The article is a comprehensive review and summation of the current available knowledge of the effects of freezing on common museum insect pests and the application of freezing artifacts as a means of controlling those pests. The literature on freezing is examined from the cell level, as well as how it effects insect physiology and survival. The effects on wood and other natural fiber products are explained in terms of moisture content and internal stresses caused by freezing and thawing. Specific recommendations and procedures are abstracted and summarized from the literature and are offered as general guidelines for use on infested collections as an alternative treatment to chemical fumigants and as a prophylaxis for archaeological collections which may have been infested in the field. -- AATA