How do you protect your books from termites and other insects?

Submitted by PhysicsPossible933 t3_11bfdru in books

Sorry, but I don’t know where else to ask this… I’m losing my mind trying to protect my life’s collection of all my books. I used to have a laminated wooden bookshelf where I kept my books and it did not take long before I started to notice several termites crawling on them here and there. This went on for a few months before I got so frustrated and removed my books from the bookshelf and froze them to kill the termites.

Funny ‘solution’ of mine… but I now keep my books in large plastic lid containers and wrapped the entire exterior of the containers with double sided tape so that any insect that tries to get access to my books will get stuck. It has been very effective thus far as I haven’t been seeing any termites recently. However, I am simply devastated because I’ve always wanted to have a PROPER reading corner at home where my books are displayed nicely on bookshelves. I always see nice photos of other people’s home libraries on Instagram or on Tumblr and I am upset that I can’t have the same. All I can do now is to store my books in large stacks of containers covered with tape which doesn’t look very appealing.

Are there any solutions as to how I can eliminate termites once and for all? And what are your tips to maintaining the condition of your books? Your responses will be greatly appreciated.

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Few_Engineering_8538 t1_j9xyvxr wrote

Maybe it is a problem where you live? Where I live the air is dry and barely have any kinds of insects.

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PhysicsPossible933 OP t1_j9xzxd0 wrote

It’s pretty humid where I live with an average of 83% humidity with a relatively low dew point, so I believe the air is dry from where I am too. I have close relatives who live near me and they never had any issues with their bookshelves. I’ve hired pest control in the past but they couldn’t find any traces of termite colonies either. Perhaps my housing area might just be more prone to inviting certain pests :(

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Few_Engineering_8538 t1_j9y0j5t wrote

Unfortunate then :( are there any chance of getting a second opinion?

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PhysicsPossible933 OP t1_j9y0uq0 wrote

I might try and get another pest control unit in and hope for the best. Until then, I’ll have to bear with these plastic containers :’)

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Trick-Two497 t1_j9zhffg wrote

Get your house treated for termites. It's strange to me that you're more worried about your books than your house.

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SodaPop6548 t1_j9yimbs wrote

Are you able to have your home treated by pest control professionals? I know it can be expensive, but you might have more problems with your house overall if you have termites eating your books. Sounds like a real bummer if a situation, sorry you are dealing with that.

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PhysicsPossible933 OP t1_j9yjcrt wrote

Yes i’ve had pest control services in my house before but they could not find any termite colonies or nests, so nothing much was done. I think I will be getting another pest control service once again to reevaluate the problem. Hopefully they’ll find something.

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SodaPop6548 t1_j9yjnkc wrote

Yeah, you don’t usually find a termite nest as the nest is usually in the ground and the only thing you see are mud tubes or the damages caused by them eating the wood in your home. If you see them eating your books then they are around.

Normally a pest control company would set traps or treat the ground so that the termites take poison back to their colony and kill the Queen.

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Oreskios t1_ja1udaq wrote

The organization that I volunteer with, a friends of the library group, has a storage building that’s old and not in good repair. it holds a lot of donated books which we have sorted out and we open the building for book sales (and people pay whatever sum they want to donate so it’s really a bargain and get books back in the hands of people !).

We had an insect problem, so we called local pest control, they said it was termites, and did extermination. . But they also offered a service where they put baited traps around the outside perimeter of the building, and check them every three months or so for traces of termites. Then if they see any, they would know to come inside and look thoroughly. It cost extra but for us with thousands of books inside it was definitely worth it. I hope this might be helpful. Good luck!

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artsanchezg t1_j9xzzwt wrote

I thought termites eat wood, not paper.

Luckily, were I live there is hardly any dangers for books: no molds because of low humidity levels, no paper eating insects... Just avoiding direct sunlight and small kids sticky hands is enough ;)

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PhysicsPossible933 OP t1_j9y04l9 wrote

Ugh you’re so lucky! Humid countries like where I live is a haven for all kinds of creepy crawlies. Unfortunately the termites eat my books.

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XeStarstryder t1_j9yfbml wrote

I had excellent results using diatomaceous earth (a fine powder made from fossilized diatoms that slices the exoskeleton and dehydrates bugs) when I had a bedbug problem. I'm not sure if it would damage the books, but if it does, it'll cause less damage than the termites for sure. Worst case scenario it leaves a light residue.

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PhysicsPossible933 OP t1_j9yg862 wrote

Thanks! I’ll check that out. I’ve tried termiticide sprays in the past but to no avail. I will definitely try out the powdered types!

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Amos_FKA_Timmy t1_j9ziqz6 wrote

You should be more concerned about termites in your home than in your books. If they've gotten to your bookshelves then they are probably in a lot of other places. Termites are no joke, and you need to call professionals ASAP.

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lucia-pacciola t1_j9yjtmi wrote

Well the way to protect books from termites in your case is to protect your home from termites.

Visible termites inside your home is never a good sign. It is generally accepted that at the first indication of termites, you should immediately contract a reputable pest control company to come and handle that shit before it destroys the building - let alone your books!

And if it's not your home and your landlord won't do what's necessary here? Move. Move, before the place comes crashing down on your head in a cloud of sawdust and half-eaten beams.

Termites should never be a problem, and if they are, they're a much bigger problem than just your books.

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