How do you clean and preserve wild feathers

[Pistolpeet]

All loose feathers, I'm afraid they come with some or other mites that escapes and destroys all my other feathers

[shector]

All loose feathers, I'm afraid they come with some or other mites that escapes and destroys all my other feathers

Loose feathers can possibly be stored in zip lock bags. You also need to store those bags somewhere with some mothballs to prevent moths, silverfish and also mites to get to it.

[Jody]

actually I see lying at the bottom of my fly tying box IS a packet of mothballs, I never put it there. Maybe it was the wife, who got scared of all the goggos... That would explain the lack of mites.

[Jody]

There is another thread here somewhere or on another forum where the guys were discussing mites in their fly tying materials and possible solutions. I suggested freezing, but sealed in a packet of course, like what was suggested to me a few years ago. But other people reckon that mite eggs could actually survive the freezing process, like cockroaches.

[Babyson]

All "wild" tying materials I collect I pop in the microwave for 5-10 seconds and them freeze them for a while. No lice or insects probs for me so far, but I do also use moth balls. Works really well if you can live with the smell of Naphthalene.

Rob

[Pistolpeet]

Thanks for all the advise I will Microwave then freeze and then put some mothballs (somebody also suggested Lifeboy soap) or pet collars in with the feathers

Thanks again

Peet

[Scythe]

Just remember that microwaving will probably kill the adults as will the freezing but most of these gnarly critters will lay eggs which hatch up to 2-4 weeks later.

For my money, wash ... nuke ... freeze ... mothballs ... inside double ziplock bags ... voila you're done.

[shector]

Thanks for all the advise I will Microwave then freeze and then put some mothballs (somebody also suggested Lifeboy soap) or pet collars in with the feathers

Thanks again

Peet

A microwave won't kill lice, the amplitude of the waves are to big.