Gassed a load of little tiny scurrying mite type critters that I'd found upon examination, were infesting my jar of wildtype ergot sclerotia (that is to say, wildtype meaning 'non-mutated' and/or not a specific clonal line, making up specific strain, simply as they were harvested from their parasitized host species)
Wouldn't have noticed them as the sclerotia aren't something I exactly check on a daily basis, they are simply stored for use as and when they are required for germination to harvest ascospores for further culture, or surface-sterilized by swabbing them with formalin. HgCl2 is often used, but I see no reason to, for several reasons: mercury salts are pollutants, poisonous, especially those in the mercuric (II) oxidation state, Hg (I) (mercurous) is less toxic usually, for inorganic ionic salts at least, and its persistent unlike formaldehyde. And more expensive, although only a tiny, tiny tiny amount is needed. But why bother, I'd rather it not hang around in the petri dish on the agar surface as surely, to my thinking that would target the growing starter culture as well as the unwanted organisms clinging on to the outside of the sclerotia and presumably impede the health and vigor of what is desired to be growing in there, friendly fire, in a manner of speaking.
So all in all it just strikes me as pointless. when decent alteratives are there to be had, at lesser price
Found a bit of leftover H in a tin, smoked it, after already having had my pain meds
