University Archives at Main Library - 2011 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 2011.
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.
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
decreased from 2010 to 2011. Springtails fell from 164 in 2010 to 111 in 2011, while booklice
fell significantly, to 106 from 206. Both of these numbers are greater than the 2009 data, though
2011 trends indicate stabilization.
There are several possible explanations for these results: the humidity in the area had
significantly increased in 2010 to give the insects more favorable conditions; 2009 likely displays
a baseline expected population for these insects, so the 2010-early 2011 stretch displays peak
population followed by a slow return to balance.
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. 2011 also saw mid- to high-40% RH in the summer
months, though less a prolonged high RH throughout the seasons.
Damaging Pests
There were a total of 8 damaging pests in the Reading Room during 2011, comprised of
3 silverfish, 1 German cockroach, 1 furniture beetle, and 3 carpet beetles. 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 284 in 2011 from 445 in 2010. As for
springtails, the 2011 numbers are leveling off after the drastic 2010 rise.
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 not
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 2 damaging pests were found throughout the year. These included 1 drugstore
beetle and 1 oriental cockroach. 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 has been a sizable increase in the population of springtails from 2009 to 2011 in
the Back Room of the University Archives. As with the other rooms, the peak in springtail
numbers from 2010 to 2011 occurred in the early summer months. Each year since 2008 we
have seen the number of springtails rise significantly; this increase is consistent across the year.
Booklice data, however, is similar to that in the Processing room: high late-2010 activity carried
into early 2011, steadily decreasing throughout the remainder of the year.
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 16
damaging pests found in 2011, there were a variety of beetles, 4 cockroaches, and a silverfish.
Any high 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 although 2011 saw a decrease in activity from 2010, population
numbers are considerably higher than 2009 and previous years. 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 decreased significantly from 2010 to 2011, from a year total of
234 to 83. The decrease returns springtail levels to their usual levels, though a mid-summer
bump is still consistent with an across-the-board jump in springtail population throughout the
University Archives. The booklice population decreased by a small margin (from 50 in 2010 to
42 in 2011).
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, with negligible differences year to year. There were 9 total damaging pests found
throughout the year: 4 carpet beetles, 2 powder post beetles, 2 drugstore beetles, and 1 powder
post beetle. 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.