How to Keep Book Pests Out of Your Library

Best-selling author Caitlin Moran once described libraries as "cathedrals of the mind," and whether you manage a large institutional collection or a home library, the pests that target books can cause damage that is severe and irreversible. Here is what you need to know about the insects and rodents that threaten your collection and how to stop them.

• Silverfish are drawn to the starch in paper and the adhesive in book bindings, with infestations leaving behind characteristic notched page edges and yellowish staining on covers
• Carpet beetle larvae are slow, hidden destroyers—feeding on leather bindings and cellulose paper from the inside out before any external damage becomes apparent
• Rodents treat books as a construction material rather than a food source, shredding pages and covers to gather nesting material in ways that can devastate entire shelves overnight
• Silverfish and beetle activity drops significantly in spaces that are consistently clean, well-ventilated, dust-free, and maintained with adequate lighting that discourages dark harborage
• Protecting a large library against rodents requires a systematic approach to the building envelope, with regular checks targeting the hairline cracks, deteriorating mortar, and structural gaps that provide access

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Silverfish Book Damage And Prevention
Beetle Infestations And Library Cleanliness
Rodent Threats To Book Collections
Book Pest Control For Ny, Nj And Ct

Silverfish Book Damage and Prevention

Silverfish are the most common of the bugs that eat paper, but do silverfish eat books? These small, carrot-shaped, shiny grey-colored insects have bristle-like appendages and bodies covered in scales. Silverfish like books because they’re fond of any material that is high in starch. They won’t stop at paper, however – they’ll consume the glue found in bindings as well. If you notice that your Harry Potter has pages with notched edges and yellow-gold stains, you’re probably seeing silverfish book damage.

A good way to prevent silverfish is to keep your library well-lit. Silverfish prefer dark, enclosed places. If you can make sure they can’t find those spaces in your library, you can keep them out.

Beetle Infestations and Library Cleanliness

Many varieties of beetles, especially small, dark ones like the carpet beetle, will consume books. Unlike silverfish, however, beetles don’t prefer books as a source of sustenance and therefore don’t infest them as frequently. Some older books with cellulose paper, leather covers and glue in their bindings are attractive to hungry beetles. When beetles infest books, their larvae bore into the book to find both food and shelter in a single space until they become adults. Look for tiny identifying bore holes as evidence of this crime in the pages of your prized Agatha Christie volumes.

To control beetles in your library, you’ll have to find and take infected books off the shelves. These types of book pests love dusty, out-of-the-way areas. Maintain high levels of consistent cleanliness, even in the darkest corners of your library. If you can make your library unappealing to beetles, they won’t infest your books.

Rodent Threats to Book Collections

Librarians are just as likely to run into rats and mice as any other professional in New York. Rats and mice both use paper when building their nests, which is part of what draws them into libraries. You can tell you have an infestation if you notice brown and yellow staining or gnaw marks on pages.

It can be difficult to exclude rodents in buildings as large as libraries. You’ll need to follow specialized rodent-prevention techniques for businesses. The most important of these techniques is probably conducting frequent perimeter checks. Rodents, rats especially, are capable of squeezing into buildings through the smallest of holes. Make sure you’re repairing any crumbling brick, loose seals, or old screens you come across. The best way to keep them out is with a comprehensive pest control plan.

Book Pest Control for NY, NJ And CT

If you have questions about the pests and insects that eat books in your library, give us a call. We’re experts in specialist commercial pest control, and we’ll help keep your collection free from the wrong kinds of bookworms.