Larva ate my dry fly hackle!

[jifigz]

I had some grizzly Whiting dry fly hackle stored just laying in an antique drawer. Today when I opened it up, I found all the skin holding the cape together was even away and the feathers were all lose. The feathers looked okay, though. I took it out and started just crushing beetle larva left and right. I must have killed about 100 of them. How common is this? This is the first time that I've encountered this problem, but I certainly want to stop the spread before they get my other materials that were stored separate. I think I'm going to do a couple of freeze and thaw cycles on my left over grizzly cape. Should I scrap the hackle and call it a loss as a precaution?

 

[Chaz]

I have cedar blocks in with all my tying material, but a lot of guys will use moth balls. Keep moth balls away from pets, they are toxic.

 

[teedee]

Lined my tying desk with aromatic cedar. All natural material I bring home go in the freezer for a couple days. Better do a good check of the rest of your material.

 

[Bamboozle]

Moth balls are naphthalene and are only a REPELLENT.

Cedar is a REPELLENT.

Moth CRYSTALS are para-dichlorobenzene and KILL larvae and adult pests.

BTW - Freezing is no guarantee nor is microwaving (ask an entomologist or exterminator).

If it was my stuff, it would go in Ziploc bags with a healthy load of moth crystals for at least a week.

ALL of my natural materials are stored in large Rubbermaid bins with a load of moth crystals inside. If they came in Ziploc bags I put some in there too.

When I buy new stuff, it goes in my quarantine bin loaded with moth crystals for at least a week before it goes into my regular storage bins.

FWIW - I NEVER had a bug problem with any material and that includes stuff from hunters, road kill, foreign sources, hackle houses and fly shops. It smells, but over the years I've come to like that smell and associate it with fly tying.

The fish don't mind the smell either.

 

[sandfly]

been tying and in the business for years, only safe bet is moth balls or crystals.

 

[outsider]

I use paradichlorobenzene crystals. Enoz makes them, and the odor is not as bad as moth balls. Big box stores sells them.

 

[Fredrick]

I use moth balls that are scented and also use cedar balls I haven't had any problems as of yet. My tying area is in the basement and I throw moth balls in any area that I think would be appealing to insects.

 

[Alnitak]

Dermestid beetles can be a real problem, and can turn up years later in previously "clean" material. As others have pointed out, the best prevention is the "moth crystals."

 

[tctrout]

Really sorry to hear that! If you properly kill the remaining critters, you can use the hackle. I would pack it seperately for now to be on the safe side while killing them. How much do you have remaining?