Silverfish

One of the special collections libraries at our institution has
accepted a donation of materials which are infested by silverfish.
Based on preliminary research, it appears that the most widely
accepted methods for treating silverfish infestations are freezing
to -20 deg. C, or the creation of an anoxic environment.  At
present, we do not have the necessary equipment to employ either
method, although we are pursuing the possibility of ordering a
freezer (as a state institution, approval alone could take years).

We do, however, have a 'bedbug bake oven.' It is designed to bring
materials to a temperature between 120-145 deg. F, and then hold
them at the selected temperature for a predetermined amount of time.
For bedbugs, the recommendation is a minimum of 120 deg. F for one
hour, although pest control companies commonly bring it somewhat
higher and hold it for up to four hours to ensure that all the
materials are hot enough for long enough.  These are conditions
which we have found to be acceptable to general collections
materials--not unlike being left in a car trunk in the summer sun
for an afternoon.  This particular donation consists of
approximately 16 shoebox-sized containers of modern musical
performance programs on various types of paper.  While heating
special collections materials is not ideal, these should withstand
it reasonably well, and it would certainly be preferable to
introducing silverfish to the rest of the collection.

I am aware the silverfish like it warm and humid, but I can't find
information on how they are affected by temperatures above 112 deg.
F, particularly when accompanied by low humidity levels.  Is any one
familiar with heat treatment for silverfish, or know of research on
their thermal tolerance levels?

Margaret Garnett
Preservation Assessment Coordinator
University of Maryland
McKeldin Library B0217
7649 Library Lane
College Park MD 20742


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:47
                    Distributed: Sunday, May 1, 2016
                       Message Id: cdl-29-47-024
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