University Archives at Main Library - 2010 IPM report
Introduction
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a program that attempts to minimize the use of
chemical pest controls by continuously monitoring the environment of an area to determine
likely causes of and solutions to infestations. Monitoring is done by placing insect traps
throughout an area, collecting them on a monthly basis and identifying the amount and types of
insects on each.
The initial goal of this process is to develop a baseline, or expected population, of insects.
The long term goal of the process is to monitor for unusual variations from the baseline, as
these are possible indicators of infestation. In the event of an infestation, several measures can
be taken before the use of chemicals, such as altering the environment and investigating
possible maintenance concerns. The monitoring process also informs these decisions by
helping to locate the source or entry point of the insects.
At the beginning of 2008, 30 Trapper® insect traps were placed throughout the University
Archives, defined here as room 19 and its associated storage and work spaces (i.e. the
Processing Room, the Reston Room, and the Back Room). Due to both room size and variants
in types and levels of exposure (to both visitors as well as the outside environment), analysis of
the collected specimens has been divided into the following way:
1. Reading Room (Room 19)
Nine traps: one at each corner of the main room area; one in the microfilm viewing area;
two centrally located near the environmental monitoring station and the flat file island;
one next to the cubical stations; and one under the red tote.
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Window exposure: a screened window is found on the west/inner courtyard wall
of the Reading Room
•
Foot traffic: the Reading Room is the primary location for outside visitors to the
Archives who may bring pests into the facility on their person
•
Increased %RH throughout the Summer/Fall seasons (April – October)
•
Basement location
2. Processing Room
Seven traps: two on the internal facing west wall; one on the south wall; two on the east
wall; and one on the internal north wall (under the environmental monitoring station)
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Foot traffic/room usage: the processing room is the primary work location for the
Archives GA staff as well as the Assistant University Archivist and the
consumption of food within this area has been observed on a regular basis;
additionally, Archives staff may bring pests into the room on their person
•
Window exposure: screened windows are found on the east wall of the
processing room
•
Increased % RH throughout the Summer/Fall seasons (April – October)
•
Basement location
3. Back Room (Primary Storage Room)
Fourteen traps: four on the north/courtyard, wall; four on the south/parking lot, wall; one
on the west wall; two on the east wall; and three within the aisles.
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Window exposure: screened windows line both the north/courtyard and
south/parking lot sides of the room; windows, especially those found on the north
facing wall, are commonly used by Archives staff to regulate temperature within
the room
•
Sink: An actively used sink is found in the southwest corner of the room
•
Increased % RH throughout the Summer/Falls seasons (April – October)
•
Foot traffic: the Archives staff may bring pests into the room on their person
•
Basement location
4. Reston Room
One trap is located on the east wall of the room. The air conditioned Reston Room is
separated from other locations in the Archives by closed doors to allow the room to
maintain its controlled environment.
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Proximity to Reading Room foot traffic
•
Window exposure: screened windows are found on the east wall of the room
•
Basement location
Collection activities in these areas continued throughout 2010
Reporting
For the purposes of this report, collected data will be broken out into two categories,
Indicators and Damaging pests. Indicators include booklice and springtails. These two insects
indicate the possibility of high relative humidity, aging building materials, moisture, leaks, and
cracks in the structure of a building. It should be noted that in annual reports for 2008 and 2009,
a species of booklouse was being counted as a kind of aphid. It has been corrected for this
report. Damaging pests are those that feed directly on library building materials or collections
and include a variety of beetles, cockroaches, clothes moths, silverfish, and termites. As a final
note, for convenience “insects” and “pests” will be used to mean a broad range of insect-like
pests, including those that are not strictly insects, such as millipedes, mites, pill bugs, etc.
Also, since monitoring of these spaces is done by the Preservation graduate assistant,
the person doing the identification will change on an almost yearly basis. This will have an effect
on the data depending on the person’s acuity and attention to detail, particularly concerning very
small insects.
Reading Room (9 traps)
Indicators
From the nine traps in the Reading Room, the number of springtails and booklice both
increased from 2009 to 2010. Springtails rose from 86 in 2009 to 164 in 2010, while booklice
rose slightly, to 206 from 190. Both of these numbers are a vast increase from the 2008 data,
when 65 springtails and 58 booklice were collected. The fact that booklice numbers appear to
be leveling off while springtail numbers continue to grow makes analysis difficult, since they are
indicators of similar conditions.
There are several possible explanations for these results: 1) the humidity in the area has
significantly increased to give the insects more favorable conditions; 2) the building conditions in
the Reading Room continue to deteriorate in terms of mold growth (particularly within the walls),
leaks, or cracks; 3) none of these years display a baseline expected population for these
insects, so we have no point of reference for comparison.
It is possible to rule out #1 by examining our environmental data in the area. Below are
graphs displaying the relative humidity (RH) in the area for these three years. The charts show
higher RH in 2010 for several summer months. For June and July, relative humidity in 2010
hovers around 45%; for 2009, it is much closer to 40%. While this is a seemingly small change,
40-50% is a critical range for insect growth, and it likely accounts for much of the increase from
2009 to 2010. Concerning #2, it is difficult to make a prediction about building conditions
without conducting an assessment of the area. It is also likely a stabilized expected population
has not been reached in the area, in part due to the fact that RH trends have changed.
Damaging Pests
There were a total of six damaging pests in the Reading Room during 2010. They
comprised one carpet beetle, one cigarette beetle, one furniture beetle, one odd beetle, one
oriental cockroach, and one silverfish. There is not a significant number of any species, so it is
most likely that these pests are blundering into the area rather than infesting it.
Recommended Actions
It is recommended that efforts be made to increase dehumidification in the area,
especially in summer months, if possible. Also, discussions with Archives Staff and Facilities
and Services should be started to attempt to determine the cause for the increase in relative
humidity in 2010.
Processing Room (7 traps)
Indicators
Indicator data from the Processing Room was as difficult to analyze as the data from the
Reading Room. Booklice populations dropped to a total of 445 in 2010 from 623 in 2009, but
that was after a drastic increase from 163 in 2008. Springtail levels rose drastically from 2009 to
2010, from 197 to 519. Much of this increase occurred in May and June.
Looking at the data, it seems likely that there is not enough consistency to develop a
reasonable baseline population. Environmental data (not shown) in the Processing Room is
consistent from year to year, suggesting the possibility that actual insect levels have no
changed, but rather that we are seeing differences due to human error. Since a different person
did the identification for each of these years, it is possible that the insects were not counted
consistently, leading to the odd results seen here. To compare these results to environmental
data for this area, visit the Preservation website at:
http://www.library.illinois.edu/prescons/services/environmental_monitoring/index.html
Damaging Pests
A total of nine damaging pests found throughout the year. These comprised one
furniture beetle, one hide beetle, two odd beetles, one powder post beetle, two oriental
cockroaches, and three silverfish. Given the small number of each species and consistency in
numbers with previous years, it is unlikely that there is any infestation.
Recommended Actions
At this time, no specific actions are recommended until more data is gathered. If
Archives staff have particular concerns about the conditions of the area, we recommend starting
discussions with the Facilities and Services office and consider building assessment options.
Back Room (14 traps)
Indicators
There have been consistent increases in the populations of both springtails and booklice
from 2008 to 2010 in the Back Room of the University Archives. As with the other rooms, the
increase in springtail numbers from 2009 to 2010 occurred almost entirely in the early summer
months. Comparing 2008 to 2009, the number of springtails more than doubled, and this
increase is consistent across the year. Booklice data is similar to that in the Processing room,
with a large increase from 2008 to 2009. In the Back Room, however, booklice activity
continued to increase slightly from 2009 to 2010.
To compare these results to environmental data for this area, visit the Preservation website
at: http://www.library.illinois.edu/prescons/services/environmental_monitoring/index.html
Damaging Pests
There is little evidence of any infestation of damaging pests in the Back Room. Of the 26
damaging pests found in 2010, nine were cockroaches. The remaining 17 were a variety of
beetles as well as two clothes moths. The larger number of damaging pests appearing in the
Back Room compared to the other rooms is likely due to the larger number of traps placed in
the Back Room, having foundation walls and windows along both the north and south sides, and
the presence of plumbing from the sink. It must be noted, however, that this is an increase in
activity from 2009. Should these numbers continue to climb, it will be a cause for concern.
Recommended Actions
At this time, no specific actions are recommended until more data is gathered. If
Archives staff have particular concerns about the conditions of the area, we recommend starting
discussions with the Facilities and Services office and consider building assessment options.
Reston Room (1 trap)
Indicators
The number of Springtails increased significantly from 2009 to 2010, from a year total of
123 to 234. The increase is due almost entirely to the early summer months May and June,
which is consistent with a large jump in springtail population throughout the University Archives.
The booklice population did not increase significantly (actually a slight drop, from 63 in 2009 to
50 in 2010). As with the other rooms, 2008 levels were much lower than 2010 levels of both
species.
While there is no environmental data gathered for the Reston Room, the levels of
indicator pests per trap are roughly the same as the per trap levels in other rooms of the
University Archives. This suggests that the environment of the Reston Room is very similar to
that of the other rooms, which may be surprising, given that it has its own A/C unit and is
generally closed off from the rest of the Archives.
Damaging Pests
The number of damaging pests in the Reston Room remains consistent with previous
years. There were five damaging pests found throughout the year: one drugstore beetle, two
odd beetles, one powder post beetle, and one silverfish. Given the small number of each
species, it is unlikely that there is any infestation.
Recommended Actions
Given that the Reston Room is perceived to have a better climate than the rest of the
University Archives, it may be useful to install monitoring hardware to better track the
environment.