Cedar bookshelves

Hi! I was reading a truly terrifying article about silverfish and how evil they are. I was wondering what y'all thought about cedar bookcases? Theyd smell nice, repel bugs, be antifungal. But then I think the wood may be oily and react with the books... Anyone have cedar bookshelves or have tried it?

Don't know if cedar is effective, but its what effectiveness it has would fade over time.

Nothing gives me a sinking feeling in my gut more than the sight of a silverfish scampering away as I empty a cardboard box of papers or books. I've had this happed when moving, but luckily have been able to avoid any infestation.

I completely dusted the floor beneath my bookshelves with diatomaceous earth, keep any corrugated cardboard away from any part of the house where books will be stored (they are attracted to the glue in the cardboard and the bindings of books), and am on a mission to replace all corrugated cardboard in the house with plastic containers specifically to reduce the risk of silverfish. I've placed bated traps amongst the books in my library (small pieces of corrugated cardboard impregnated with a poison, to serve both as a trap, and as an indicator of the presence of silverfish and its cousins.

A thorough search (away from your house) of any used books should be made to ensure you are not bringning these critters into your library. Look for any evidence of chewing or boring, and peer down between the spine and bookblock if you can.

I here they don't do well in a very dry environment, but one cannot always control that without expensive humidity controls or by moving to a dry climate.

That's all I got.

s.

Sounds like War. I live in Florida, so dry environments are not an option. I've been blessed not to have them right now, and I'd like to keep it that way. I had no idea the bookkeeping would mean so many precautions against nature!

I haven't tried this myself, but someone on LT or another forum mentioned freezing any used books he purchased for some period of time to kill off any varmints that may be hiding among them. Presumably some wrapping/container experimentation may be necessary to avoid damage to the books from the freezing process.

I think microwaving a book for 10 seconds or so would work, too, though that does temporarily soften the binding glue a bit (useful for correcting cocked paperback spines, though). I don't really have any idea how long it takes to kill a silverfish with microwaves, but I'd think 10 seconds would do the job.

Sorry, no idea if Cedar shelves would work, short or long-term.

We actually just brought a large part of our clothing, curtains and anything else made from fabric or leather to a professional freezer as we had found out that we had carpet beetles. According to the information we were given, everything needs to be frozen at -17C for two weeks to get rid of them - I would expect that to be similar for other bugs as well. We were able to rent some space at a place were they usually store food, and the people there told us that they were seeing all kinds of stuff - people bringing in paintings, sculptures, furniture, just anything that might be infested by bugs.
If you're doing this at home in your freezer, I would probably put books in a ziplock bag, just to keep out ice crystals that might later thaw.

And make sure the frozen books are at room temperature before opening the bag.

>4 bookstothesky: I don't really have any idea how long it takes to kill a silverfish with microwaves, but I'd think 10 seconds would do the job.

That may be long enough to kill it, but if you prefer your silverfish slightly crunchy, another 10 seconds might be necessary. ;-)

Os.

>5 rfb: If you're doing this at home in your freezer, I would probably put books in a ziplock bag, just to keep out ice crystals that might later thaw.

They should be in plastic and sealed, but you need to evacuate as much air as possible, as the moisture in the air will condense when the temperature drops.

Os.

Bottom line is, if you're setting up your library, take whatever precautions you can to prevent silverfish from ever showing up, to include, at least, dusting the floor beneath the shelves with diatomaceous earth and sealing as best you can any gaps between floor, baseboards, and walls in the room. They don't like light, so backless shelving rather than bookcases may help by allowing more light behind the books (this may help with moisture control as well). General cleanliness in the building is also needed - if it might attract ants and other insects, it's likely to attract silverfish. If you must store things in corrugated cardboard boxes, doing so as far away from your library as possible is advised (a detached garage or shed, for example).

Texas A&M's department of entomology has some general info about control of silverfish and firebrats (their cousins) here (https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/eee_00005.cfm)

Regarding the use of diatomaceous earth, I like it because it never goes bad (perfect beneath bookcases/shelves you don't expect to move for years) and is not a health risk that I know of (though you won't want to inhale it or get it in your eyes). It's not really a threat to most pets, but I'd not want my dog or cat to get into it and inhale it. Most important is to read the cautions and directions on the label. It's not a bait - pests are not attracted to it, so you must spread it everywhere you can so they pass over/through it. It's essentially microscopic swords that cause microscopic cuts, leading to rapid dehydration - literally the 'death of a thousand cuts'.

Os.

About diatomaceous earth, it is extremely pet and human friendly. When we moved our dog enocuntered fleas in the the new back yard and our vet recommended it highly both for the yard and him. It's sounds scary, but it acts like little razor blades on the target's exoskeleton. But to us mammals , it's just a very fine powder. It'll wipe outfleas, roaches, silverfish, slugs, ants.

If you don' have a local co-op that has it, you can get it reasonably priced on-line.

Great help, thanks.

Osbaldistone and everyone, where did you hear silverfish don't do well in a dry climate? Here in Los Angeles County, California, where hot weather humidity occasionally drops into the single digits, our older home still has silverfish activity!

>12 MaureenRoy: It doesn't matter much what the outdoor climate is, but they need humidity. This is why they're often found in bathrooms, where there's plenty of moisture to keep them happy.

The above entomology link is dead. Anyway, I found a bug repellent that keeps insects away from bookshelves ... tea tree oil. Apply it once a month to the wooden facing edges, sides, and base of the bookcase. Silverfish are repelled by tea tree oil. After 12 hours or so, human will not smell the tea tree oil. Use gloves and a cotton ball when applying tea tree oil. (The smell will stay on your skin a long time otherwise, and there are some potential adverse health effects of leaving tea tree oil on your skin.)

Another entomology link that currently works:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/silverfish-and-firebrats/