tortoise pick problem

[jim simpson]

"drop the corpse of any small animal in a jar full of these bugs, and eventually you get a clean-picked skeleton with not a trace of flesh remaining"

Sounds like meal time in my house growing up (large family).

no one ever seem to think about the poor bugs. They gotta have food just like the rest of us. How would you like it if everything you ate had moth balls in it or was locked up.

Sure Jack, another bleeding heart liberal (introducing politics into the thread).

Ok, now it's time for a serious question. We have determined who is eating the picks and the horsehair. Now, where are they coming from? Do they live naturally on the pick? Do they llive naturally on the horsehair? I can understand the little buggers (no pun intended) hiding in the horsehair, but the pick escapes me. Does one have to expose his or her picks to an infected bow in order to get these or can they be transferred by casual contact such as shaking hands (or kissing)? Should one wash their hands in Lysol after shaking hands with a fiddle player as one does after contact with a b@njo picker?

[lkb3rd]

They fly around. Therefore hand washing and lysol - unless you were washing one off of your hand after smashing it or knocking one out of the sky with spray- probably won't be effective

[mandopik]

I think it was the same beast that got hold of this Logger head turtle-- must be a mean critter!

Later!
Bill in NC

Did it eat the shell?

[lkb3rd]

I think it was the same beast that got hold of this Logger head turtle-- must be a mean critter!

Later!
Bill in NC

Attached Image

Dang that's a lot of picks.... Come to think of it.. if these critters eat shell then that picture would sure look a lot different

[Dan Cole]

Shouldn't we imprison, or fine the bugs for harming the poor defenseless turtle pick?

[Martin Jonas]

With all the weiner talk going on,I don't know if anyone mentioned that these bugs are called dermestid beetles. Here's a link:

http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg154.html

Yep, I did: the carpet beetles I mentioned are a type of dermestid beetle. As is the khapra beetle, which I deal with occasionally in my professional life (they're a storage pest of grain).

Martin

[Mark in Nevada City]

Sheesh, I hate to be the one to take this one back on topic...

A few years ago my brother borrowed one of my fiddles (with a cheap bow) when I got it back it had a brand new cheap bow. He explained that the hairs had "exploaded" and brough me a new bow cause it cost more to rehair the old one. Oh well, I chided him for not loosening the bow when in the case. A month later I open the case, the new bow is now de-haired! After hunting around I found out the cause...bugs! (invisible ones at that). They had taken up residence in the case. Solution: air out the case in the sunlight. Only took one afternoon in the backyard, no more probs. Given this, I'm not sure the tight fitting container is the way to go, you've got to move them out of your case, or where ever you store your pick.

Back to off-topic ramblings...

cheers, mmm

There's the answer. Don't put your picks in a fiddle case.

This case is closed.

[mandomaker]

My pick was just laying on top of my chest of drawers in a second home in the mountains and when I returned my substantial investment had been largely riddled with very clean little holes. You never see these critters at work, though. It's pretty strange. Thanks for all the answers. An Altoid tin may be the answer.

[lkb3rd]

Shouldn't we imprison, or fine the bugs for harming the poor defenseless turtle pick?

Yea turtle picks are definitely an endangered speci... er.. endangered accessory!

[Bill Halsey]

Camphor or naptha won't do it. Use paradichlorobenzine moth crystals, labeled: "Effective against carpet beetle." After vacuuming, it's good practice to put some on a saucer in the closed instrument case for a few days to kill any remaining larva. Be sure to remove anything made of plastic, which would be harmed by the fumes.

(No Mr. Science here; took me a month to learn to spell it.)

[Loo]

Does anyone else ever have problems with a tortoise shell pick being damaged by some parasite or organism in such a way that it looks like a slice of brown swiss cheese? Some critter has messed up my pick and there are no teeth marks, just clean holes. #I am bummed out about it and would like to prevent a recurrance, but don't know what I'm dealing with. #It may be a relative of the little thing that chomped its way across my fiddle bow's horsehair as clean as you please. Thanks. #PS I'm told mothballs help keep the latter critter down, but I am sure some member of this elite forum can help.

I place a cotton ball with rosemary oil in my cases. The bow bugs no longer bother my bow hairs, and I have not had problems with them eating my tortoise shell picks.

[MontanaMatt]

Camphor or naptha won't do it. Use paradichlorobenzine moth crystals, labeled: "Effective against carpet beetle." After vacuuming, it's good practice to put some on a saucer in the closed instrument case for a few days to kill any remaining larva. Be sure to remove anything made of plastic, which would be harmed by the fumes.

(No Mr. Science here; took me a month to learn to spell it.)

I know this was posted a while ago, but don't put p-DCB in your case or in your house! It's a known carcinogen!