Post by flyrodonly on Jan 9, 2012 20:12:58 GMT -5
Hi long time lurker, first time poster. So after almost 30 years of tying it finally happened. I got an infestation of moths that ate some of my fly tying materials. Last winter with it being so cold and snowy I had some extra time on my hands so I filled a large fishing box with dozens of all my most used Steelhead patterns. There were hundreds so when spring finally hit I didn't need to spend time at the vise I just replenished from my store of flies. Same went for my inland stream flies so I hadn't been in my fly tying room for months.
So the other day I finally ran out of ESL's (#8 black / chartreuse egg hint hint!) and I sat down at my desk to tie some up and I noticed little brown crumbs all over my desk. I looked up and in every corner were small little cocoons from small tan moths! After panic set in I checked my dry fly necks and they were all sealed in the plastic bags and there were still a few moth balls in the bottom of the drawer which must have kept them out of the other natural materials in the cabinet. I usually keep everything in their original ziploc bags so they were untouched.
Then I saw what the little buggers were chomping on. Sitting on the top shelf of my tying desk is a mason jar that I had a pheasant tail clump a friend gave me from hunting and they were the absolute best. Almost all of the individual fibers had that nice reddish brown fuzzy stuff that made these awesome to tie with. They were gone and I mean the only thing left were the individual quills still attached at the bottom. I got lucky and thats the only damage so I fumigated and cleaned the whole room.
I use alot of materials that I harvest myself such as deer tails, turkey, grouse, rabbit etc. usually if they're not dirty I just scrape off as much fat as possible and sprinkle Borax on the exposed skin until dry then I scrape the Borax off and begin using the materials. I forgot if I treated the PT clump because there was only a small bit of cartilage at the bottom and it was dry when I got it. Does anyone do anything different with raw feathers and furs? Do you wash them or treat them in anything? I put moth balls in strategic locations around my materials should I do anything else? I also now make sure I seal everything in ziploc bags but I like to put my feathers in mason jars on my desk so I can select them easier plus they look cool on the desk. Most of the turkey and goose are treated with Fixitif and colored with a blue sharpy on the bottom so I know which ones are treated and I don't think anything would eat those.
Anyways I really enjoy the site.
Thanks,
Mike
p.s. I hate the smell of moth balls
So the other day I finally ran out of ESL's (#8 black / chartreuse egg hint hint!) and I sat down at my desk to tie some up and I noticed little brown crumbs all over my desk. I looked up and in every corner were small little cocoons from small tan moths! After panic set in I checked my dry fly necks and they were all sealed in the plastic bags and there were still a few moth balls in the bottom of the drawer which must have kept them out of the other natural materials in the cabinet. I usually keep everything in their original ziploc bags so they were untouched.
Then I saw what the little buggers were chomping on. Sitting on the top shelf of my tying desk is a mason jar that I had a pheasant tail clump a friend gave me from hunting and they were the absolute best. Almost all of the individual fibers had that nice reddish brown fuzzy stuff that made these awesome to tie with. They were gone and I mean the only thing left were the individual quills still attached at the bottom. I got lucky and thats the only damage so I fumigated and cleaned the whole room.
I use alot of materials that I harvest myself such as deer tails, turkey, grouse, rabbit etc. usually if they're not dirty I just scrape off as much fat as possible and sprinkle Borax on the exposed skin until dry then I scrape the Borax off and begin using the materials. I forgot if I treated the PT clump because there was only a small bit of cartilage at the bottom and it was dry when I got it. Does anyone do anything different with raw feathers and furs? Do you wash them or treat them in anything? I put moth balls in strategic locations around my materials should I do anything else? I also now make sure I seal everything in ziploc bags but I like to put my feathers in mason jars on my desk so I can select them easier plus they look cool on the desk. Most of the turkey and goose are treated with Fixitif and colored with a blue sharpy on the bottom so I know which ones are treated and I don't think anything would eat those.
Anyways I really enjoy the site.
Thanks,
Mike
p.s. I hate the smell of moth balls
;D
