Silverfish

Morag Wehrle <morag.wehrle [at] pc__gc__ca> writes

>Our entire office building, which is also home to our library and
>archives, is currently having problems with silverfish.

Before you consider poisoning your silverfish, I think you should
consider why you have them.  Silverfish only like seriously damp
environments, so the fact that they are all over your building, and
even a "big dehumidifier" cannot reduce the RH below 55%, imply to
me that your building has a severe moisture penetration problem.  I
can't tell whether you have rising damp, penetrating damp or
condensation, but you ought to investigate the causes and take
remedial action.  If you solve the damp problem, the silverfish
should go away.  In the long run, damp won't be good for the fabric
of the building, won't be good for the collection, and ultimately
won't be good for the health of the staff.

Barry Knight
Head of Conservation Research
The British Library
London


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:55
                  Distributed: Saturday, May 13, 2006
                       Message Id: cdl-19-55-004
                                  ***