get rid of the little buggers.
Quote:
 
"A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter has no gallery to applaud or disapprove his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importantance of this fact."                                      Aldo Leopold
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image go-fer
Member Avatar
NM, MN, ONT

We were told by a couple of taxidermists to use those bug bombs every spring and fall. Seems like it works for us. Before we moved our mounts we had them in storage for a year and we had some bug problems. This worked.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image Muskoka Whitetails
Member Avatar


Thanks Gofer for your help. Do you know what they are called and where I can get some?
Quote:
 
"A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter has no gallery to applaud or disapprove his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importantance of this fact."                                      Aldo Leopold
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image TrophyTracker
Member Avatar
Advanced Hunter
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Found this on another site

Quote:
 
We had the same problem with our older mounts. We contacted our taxidermist and he had the solution that worked GREAT!

Get a can or Raid House & Garden. Spray the mounts lightly (like you would hairspray). Then take a damp cloth and rub the fur lightly in the same direction the hair grows. The area around the eyes and mouth are the most vulnerable so spray some of the House & Garden directly on the cloth and dab it on those areas.

After it has dried (several hours) lightly brush the fur to soften it, if it looks any different than it did before you sprayed.

An insect bomb isn't a bad idea either but the mounts will still need to be wiped with a damp cloth since the bombs leave a residue.
How does your trophy measure up?
Ontario Big Game Records (FROW)
The Boone and Crockett Club
The Pope and Young Club
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image Muskoka Whitetails
Member Avatar


TrophyTracker
Feb 18 2014, 05:37 PM
Found this on another site

Quote:
 
We had the same problem with our older mounts. We contacted our taxidermist and he had the solution that worked GREAT!

Get a can or Raid House & Garden. Spray the mounts lightly (like you would hairspray). Then take a damp cloth and rub the fur lightly in the same direction the hair grows. The area around the eyes and mouth are the most vulnerable so spray some of the House & Garden directly on the cloth and dab it on those areas.

After it has dried (several hours) lightly brush the fur to soften it, if it looks any different than it did before you sprayed.

An insect bomb isn't a bad idea either but the mounts will still need to be wiped with a damp cloth since the bombs leave a residue.
This is a new one I had not heard used before, Thanks Trophy Tracker
Quote:
 
"A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter has no gallery to applaud or disapprove his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importantance of this fact."                                      Aldo Leopold
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image TrophyTracker
Member Avatar
Advanced Hunter
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
You may want to talk to a taxidermist first but with the recent infestation of bed bugs, the best cure is heat. Just wondering if there is a way to heat a mount enough to kill bugs but not do damage to it?
How does your trophy measure up?
Ontario Big Game Records (FROW)
The Boone and Crockett Club
The Pope and Young Club
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image Muskoka Whitetails
Member Avatar


TrophyTracker
Feb 18 2014, 08:10 PM
You may want to talk to a taxidermist first but with the recent infestation of bed bugs, the best cure is heat. Just wondering if there is a way to heat a mount enough to kill bugs but not do damage to it?
I looked into the heat already along with extreme cold. Part of the issue is some of the mounts are very large. I have two full shoulder moose with five foot racks 12' up on the wall. A full size and 3/4 mount bears, as well as very delicate mounts like owls and a full mount turkey. My mounts have the only sign of moths that I have found but I am sure there are other places in the house where they are also. At this point what ever I do has to involve the whole house. So looks like the only option is getting a mass spraying done by the exterminator.
Quote:
 
"A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter has no gallery to applaud or disapprove his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importantance of this fact."                                      Aldo Leopold
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
taxidan
Member Avatar
Regular
[ *  *  *  * ]
TrophyTracker
Feb 18 2014, 08:10 PM
You may want to talk to a taxidermist first but with the recent infestation of bed bugs, the best cure is heat. Just wondering if there is a way to heat a mount enough to kill bugs but not do damage to it?
Avoid applying heat to mounts. This will almost certainly cause cracking particularly around the eyes and lips, due to excessive shrinkage.
Using a bug bomb (same as used for flea infestations) or raid as described earlier will do the job. If you have a collection of mounts, it's a good practise to do a treatment once a year with all of your mounts in a room with a bug bomb. Although tanned hides and capes are my preference, bugs and moths can be a problem on both tanned and untanned mounts just like they can be a problem for garments. If an untanned hide has been poorly treated it would be more apt to attract these pests though. Once you have them they will eventually even attack a tanned hide as well. Many of these critters go after the hair or fur itself not necessarily the epidermis or skin. Good luck. They can be a real pain to get rid of.
BOREAL TALES TAXIDERMY
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image Muskoka Whitetails
Member Avatar


taxidan
Feb 18 2014, 08:39 PM
TrophyTracker
Feb 18 2014, 08:10 PM
You may want to talk to a taxidermist first but with the recent infestation of bed bugs, the best cure is heat. Just wondering if there is a way to heat a mount enough to kill bugs but not do damage to it?
Avoid applying heat to mounts. This will almost certainly cause cracking particularly around the eyes and lips, due to excessive shrinkage.
Using a bug bomb (same as used for flea infestations) or raid as described earlier will do the job. If you have a collection of mounts, it's a good practise to do a treatment once a year with all of your mounts in a room with a bug bomb. Although tanned hides and capes are my preference, bugs and moths can be a problem on both tanned and untanned mounts just like they can be a problem for garments. If an untanned hide has been poorly treated it would be more apt to attract these pests though. Once you have them they will eventually even attack a tanned hide as well. Many of these critters go after the hair or fur itself not necessarily the epidermis or skin. Good luck. They can be a real pain to get rid of.
They definitely eat the base of the dense hair, don't seem to bother the skin at all. One of the things I found out is they don't like light which explains why they always are in unnoticeable places.
Quote:
 
"A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter has no gallery to applaud or disapprove his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importantance of this fact."                                      Aldo Leopold
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
whiterack
Regular
[ *  *  *  * ]
I had the same issue a few years ago and got rid of the bugs with moth balls in panty hose bags
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image Muskoka Whitetails
Member Avatar


whiterack
Feb 18 2014, 10:12 PM
I had the same issue a few years ago and got rid of the bugs with moth balls in panty hose bags
Really? I was told they would only repell them. Not kill them.
Quote:
 
"A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter has no gallery to applaud or disapprove his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importantance of this fact."                                      Aldo Leopold
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Posted Image Road
Member Avatar
Swamps of Dorchester

My brother had the same thing happen mark. Ill find out and let you know
What sprayed them with. I think he put in a big garage bag and
Spayed them. It did work.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Hunters Campfire · Next Topic »
Add Reply