RobP
Your buddies rug may well not have bugs, a tanned hide has oil in it to preserve... that will dry out and the hide will become brittle. On normal mounts its not that much of an issue but something that folks try to make/keep flexible like a rug, when it shouldn't be flexible, will eventually fall prey to brittle and break. I keep my flat hides, IE like the moose hide over the couch back and such, ones that are not felted, I spray oil on the hair side and soak the back side every few years... WD40 works well enough for that. Light coats are best. and soak in quick...
There is a reason fur coats are supposed to be stored in cold storage in the off season, keeps bugs out and prevents drying out.... Ever see an older fur coat that wasn't stored correctly, they'll be falling apart and brittle.
Godogs
As to not having dermestids, but only moths, you can tell your taxidermist he sure better learn a few things or avoid lying... I'm not saying you have dermestids, only that I don't know of any area they are not... and Klik posted... if they are in his area of AK, we know how far north they go, and they are down here, and i"M almost in the gulf of illegal aliens....
BTW if you didn't put the mounts in bags and fumigate... you may well have been spinning your wheels big time, those bugs are often UNDER the "skin" and eat from the inside out, hence the need to bag EVERY mount and leave it treated in a sealed bag at least 24 hours.... If not, you've wasted your time and pesticide possibly.
