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- Joan M. Brink
- Conservation Liaison
- Cornell University Library
- 2007
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- In humid tropical areas, insects pose a serious threat to collections of
all types. The environment that is the most damaging to collections is
the most beneficial to insects.
- high humidity
- poor air circulation
- poor housekeeping
- Libraries and archives can provide insects with food, water, and shelter
if the building is accessible and conditions welcoming to them.
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- A careful survey of the building should be conducted using sticky traps
to see what types of insects are in the library. The survey should systematically
document the location and type of insects caught in the trap.
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- Cockroaches are found in every part of the world. There are 3,500 types,
some live outdoors and some inside. Four types damage books: the American cockroach, the Australian
cockroach, the Oriental cockroach, and the German cockroach. Damage can
be recognized by light patches on book cloth and ragged edges on paper.
Droppings can also be detected in the form of pellets.
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- The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) hides in dark areas
during the day and emerges at night. It regurgitates a sexual attractant
in the form of a brown liquid (atar), often seen on library materials.
Approximately 40 millimeters in length, it is reddish brown. It is
largely an indoor insect, preferring moist, warm areas.
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- The Australian cockroach (Periplaneta australsiae), smaller than the
American, has light or yellow markings on its thorax and wingtips.
Common to moist tropical areas, this insect can live inside.
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- The Oriental cockroach (Blata
Orientalis), also known as the water bug, is large and dark brown or
black. It prefers cooler moist areas such as drains and inhabits the
lower floors of buildings.
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- Brown banded cockroach
- The adult brown banded
cockroaches have wings. Males are capable of flight. They feed on starchy materials and
glues. They are active at night, and nymphs and adults jump rapidly when
disturbed.
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- This prefers dark, moist, and moderate to warm conditions. Silverfish
graze on the surface of paper and prefer coated paper. Paper that is
ragged and thin at the edges is usually the work of silverfish. Their
small flat shape makes it easy for them to be concealed in cardboard
boxes and other items brought into a library.
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- There are more than a quarter million species of beetles. Some damage
books directly by eating paper and binding materials, but it is their
larvae that cause the most damage. One type, the dermestidae eats
leather bindings.
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- The bacon or larder beetle (Dermestes lardarius) is 7 to 9 millimeters
in length. The rear of the body is pale with black spots, while the rest
of the body dark brown. The larvae feed on leather bindings and then
bore into the text blocks of books to construct a pupation chamber.
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- The bread or biscuit beetle (Stegobium paniceum) is a small (2
millimeters) reddish brown insect with tiny larvae. The larvae eat
starch, especially the paste used on endsheets and book spines. A
borehole of approximately 1 to 2 millimeters runs parallel to the height
and width of the book.
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- The cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne) is a small, light-brown
flying beetle. Its larvae are known as bookworms. Upon hatching, the
larvae tunnel under the binding cover, and it proceeds to tunnel up to
10 centimeters into the paper text, where it pupates into an adult
beetle. The adult leaves a round exit hole, as well as powdered paper on
the shelf. One of this beetle's favorite foods is dried flowers and
spices; these should not be brought into the library.
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- The larvae of the drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum) are also often
referred to as bookworms. This beetle is found in moist storage areas,
and the larvae can actually tunnel all the way through books, from one
cover to the other. As with the cigarette beetle, piles of paper powder
signal that this insect is active.
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- The most damaging of all are termites. Entire collections can be ruined,
often before the problem has been recognized. There are three main types
of termites: drywood, dampwood, and subterranean. Termites eat
all cellulose materials, including wood, paper, cloth, and
binding board.
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- Some protection can be given by the building design (use of metal
shielding over wooden foundations, painting any exposed wood). Termite
infestations must be addressed by pesticides applied by a qualified
operator. There has been some success with buried traps that attract
subterranean termites.
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- Various chemical methods have been used to eradicate pests, with
differing degrees of success. These include ethylene oxide (ETO), methyl
bromide, formaldehyde and phosgene gas. Most chemical fumigants require
that the materials be enclosed, a vacuum chamber in the case of ETO and
plastic sheeting or tarpaulins in other cases.
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- Non-toxic solutions should be used to avoid damaging the health of staff
and users.
- The following steps must be taken.
- 1. Make the Building Inhospitable from the outside
- 2. Make the Building Inhospitable from the inside
- 3. Inside fittings and Furniture
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- The building itself can be made inhospitable to insects. The following
sensible precautions can be taken to reduce and control insect
populations:
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- Do not plant shrubs or trees close to a building, and avoid flowering
species.
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- Remove vines, ivy, and other climbing plants from the walls or roof.
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- Use a wide gravel or paving surround to the building. Make sure that there are good drains
to prevent water from entering
the structure.
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- Do not attach lights to buildings, as they will attract flying insects.
Lights close to a building should have low ultraviolet output. Lights
mounted away from the building should be the mercury-vapor type with a
high ultraviolet output.
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- All garbage and rubbish, including garden and library waste, should
be kept in a vermin-proof container
away from
the building.
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- Ensure that all roof drains and downspouts are kept clear of debris and
in good condition.
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- Bird and other animal nests should be removed from the building.
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- Seal all holes in the building, and seal around holes for electrical
cables, water pipes, telephone connections, and waste pipes.
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- Doors and windows should be tight fitting and kept closed at all times,
and insect screening of an appropriate small mesh size should cover
every opening.
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- When designing a new building, consider the installation of a revolving
door.
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- Use solid, impermeable construction materials such as brick, stone,
concrete, and steel. If possible, observe these additional steps:
- Air conditioning (HVAC) systems create wet areas, and have condensate
drains. HVAC should be located in a basement area rather than on the
roof, and there should no standing water and condensate drains kept
clear.
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- Restrooms, janitors' closets, and workrooms are sources of water and
should be segregated from collection areas.
- Condensation on cold water pipes can be avoided by wrapping them with an
insulation material.
- A quarantine room should be established as close to the loading dock as
possible. Cover incoming material tightly with plastic sheeting and
place insect sticky traps under the plastic to check for possible
infestation.
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- The building interior should be kept clean, free from dirt and dust that
provide nutrients for insects. Water spills should be mopped up, and
when washing windows and floors make sure that excess water does not
splash into cracks in the walls or floor.
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- Keep food consumption and preparation areas away from collection
areas—ideally in a separate building. Food and drink should not be
consumed in reader and staff areas.
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- Spills and food debris should be removed and waste receptacles emptied
regularly. Receptions and events involving food and drink should not be
held in a reading room or collection area.
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- Refrigerators and appliances that combine heat and moisture are popular
habitats for insects. Areas under and around appliances should be
regularly cleaned, and sticky traps placed if necessary.
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- The term bookworm actually applies to the lavae of several different
types of beetle.
- The lavae will develop from the egg then burrow into the book where it
makes a small pupation chamber.
- The lavae changes to a small adult beetle that burrows its way out of
the book.
- Powdery paper on the shelf is the sign of this.
- The eggs are laid on the edge of the book or on the shelf behind the
books.
- So there are really two sources of the holes in the paper: the
entry hole made by the lavae and the exit hole made by the adult insect.
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- All insects lay eggs that produce larvae, and most larvae will eat
paper.
With roaches however, it is mainly the adults that damage books,
and they
often eat the starch out of book cloth. Silverfish and firebrats
will
nibble at the edges of the leaves and can cause the paper to
become thin.
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- Secure inside doors, especially those leading to kitchens or restrooms.
If possible, fit doors with a weather seal.
- Cracks in inner walls or the floor should be filled to prevent insects
from entering and infesting cavity areas.
- Exhibit cases and special storage cases should be fitted with gaskets to
ensure tight-fitting seals.
- Fittings, cases, and room corners should be vacuumed and the vacuum bags
checked for insects. Filled vacuum bags should be disposed of outside
the building immediately after removal.
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- A freezer set at or below -20° C (-3° F) can be used to kill after a
four day exposure. Books should be placed in sealed plastic bags and
after freezing conditioned under a constant air current from a fan. A
simple chest freezer can be used.
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- Heat can also be used to kill insects in infested materials.
Temperatures of 50°C (120°F) will dry out insect bodies. In tropical
areas, infested books can be wrapped in black plastic inside a metal
container and left in direct sunlight for a few hours.
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- Because of health risks, insecticides should be used with great care and
with full knowledge of the effects on humans and library materials.
- Research is being conducted on safe and natural insect repellents, such
as compounds made from Neem, which will help to make collections safe.
Combined with freezing and heat treatment for small infestations,
natural repellents can help to control insects while maintaining an
environment safe for humans.
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- Damage on a book cover (Photo downloaded from the web) appears that the
insects went into material to eat the glue
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- As received in acquisitions from Japan
- (Maeda Collection)
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- As received in acquisitions from Japan
- (Maeda Collection)
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- As received in acquisitions from Japan
- (Maeda Collection)
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- Rats and mice are the most common rodents librarians are likely to
encounter. Rats are difficult to control because they are capable of
gnawing through cinder block, lead and aluminum sheeting, wood, plastic,
and sheetrock.
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- The most common rats are the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the roof
rat or black rat (Rattus rattus). The house mouse (Mus musculus) is very
common and extremely difficult to eradicate entirely.
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- Both rats and mice use paper to make their nests, and many fine books
have lost chunks of text through their jagged gnawing.
- Rodents' fecal matter and urine are especially damaging and encourage
insects.
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- Rodent (rat) damage in archive box
(downloaded from the web)
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- It is generally better to trap rodents than to use a poison that will
allow them to crawl into building crevices and die, for rodent carcasses
are breeding grounds for insects that also damage library and archival
materials
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- Project done by Cornell in 1993
- Designed by Peter Verheyen
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- Information and tutorials can be found on our web site at http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/index.html
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