mites?

[disco duck]

dug out my hares mask and ears bag.
had some visitors (6) in there although the fur seems to be ok.
but there are what i can only describe as shucks left.
it was a sealed pack of mixed hares ear and mask.
but it looks as if the shop had at some time hung it on a nail by pushing it through the bag below the seal.
So what were they and how did they get in.
Also found in another packet containing a mix of feathers and furs (from a beginners kit) that had a lady bird shape bug in them about 1/4 the size of a lady bird. hard backed shell , light and dark grey mottled colour.( LONG DEAD)
all kit is kept in a sealed metal box.
your thoughts

[dorsetdarren]

i had a box of flies left over the winter. when i opened them this year there were black dots all around and some flies had disintergrated. i thought these were some sort of mite as well. threw them away so not to risk spreading

[flyfishy61]

Originally Posted by disco duck

dug out my hares mask and ears bag.
had some visitors (6) in there although the fur seems to be ok.
but there are what i can only describe as shucks left.
it was a sealed pack of mixed hares ear and mask.
but it looks as if the shop had at some time hung it on a nail by pushing it through the bag below the seal.
So what were they and how did they get in.
Also found in another packet containing a mix of feathers and furs (from a beginners kit) that had a lady bird shape bug in them about 1/4 the size of a lady bird. hard backed shell , light and dark grey mottled colour.( LONG DEAD)
all kit is kept in a sealed metal box.
your thoughts

try moth balls in your fly feather kit, ones you hang in wardrobe

[disco duck]

gone through my stock with a fine tooth comb .
found NO livestock .
only a pair of mallard wings that had signs of a feast had taken place.
they are now in dustbin along with a few other bits and bobs i dont use.
will put moth balls in asap.
any ideas what the shucks were or if indeed they were shucks or could they be dead bugs that had dried out.
my wife has just had a look at the shucks and describes them as (looking like ) mini wood lice

[christy27]

24 hours in the freezer is a popular option .

Chris.

[disco duck]

NO LIVE STOCK FOUND .
what do the eggs look like ?

[arkle]

Freezing once will often put the "mites/other inhabitants" into hibernation. Microwaving twice (for say 20 secs each time) is far quicker & more certain to kill anything in there. Use a NEW bag afterwards. To prevent further attacks use an organic insecticidal spray all over the item(s) & any others that may have been near them. Mothballs & the like are carcinogenic, by the way. Cedar chips are not as effective & they need replacing on a regular basis.

[Geoff Cherrett]

Originally Posted by disco duck

...any ideas what the shucks were or if indeed they were shucks ...

It's possible they were from the larva of white shoulder or brown house moths. Both of which are very common, all year round, and love nothing better than a bit of protein (feathers).

I favour the freezer approach for bug removal, a good couple of weeks does the trick. Two weeks will seem like overkill to most, but I'm in no rush and have two freezers in the shop devoted to all things fish-bait.

One thing not to over look, when the material is removed from the freezer, make sure there is no moisture within the bag especially if materials with a high flesh content are concerned.

Just pop them in a shoe box with some crushed moth-balls in a well ventillated room, for a day or so, to dry out then stick them in a re-sealable plastic bag for safe keeping.

Funny thing about the micro-wave treatment. I had a sack of maize, which I use in spod mixes, that had more than just particles in it. Weevils had fancied a munch and taken residence, so I thought I'd nuke the little devils and be done with it.

2 minutes, still trotting around quite happily. Another 2 minutes, the same, happy as sand boys. To cut a long story short they ended up in the pressure cooker to finish the job.

It could be I had a bunch of nuke resistant weevils I'm not sure, but from then on it's been the freezer without problem.