Did anyone experiment with freezing books at a severe temperature below zero for a few days to see if that helped sanitize the problematic bookworms and their ilk?
They need to be frozen under vacuum. Otherwise the moisture in the air will damage the books as they're frozen. Not standard equipment libraries have at their disposal.
Most libraries just isolate donations and if there's any insect activity they're discarded. Only special, valuable books would be sent out to specialized companies that do the freeze drying process.
The bookworm, while not generally a worm or even a specific species, is a real pest[1]. Pest control is an important part of any library science preservation class[2]
The fact that borders are chosen as the... borders... to attempt to control the spread of disease is not by accident; It's just logical. Especially in the turn-of-the-century sea voyages, where pests spread readily between passengers. There are other borders in use, see the Apple Maggot Quarantine area[3]
Yes, Zyklon B was used (and is still used regularly[4]. It's a simple to produce and simple to dispose of, breaking down naturally in a few months. For all the horrors associated with it, you can say the same of many other chemicals that have important industrial and agricultural uses. It would have been stupid to ban Ammonium nitrate after the Oklahoma City Bombing[5], because it's used in practically every crop field in america.
Your furniture and bookcases should be vacuumed. This will get rid of any lice or eggs that could be there. Use diluted bleach to clean the furniture and bookcases in your home. Lower the humidity in areas with high moisture content using a dehumidifier or fan. For a full day, freeze your books.
When I was at the University of Hawaii in the 1980s, the main library would always have one isle of books out for fumigation. I guess they just worked through the whole collection then started over.
I also made use of a small special collection that didn't get the same care. Even though the books were only 10-15 years old, they would often crumble when I opened them, riddled with worm holes.
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[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 28.4 ms ] threadMost libraries just isolate donations and if there's any insect activity they're discarded. Only special, valuable books would be sent out to specialized companies that do the freeze drying process.
The fact that borders are chosen as the... borders... to attempt to control the spread of disease is not by accident; It's just logical. Especially in the turn-of-the-century sea voyages, where pests spread readily between passengers. There are other borders in use, see the Apple Maggot Quarantine area[3]
Yes, Zyklon B was used (and is still used regularly[4]. It's a simple to produce and simple to dispose of, breaking down naturally in a few months. For all the horrors associated with it, you can say the same of many other chemicals that have important industrial and agricultural uses. It would have been stupid to ban Ammonium nitrate after the Oklahoma City Bombing[5], because it's used in practically every crop field in america.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookworm_(insect) [2] https://guides.lib.uw.edu/c.php?g=342245&p=2305086 [3] https://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insec... [4] https://www.redding.com/story/opinion/columnists/2018/01/08/... [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing#Building...
I also made use of a small special collection that didn't get the same care. Even though the books were only 10-15 years old, they would often crumble when I opened them, riddled with worm holes.