Silverfish

Margaret Monroe <margaret_h_monroe [at] dot__ca__gov> writes

>My colleague has recently discovered that there are silverfish in
>our main records storage area.  Exactly what damage can these
>insects do to paper records and photographs?

The old remedy of riding your house of silverfish is with an osage
orange. I have used it successfully for years. The odor they give
off is pleasant--inoffensive to humans, but enough to keep the
silverfish away. The assets are: its free for the picking up in
neighbors yards, they last a whole year long, and you don't have to
change them. Just put an osage orange in a dish under the sink and
forget it. Throw it out next fall and replace with new one. It is
ecco-positive and cost effective. The drawbacks are they are only
available in the fall; Oct-Nov in northern USA, and they don't  look
pretty after awhile.

We tried it here at the library, but alas, someone threw it out and
we still have silverfish. However, next fall we are going to package
the osage orange in a box with air holes and a big sign. I'll keep
you informed on our research.

Ellen Strong
Kelvin Smith Library
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland OH 44106


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:79
                  Distributed: Wednesday, May 22, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-15-79-003
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