I have used moth balls in airtight plastic containers, but some recommend baking soda. One taxidermist recommends Raid Fumigator to kill dermestid carpet beetle larva feed on the protein in fur, feathers, bones, etc. When using it, you lock the house and leave for about three hours and then air it out, but probably not the easiest solution for the middle of winter.
Some have used cedar wood chips in containers with success. The Raid Fumigator goes in a plastic cup with water that creates a dry fog that will kill whatever eats your feathers, mounts, etc. An article that I read in a fly tying magazine recommends putting newly acquired fur, hair, feathers in a garbage bag in the freezer for a week, before using.
So, what have you used with good results.
Also, Borax with feathers, fur, hair and hides, skins etc. The larva is feeding on the protein in your stash and anything you buy, or bring home from a hunt, or road kill?? should be clean and dry. Avoid a disaster by using a process that works.
Freezing works for sure. My problem is that I keep feathers for a long time, and there are other creepy-crawly's that like to eat them as well. Re-infestation by critters willing to eat through ziplock bags happened to me. The mothballs beat all comers.
As above....freeze em dead, then store in a container. Some critters might take two freezes.
Friend of mine is a retired entomologist. According to him, feather mites are the biggest culprit in destroying/eating feathers, and the best way to kill them, and most other critters, is to freeze the feathers for a while. Don't have to do it for days or weeks, but must be certain to freeze for a couple of hours. Then, keep the feathers in plastic bags to keep them from being reinfested.
i assume we are talking about feathers we got from wild birds? I was advised to put them in the freezer. I bought a couple hundred off the man that makes feather rests. He mentioned it to me. I left them in there for a month (I forgot about them). I still have some and that’s been a few years now and all is good.
Microwave.....no explanations needed.
Borax is the ticket
I have a really big plastic tote (with a tightly sealing lid) containing all my feathers. I keep it in the tractor shed. There is a jar of mothballs in the tote as well. The feathers are kept in 2 gallon ziploc bags within the plastic tote. Between all the containers and mothballs I've had no problem.
After I make fletching from the feathers (I usually process a couple hundred over a couple days that lasts me a year), I put them in a 1 gallon ziploc that comes in the house, sans any mothballs. Never had a problem or an odor.