Books and termites

[Luciana]

My grandmother has given me luxury hardcovers of Petit Larousse and Divine Comedy - I couldn't be happier with that. However, the shelves those books were in have been slowly eaten by termites. The books themselves are decades old.

My question: what can I do to avoid bringing termites or fungi to my home (I didn't find the bugs, but what about larvae and things like that)? Aside from dust, which I clean often, my shelves are free of those things.

[bug_girl]

you won't have termites, but you will probably have book lice and possibly silverfish. they typically attack older books.
Mold i can't speak to--it's a difficult problem.

Oxford's Bodley has a nice description of how to "delouse" a book :oxford book lice training (http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/preservation/training/pests/intro.htm)

[kittynh]

well, and maybe put in an airtight plastic bag for awhile. Like whatever the life expectancy of a termite is! I know we've done that with head lice at the school, if you bag everything up for a week it all dies off.

[7th sextile]

...that's...not...why there're only two kittens...is it?

[Ed]

Originally posted by Luciana Nery
My grandmother has given me luxury hardcovers of Petit Larousse and Divine Comedy - I couldn't be happier with that. However, the shelves those books were in have been slowly eaten by termites. The books themselves are decades old.

My question: what can I do to avoid bringing termites or fungi to my home (I didn't find the bugs, but what about larvae and things like that)? Aside from dust, which I clean often, my shelves are free of those things.

Luciana,

Short of bringing them to a restorer for rehab, I'd suggest the following.

Fan the pages a few times to get rid of any loose critters and dust.

Gently wipe off any mould that may be growing (it would look like smallish patches of darkish dust that easily wipe off). I had a set of books that got mouldy from being in a very humid environment. Putting them in a dry environment and wiping off the spores stopped the problem. I don't think that you can eliminate the spores completely. If you wiped a damp piece of bread on your (clean) floor and put it in a Petri dish for a few days you would see that mould spores are ever present. Good conditions keep their growth at bay.

I would, with a soft wipe (like a Kleenex) wipe the books, page by page, at the point where the leaves are bound. You might gently tap the open book to release some of the detritus.

Regarding the leather: A book decades old is a baby. Unless the leather appears dry, leave it alone. Older tanning processes (and paper making processes) cause sulfuric acid to be released from the binding and leaves. You have, I am sure, seen books whose pages literally break off and crumble? Or leather bindings which are powdery? A sure sign that the Je.... oh, wrong thread
:D At the point that you see that only professional conservation is going to work and unless those books have great value, either emotional, historic, or financial, I'd say leave them be.

The British Museum has preservatives and buffers for leather conservation, the buffers neutralize the acids in the leather and the preservative (neetsfoot oil and lanolin) well, preserves them. Unless these books have been really abused, you won't have to worry about that until long after you are dead. At that point, you can "contact" me and I'll take care of it for you.

Temperature can be a killer, as can humidity. Generally, it is the change in temperature rather than the absolute level that is a problem (expansion and contraction). That said, short of a temerature controlled rooom, the best thing is to not store them on things like fridges or AC units. Humidity is a problem. I think that many folks will agree that a relative humidity of about 50% is ideal. Here, in CT, you can have very rapid shifts from say 50% to 100% prior to a storm, that is not good. Similarly, the very low humidity that occurs indoors during the winter months is a problem. Again, not much you can do except don't store them in your bathroom. There is a highly amusing story about a new environmentally controlled chamber that I saw at the Met which usually makes people fall asleep when I tell it, If you insist, I can share it.

All in all, I suggest that you treat them the way you would a kid: Clean 'em up, keep them safe. You might go to the TALAS site which has a variety of products for conservation:

http://www.talasonline.com/

They also sell a book entitled "Care and Preservation of Book Bindings" or something like that. That might be overkill in your case, though.

Any University Library will have a conservator on staff. You might give a call. They might even suggest that you bring them in for a look-see. I find librarians to be a lonely lot, eager to chat and help.

[CFLarsen]

Originally posted by kittynh
well, and maybe put in an airtight plastic bag for awhile. Like whatever the life expectancy of a termite is! I know we've done that with head lice at the school, if you bag everything up for a week it all dies off.

(.....tries to imagine kittynh bag a school kid's head up for a week, in an airtight plastic bag....for a week....)

Kittynh, what would you like us to bring you, while you spend the rest of your life in jail? :)

[kittynh]

oppps! I mean we bag up all the stuffed animals and bedding to kill the head lice (coats and hats get a good long tumble in the dryer). Though, think about it, it would work - kill the host and the lice die off.

[CFLarsen]

Originally posted by kittynh
oppps! I mean we bag up all the stuffed animals and bedding to kill the head lice (coats and hats get a good long tumble in the dryer). Though, think about it, it would work - kill the host and the lice die off.

Sheeesh....now she refers to childred as "stuffed animals"...I wonder what kittynh's basement looks like.... :D

[bug_girl]

just as a point of information, head lice and book lice are *not* related :)
book lice (http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2080.html)
human lice (http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2094.html)

Ed, the Bodlian library link i put in the first post has a DIY for book preservation, but i think your suggestion is even better. But, then, it would be :)

[S. D. Youngren]

I have in the last few months found a couple of silverfish hanging around here--not actually in books or bookcases, but still...

I've wondered about bundling the books into plastic garbage bags with mothballs (paradichloral benzine), but...oof. Plus I'd probably have to arrange the books so their pages fanned... and I wouldn't want to make them stink...and there are an awful lot of them!

[Ed]

Originally posted by S. D. Youngren
I have in the last few months found a couple of silverfish hanging around here--not actually in books or bookcases, but still...

I've wondered about bundling the books into plastic garbage bags with mothballs (paradichloral benzine), but...oof. Plus I'd probably have to arrange the books so their pages fanned... and I wouldn't want to make them stink...and there are an awful lot of them!

That will work, just be sure that the moth balls don't touch the books. Step one is cleaning the books, per above. You can also freeze them. Make sure you get rid of the critters. Silverfish like the damp and darkness. Where are those books shelved?

[Bottle or the Gun]

Originally posted by CFLarsen


Sheeesh....now she refers to childred as "stuffed animals"...I wonder what kittynh's basement looks like.... :D

The basement probably has a nice, new, fresh concrete floor. Just put in.

[Ed]

Originally posted by Bottle or the Gun


The basement probably has a nice, new, fresh concrete floor. Just put in.

She probably did it herself ....

[Chaos]

Originally posted by Bottle or the Gun


The basement probably has a nice, new, fresh concrete floor. Just put in.

Has anybody gone missing lately?

[Luciana]

Wow, excellent suggestions. Thanks, Ed! Thanks everybody. I'm afraid I'll have to buy a healthy stock of Kleenex to go through the entire "petite" Larousse. I think I'll try to do it myself, as I'm not sure they're worth the expense of a restorator. When they look presentable, I'll take them to a rare book dealer I know, a friend of my dad so (hopefully) honest, to see if he thinks that the books are worth the trouble. I don't intend to sell them any time soon.

[Ed]

Originally posted by Luciana Nery
Wow, excellent suggestions. Thanks, Ed! Thanks everybody. I'm afraid I'll have to buy a healthy stock of Kleenex to go through the entire "petite" Larousse. I think I'll try to do it myself, as I'm not sure they're worth the expense of a restorator. When they look presentable, I'll take them to a rare book dealer I know, a friend of my dad so (hopefully) honest, to see if he thinks that the books are worth the trouble. I don't intend to sell them any time soon.

Pop on over here:

http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/IList

And see if you can locate copies and what they are going for.

You are most welcome.

[S. D. Youngren]

Originally posted by Ed

Silverfish like the damp and darkness. Where are those books shelved?

The silverfish haven't been found in my books, but the books are in regular open bookcases in every room of the apartment (except the bathrooms) here in Los Angeles, where the humidity ranges from about 50 to about 5 percent.

No, I am not kidding.

[ASRomatifoso]

Originally posted by kittynh
well, and maybe put in an airtight plastic bag for awhile. Like whatever the life expectancy of a termite is! I know we've done that with head lice at the school, if you bag everything up for a week it all dies off.

Actually, for older books (not printed on acid-free paper) this is one of the worst things you can do. The books kind of sit in their own fumes and decay. Much like bananas wrapped in a paper bag will ripen quickly due to the gas their skin gives off.

For newer books (acid-free paper) plastic bags are good. I use Brodart covers and Brodart bags for my books. They are the best, IMO. Take a look at http://brodart.com.

Good luck and enjoy those books!

[sickstan]

What kind of damage is on the books? A digital pic would be great.

'Twould be curious to know if it's the kind of damage caused by bookworms. If termites are eating the books, then they come from the nest and don't leave eggs. Bookworms, however, are some kind of beetle larvae and can continue chomping through books for years.

Cigars are treated with a vacuum, causing eggs and larvae to go kablooie. You could try this if you have a vacuum container. Some people who get beetles in their collection freeze them in the coldest part of the freezer, but I'm not sure this works.

[bug_girl]

Originally posted by sickstan
'Twould be curious to know if it's the kind of damage caused by bookworms. If termites are eating the books, then they come from the nest and don't leave eggs. Bookworms, however, are some kind of beetle larvae and can continue chomping through books for years.

sigh.
no. no. no.
termites do not get into books.
stan, read the other posts--freezing does work if you leave the books in long enough.
the "bookworms" you are talking about might be dermestid beetle larvae and adults. both would get into books, and are quite difficult to control. they are also known as carpet beetles.
the link i posted at the top of this thread really does have step by step instructions for ridding a book of pests.

[sickstan]

Originally posted by bug_girl

sigh.
no. no. no.


A little less attitude, please.

Originally posted by bug_girl
termites do not get into books.
stan, read the other posts--freezing does work if you leave the books in long enough.
the "bookworms" you are talking about might be dermestid beetle larvae and adults. both would get into books, and are quite difficult to control. they are also known as carpet beetles.
the link i posted at the top of this thread really does have step by step instructions for ridding a book of pests.

I just heard something on NPR about a nonfiction accounting of precious printed compendiums of works by such luminaries as Gallileo, Copernicus, and Kepler, something like "The Book you Never Read". Several originals remain, but are threatened by bookworms -- they are real, no quotes necessary. The author says they're the larvae of Deathwatch beetles. They are a great threat to books because unlike other insects that might gnaw on the glue in the binding or attack the leather, but they actually eat through paper.

[bug_girl]

"bookworm" is not an actual insect. there are multiple species that are referred to as bookworms. Deathwatch beetles are more common in europe, which is why i have not addressed them here.

dude, you do realize you are trying to start an argument about insect terminology with a PhD in entomology, right?
:D

[sickstan]

Originally posted by bug_girl
"bookworm" is not an actual insect. there are multiple species that are referred to as bookworms. Deathwatch beetles are more common in europe, which is why i have not addressed them here.


granted. It's what I heard on an NPR broadcast.

dude, you do realize you are trying to start an argument about insect terminology with a PhD in entomology, right?
:D

Dudette, I don't know what you mean. You are obviously knowledgable but I hardly think I was trying to start an argument. Do you feel impugned that I tried to say something about insects and frustrated your righteousness? Are you always this curt with open discussions in your subject field?

[bug_girl]

i hadn't realized until now that your avatar isn't smoking a cigar.
it's clearly a big, fat spliff.
i was responding to the fact that you obviously didn't read the whole thread when you posted.

i'm not picking up on the "curtness" of my posts. maybe i need to use more smileys? :) :D ;) :p :cool:
whatever!