Mothballs to protect fly tying materials?

[Irv]

I recently lucked out and acquired a huge mess of fly tying materals: lots of Whiting necks, bucktails, marabou, chenille, etc., etc. They were in a large plastic storage case and sprinkled liberally with mothballs. My basic questions are: will the smell of the mothballs on the material affect the way in which trout and bass react to flies; and, what is the best way to protect materials from unwanted critters? Will airing out the finished flies help to get rid of the smell? Any help on this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance - Irv

 

[blueheron]

The recommended product is moth crystals or paradichlorobenzene and it dissipates by the time you use the flies with no ill effects

 

[Irv]

Great - Thanks much!

 

[FrequentTyer]

Moth crystals and moth balls are chemically the same, and since the vapors are what kills the critters there is no real benefit to using the crystals. You don't need to have the direct physical contact with the material for these to be effective.
Mothballs are toxic (especially to kids and pets) , and long term exposure to the vapors can be neurotoxic. There is probably not a great risk if you use them carefully, but I personally don't do it. The best way to protect material is to properly store it in sealed containers. The one time I had an infestation was with some inherited material, and borax powder cleared that up very quickly.
Mike.

 

[Stone_Fly]

Moth balls and crystals re a carcinogen, I prefer cedar chips.

 

[blueheron]

Aunt Wanda lived into her 90's and smelled like mothballs my whole life.

 

[gaeronf]

I don't do mothballs. I use little chunks of cedar and sealed containers. Better smelling alternative and just as effective imo. Mothballs just are an overwhelming odor and not pleasant. Never had any bugs with the cedar either.

Edit: I guess Stone_Fly said ceder too, above. I didn't see it the first time.

Also, don't be afraid to use the search bar. Chances are, your question may have been asked and can be answered by one quick search.

 

[Irv]

Thanks for the very useful suggestions. Given the toxicity and smell of moth balls/crystals, I'll opt for cedar chips.

 

[JohnPowers]

Cedar, schmeder....put the mothballs in there. Toxicity my foot. You want to live forever? Why over engineer this? MOTHBALLS.

 

[wgmiller]

Do trout like moth balls? Wouldn't that be bait fishing?

 

[gaeronf]

JohnPowers wrote:
Cedar, schmeder....put the mothballs in there. Toxicity my foot. You want to live forever? Why over engineer this? MOTHBALLS.

Why over engineer it?

I'm sure some people use cedar because Mothballs may be toxic. But I think one of the upsides (and one of the reasons for the popularity) to cedar is it doesn't smell bad, because I'd rather smell cedar than mothballs.

 

[chemsarge]

If there are small children in the house, be careful with mothballs/crystals. They can be toxic, and are suspected carcinogens. Important to note is that they also have a sweet taste!

As with most chemicals the danger is in the dosage. A problematic chemical that tastes sweet is not a good thing to have around children.

 

[afishinado]

Cedar works to discourage insects from laying eggs in your material while mothballs kill them. Be very careful when acquiring new material. I suggest you isolate it by putting it in an airtight container with mothballs and store it with cedar only after its been mothballed for a while.

Some guys microwave new material to kill bugs that may be in the material. It works, but be careful doing that.

 

[FrequentTyer]

Freezing is probably a better alternative than microwaving as it is less likely to alter the structure of the material. I read somewhere that Whiting freezes for a couple of weeks if they suspect infestation.
Boric acid is a very good insect killer. It is cheap, easy to find at the drug store, and relatively non toxic (used to be used on babies eyes).
There is an interesting write up about fly tying pests and control here: Several Insects that damage flies and fly tying materials

 

[hack]

by wgmiller on 2012/11/26 19:39:53

Do trout like moth balls? Wouldn't that be bait fishing?

THAT's funny!

+1 to Frequent Tyer. I had an issue with carpet beetles and their larvae and the ticket was wrap in airtight bags and/or freeze. My freezer was full of winter coats all spring!

 

[Chooch]

My vote is for Cedar. Love the smell. Forget about the chips though. Go to Lowes or any local lumber store and they sell cedar boards and sheets. I still keep mine in sealed containers but also keep a piece of cedar on the bottom of the container as a safety net. It is particulatly nice for materials that are fleshy and give off a little odor sometimes like deer tails and some skins/pelts.

 

[mutzinbaugh]

FrequentTyer wrote:
Moth crystals and moth balls are chemically the same, and since the vapors are what kills the critters there is no real benefit to using the crystals. You don't need to have the direct physical contact with the material for these to be effective.
Mothballs are toxic (especially to kids and pets) , and long term exposure to the vapors can be neurotoxic. There is probably not a great risk if you use them carefully, but I personally don't do it. The best way to protect material is to properly store it in sealed containers. The one time I had an infestation was with some inherited material, and borax powder cleared that up very quickly.
Mike.

+1 on the borax. i harvest ALL of my natural material...

1) soak feathers and fur in water
2) wash is bucket with dish soap
3) rinse with water
4) ring out water
5) pin on cardboard and cover with borax and put in a cool dry place
6) when it starts snowing take fur and feathers, put in ziploc back and in your storage box/desk.

i never had a bug issue.

also, to restore feathers to their original/wild condition soak in coleman white gas and dry with a hair dryer. be careful that none of the fuzzy fibers get blown off the feather and sucked into the back of the hair dryer...you will have an instant redneck blow torch and will have to go out and kill another bird! yea, i speak from experience