I've had problems with moths on a few mounts I've done mink, bobcat etc. Is borax good for keeping these bugs away and when should it be used after the animal is tanned or before and does how much matter? Thanks.
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Jim, If you have active bugs or recent damage I would place the entire mount into a chest freezer for a few days, remove to room temperature for about 1 week and then freeze again for a few days. The idea is to kill all larve then allow eggs to hatch and kill again. Then treat with a bug killer that has a residule effect. Mountshield is a fairly good preventive measure (sold by many suppliers) and designed for taxidermy use-won't stain hair. In my shop I use this on every mount other than fish and then advise the customer to treat every 3-4 months. Now, there are many sprays that discourage the critters that eat hair but no guarantee that they won't do damage to the mounts -truth is I use a couple of products on my personal and display mounts that are more economical and have had no problems but for my customers I use Mountshield. Borax will probably not help your situation. To be of any value the skins would have to have been treated with it prior to mounting I would say. Since you have had this problem I would recomend that you get real agressive with it and if you have mounts not affected yet assume that they are next. When treating mounts I would not spray eyes or nose but be sure to get those hidden places like the edge of skin on the back side of a shoulder mount. Good luck with this problem-Aaron H.