I live in Wyoming and have an elk mount that I noticed hair coming off when I tried cleaning it. I asked the taxidermist and he said it was likely caused by some sort of bug and I should spray it as soon as possible. Do you know what type of bug would be responsible and a product that could stop the problem? Thanks.
We help customers with this problem all the time. There are three main pests that target mounts. HIDE BEETLES, CARPET BEETLES and CLOTHES MOTHES.
The Clothes moths will usually stay around the animal mount. All the while they’ll be fluttering so they’re relatively easy to see. And their larvae are large enough to notice. Basically they’re a white little worm which would be active at the root of the hair folicle.
Carpet beetle larvae are smaller and harder to see. They’re tan to brown so they would blend in with the elk hair making them hard to see. Hide beetle larvae are the same color and therefore hard to see as well.
Both carpet beetle and hide beetle adults would avoid the light and once they lay eggs, may not be seen again. This could explain why you didn’t notice anything happening.
Lastly, once the larvae of these pests eat, they spin a cocoon and pupate into adults. These cocoons are small and could be on the animal hair. But some will migrate away and love nesting behind ceiling or baseboard molding, behind pictures on the wall, under carpeting, etc.
To get the problem under control, use BEDLAM. It contains an adulticide which will kill both larvae and adults. It also contains a growth regulator so it will effectively stop eggs from properly maturing into adults. The growth hormone won’t kill adults but it will translocate to other parts of the home and in turn, impact many eggs which weren’t directly sprayed.
A can of Bedlam can cover up to 1500 sq/ft and when used properly, is ideal for use on mounts, furniture, walls, floors, carpeting, etc. I recommend you spray most anything you can in the room with the elk mount. First vacuum everything. This will help by removing food they want as well as some eggs and developing stages. Next, spray everything in at least the one room but if you have mounts throughout the home, treat them all to insure the problem doesn’t spread.
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