insects attacking bird mounts

Submitted by bell on 3/17/06 at 1:54 AM. ( ) 69.229.201.96

I started attempting taxidermy a few years ago and now after being put in storage my bird mounts are being attacked by what I think is bugs. The feathers disintigrate and float off leaving them bald and a gritty powdery stuff falls out of the eyes and mouth. This makes me really sad because I had some really beautiful mounts like a seagull, crows and redwing blackbirds. I used borax and dry preserve and took care to clean everything well and made shure they were all dry before putting them away. What happened?

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dermistids

This response submitted by paul bunyan on 3/17/06 at 6:34 AM. ( ) 216.108.218.115

or also known as carpet beetles.


feather mites

This response submitted by newbirdman on 3/17/06 at 7:16 AM. ( ) 152.163.101.14

Besides the beetles it could also be feather mites that eat the feathers . Now if you have Seagulls and blackbirds you should be glad the bugs got to them before the dept of fish and game did . Rick


should have

This response submitted by Brian Masters on 3/17/06 at 9:54 AM. ( ) 152.163.101.14

Dusted them with powdered borax. But I guess it don't matter now. BTW Seagulls and Red wing black birds are migratory birds. and as such protected under the migratory bird act. so it is just as well they became destroyed.


Not in US

This response submitted by helpful on 3/17/06 at 10:25 AM. ( ) 4.246.138.66

He's probably not in the US so our laws do not apply.


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