Book mites

Miranda K. Martin <ramartin [at] ix__netcom__com> writes

>Celia Withycombe <crw1001 [at] cam__ac__uk> writes
>
>>What is the latest thinking on book mites?
>
>These tiny creatures are harmless to people and paper, although
>psychosomatic itching may be seen as a result of encounters with
>badly infested material.   Like silverfish, they require a high
>humidity environment to thrive.  Brush them off outdoors, or freeze,
>and address your environmental problems.

Do we have microscopic analysis of verification of mites on books?
There are many things that can cause the itching--fungal structures
for one. I have found one mite species on a 145 year old book. When
it entered the book is a unanswered question. It was probably eating
the fungal structures. Fecal frass was also present.

Mary-Lou Florian


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:31
                 Distributed: Monday, November 4, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-16-31-003
                                  ***