Evil Villains in Your Books
Being an old school type of person means you like fresh, self-prepared meals. You only have a computer to get email and do research. None of that social media stuff for you.
And you probably have something called a library. That’s a place where actual hard-and soft-cover books are kept. Sounds weird to the Kindle generation, but when the Earth’s poles eventually alter their charges, you’ll have the last laugh. Your books are immune to changes in the magnetosphere.
Those who collect printed and bound materials also have something lurking between the pages other than just words. You may have book bugs.
Live! From The Ransom Center!
It’s not what you think. They don’t teach you how to kidnap and hold ransom on some millionaire’s family. The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin is Vulcan Termite and Pest Control, Inc.‘s source to treat materials infested by insects.
“In general, if materials are stored in a clean, cool, and dry environment and are looked at and dusted occasionally, the risk of damage by insects is greatly reduced, and problems will be detected before a lot of damage is done. Whenever an insect is found in a book it is advisable to inspect the area where the book was stored to see if more insects are present in the materials nearby. Look for little piles of “frass” (a term for insect excrement) on the shelf. The color of the frass varies depending on the type of insect and what it has eaten. Beetle frass is a fine granular powder (more like very fine sand than flour in texture). If a tiny dust pile is found near a book, examine the book for any damage an insect might have caused. Beetles make tiny holes (about the size of a pencil dot) usually along the spine of a book. Silverfish leave tiny black specks of frass. Silverfish eat along the surface of book cloth and the edges of pages that protrude from a stack of paper. Roaches produce 1-mm size fecal pellets and leave brown stains. They eat book cloth as well, but the damage they cause is less delicate than that of silverfish. It is important to determine the type of insects causing the infestation and the extent of the problem before planning a strategy to solve it.”
Freezing ‘Em Out
It’s not known how giving books the cold shoulder actually works. The only thing you need to know is that it does.
It takes a freezer that goes down to at least -4 degrees Fahrenheit for at about 72-hours. Let the books thaw for a day. That should take care of things.
Not So Fast
Certain materials should never be put into deep freeze. Why? The fats that are contained in certain types of leather may rise to the surface of the leather if it’s is frozen. Let’s say a book is made up of more than one kind of material — like wood and leather — the difference between the pair of stuff freezes at different temperatures. Cold contracts. Heat expands. Remember that. Damage can happen as the books defrost.
Currently, this is mostly good advice for libraries. But who knows, book collection among young and old folks can be quite lucrative. There’s nothing wrong with being a book worm. But if you’re faced with an infestation of book bugs, here’s a link that will spell everything out:
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/conservation/resources/insects/
As we mentioned at the top … you know about the Earth changing polarity? This just in from CBS News:
“You won’t be able to see it, but it might affect the Earth’s climate — the sun’s magnetic field is going through a big change.”
According to NASA, measurements taken from its supported observatories suggest that the sun’s magnetic field is about to flip. But don’t panic. This event happens approximately every 11 years.”
Perhaps it’s a good idea not to take your Nook on your yearly vacation to the sun.
Original Source: https://www.vulcantermite.com/pest-news-updates/evil-villains-in-your-books
Image Source: wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Bookworm_damage_on_Errata_page.jpg