Chapter 2: Those Pesky Critters  What’s wrong with this book?  Identifying pest damage  “Ewww, what is that?”  Identifying the pest Termites did this!

 Silverfish  Firebrat  German Cockroach  Bookworm  Book Lice Those Pesky Critters  Cigarette Beetle  Drugstore Beetle  Varied Carpet Beetle  Black Carpet Beetle  Rodents A mere sampling of common pests you could find in collections

Those Pesky Critters: Silverfish and Firebrat Firebrat   Silverfish

Those Pesky Critters: Silverfish( Lepisma saccharina) /Firebrat (Thermobia domestica) Insect family: Thysanura  Favorite Living Quarters:  Books  Newspapers  Cardboard  Favorite Living Conditions:  High Humidity  High Moisture  High Temperatures: over 90F  Shun light  They like tight places & dusty cracks  Starch and paste are delicious  How Do I Make It Go Away?  Fumigation with toxic chemicals  Pest Management.  Create an inhospitable environment with: climate control building inspection and maintenance keep things cleanand off the floor appropriate collection storage regular pest inspections

Those Pesky Critters: German Cockroach (Blattella germanica)

 Favorite Living Quarters:  Books  Newspapers  Favorite Living Conditions:  Pretty much anywhere  Will eat pretty much everything  How Do I Make It Go Away?  Traps German Cockroach Nymph Photo Credit: Jeff Hahn/University of Minnesota Extension Gross Fact: Poop looks like a dot of tar. The eaten material remnants looks like sawdust

Those Pesky Critters: BOOKLOUSE ( Psocid) Image courtesy University of Florida

Those Pesky Critters: Booklouse (Blattella germanica)  Favorite Living Quarters:  Folds of Books and magazines  New plaster  Favorite Living Conditions:  Warm, humid (50% RH)  Often appear as moving specs  Eat microscopic moulds, fungi, and wheat starch, but can change their diets  How Do I Make It Go Away?  Reduce moisture and environments conducive to mold growth  Increase air circulation  De-humidify  Store materials above floor level Image courtesy University of Florida

Those Pesky Critters: Bookworm (larvae )

Those Pesky Critters: Bookworm (aka larvae) Image courtesy Yale Medical School library Did you know that the bookworm isn’t a specific creature? In the literature the term "bookworm" has been used to describe everything from silverfish and cockroaches to the larvae of grubs or beetles. The grubs or larvae of certain beetles like the cigarette beetle are restricted to feeding on the paste and glue of the spine and covers of bindings. Others are known to excavate the pages themselves and in fact may continue feeding from one book to the next right on the shelf. The larval stage for the cigarette beetle lasts 5 to 10 weeks. Their entire life cycle can be up to 12 weeks and they live approximately one month as adults.

Those Pesky Critters: Bookworm (aka larvae)  Favorite Living Quarters:  Folds of Books and magazines  New plaster  Paste and starchy things  Favorite Living Conditions:  Warm, humid (50% RH)  Often appear as moving specs  How Do I Make It Go Away?  Increase air circulation  De-humidify  Store materials above floor level  Fumigation Image courtesy Yale Medical School library

Those Pesky Critters: Rodents

 Favorite Living Quarters:  Anywhere  Favorite Living Conditions:  Not picky  Eat pretty much anything  How Do I Make It Go Away?  Traps  Store materials above floor level  Keep things clean Image by Agnès Boulloche