I highly recommend...

[Norm Frechette]

...a periodic inspection of your fly tying feathers for BUGS!

I recently went to use a whiting farms red hen cape and found it was infested with larvae of some kind. They were about 1/4 inch long and wiggling

After inspecting all of my whiting farms hen capes, 4 of them were infected with bugs.

Bugs were even crawling in the bottom of the storage bin i keep them in

Seal up the zip lock bag and do not leave them unsealed

40+ years of tying and never had bugs until now

Expensive morning

 

[Mike Cline]

I’ve been storing all my materials in various sizes of plastic containers for years and for natural materials—feathers, furs, hairs, etc., there is nothing more effective at keeping bugs out than Camphor:

https://www.amazon.com/Deer-Camphor...&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584482467197643&th=1

I still have a lifetime supply I acquired while in the PI, but the stuff that’s on the market today will do the job. One block in a container will last years if you keep the container closed when not accessing materials.

 

[Cowlitz Bottomfeeder]

A few years ago I got a fresh pheasant skin from a friend. Afterwards, I discovered an infestation of feather eating bugs in that cabinet. They destroyed quite a few flies stored in poorly sealed boxes as well as grouse breast feathers, teal, etc. I learned that the freshly harvested stuff needs to be frozen for a few weeks or microwaved and stored in sealed plastic bags. You can also get an infestation of something called carpet bugs in the house.

 

[kmudgn]

I had an infestation a few years ago in which the bugs only ate peacock herl. Very odd, but I guess that is what the bugs liked, Since that time, I went to Walmart and bought shoe box and larger plastic containers with snap lock lids and locked up all my material. I have had no issues since and the Walmart containers are "cheap", certainly cheaper than replacing tying material

 

[Zak]

Good reminder. I have been getting careless about leaving my ziplock bags of natural materials open.

 

[Norm Frechette]

I had an infestation a few years ago in which the bugs only ate peacock herl. Very odd, but I guess that is what the bugs liked, Since that time, I went to Walmart and bought shoe box and larger plastic containers with snap lock lids and locked up all my material. I have had no issues since and the Walmart containers are "cheap", certainly cheaper than replacing tying material

All of my hackles and other tying materials are stored in sterilite plastic shoe boxes of various sizes

i think my problem was not sealing the zip lock bags, letting the bugs walk right in and having a feast

 

[krusty]

Thanks for the reminder! Just checked my materials cabinet drawers...all clear in the zip locks and nothing amiss in the drawers.

Some years ago I started occasionally misting the cabinet drawers (containing materials in sturdy zip locks) with Adams Flea & Tick spray...at the advice of a prominent flyshop owner when I asked if he ever had bug problems.

I don't check on some stuff as often as I should though. So far so good!

 

[rooftop]

Camphor looks like an option, but does anyone use cedar? I just got a bunch of hand-me-down materials and I've already put them in new ziplocks.

 

[krusty]

Camphor looks like an option, but does anyone use cedar? I just got a bunch of hand-me-down materials and I've already put them in new ziplocks.

I have cloth bags of cedar shavings in each cabinet drawer.

The problem is how long does cedar remain aromatic enough to repel critters?

 

[Islander]

Toss them in the freezer for a couple days. That usually get rid of them.