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FW: bugs in the books



In a former life, I used to see chemicals for a major oil company. This
company made the No-Pest Strip, which consisted of a plastic matrix
impregnated with a gaseous pesticide. (The matrix could be adjusted and many
anthelmintic or animal worming products were, basically, mini No-Pest
Strips, formulated for either equine, canine, or feline and the lengths of
their digestive tracts). The strip came in a plastic or foil pouch.  (I
digress a bit, but am always fascinated by how things can be tweaked for
various applications).
Rather like Warfarin and anti-coagulants. It's all in the chemistry.

I believe if this patron can find a gas-impregnated insect strip (I think
Johnson Brothers or Airwick now owns that product, which is seasonal, so I
don't know how easy it is to find this time of year), open it up in a large,
heavy guage plastic garbage bag. THE STRIP MUST BE IMPREGNATED WITH A
GASEOUS INSECTICIDE;  a powder/particulate one will not work. The
insecticide gas needs to fill the air, get in where powders can't reach.
Insert the books loosely, so that none touch the strip. Some of the strips I
think used to have an adhesive jobbie on that you could suspend it from
inside a garbage can, etc. Close up the bag, and with a small environment
for the gas insecticide to move out into, within a few hours, all the
silverfish should be dead. Placing the bag in a warmer environment will
hasten the movement of the gas from the matrix into the enclosed environment
within the bag. Heat increases the chemical reaction or release of the
gaseous pesticide (one of which used to be Vapona, because of its vapors).
I suspect several groups of materials could be treated rather cost
effectively this way.  Maybe books could be put in loosely, then the strip
applied near the top of the bag. Then the bag closed. The strip then should
not touch the materials being treated. There may also be some insecticidal
gas dog or cat flea collars on the market which can also work, but you'd
need more of them to do what the No-Pest Strip will do. Advise the patron,
if they do this, to use proper care in opening and handling the No-Pest
Strip or whatever the thing is called these days. They can probably easily
be found in the South, but I suspect a bit doubtful finding one in upper
Michigan now....hard to say. I'd check Wal-Mart, Sprawl-Mart, K-Mart, a
co-op, those sorts of places.

This is also a great way to treat a plant for aphids, that sort of thing.
Chop up a gas pesticide flea collar or No-Pest Strip, and place those pieces
around the base of the plant. Bag this all up. In a few hours, the aphids
should be dead. Cutting up the plastic strip or collar increases release of
the pesticide gas.

I'd be interested in other suggestions about this problem....Good luck.

Sharon Lee Butcher
Reference Librarian
AEDC Technical Library
100 Kindel Drive, Suite C212
Arnold AFB, TN  37389-3212
Phone:  931-454-4430
Fax:  931-454-5421
e-mail:  sharon.butcher@arnold.af.mil

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Logan, Kevin [SMTP:kloga@CITY.LAKELAND.NET]
> Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 2:14 PM
> To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> Subject:      bugs in the books
>
> A patron came to me today with a query about how to get bugs out of books.
> It seems that she has a collection of "old" books and magazines that have
> become infested with silverfish.  I assume the best way to solve her
> problem
> would be to place her collection in a fumigation chamber and do what one
> does with a fumigation chamber.
>
> Since this is not a feasible option for the patron, however, I wonder if
> anybody on the list can suggest a product for her to use that would solve
> the silverfish problem without doing any harm to the books or the patron.
> You can reply off-list.  Thanks.
>
> Kevin Logan
> Special Collections Librarian
> Lakeland (FL) Public Library
> kloga@city.lakeland.net
>
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> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
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Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>