Rare Book and Manuscript 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, 23 Trapper® insect traps were placed throughout 6 rooms of the
Rare Book and Manuscript Library. For our purposes, monitoring has been broken into three
sections, one for each addition (see floor plan at the end of the document). Each addition has
two floors, corresponding to the 7th and 8th levels of the stacks. In October of 2010, a second
space of the 6th Addition was added to the RBML, and construction began on the original
section of the 6th. The new 6th addition is not in this report, as it only has 3 months of data from
2010. Monitoring in the old 6th addition halted in October when construction began.
1. 4th Addition
Eight traps: one at each corner of the rooms
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Foot traffic: the RBML staff accesses the room throughout the day to page
needed materials and may bring pests into the collection area on their person
•
Increased %RH throughout the Summer/Fall seasons (April – October)
2. 5th Addition
Six traps: four on the lower floor and 2 on the upper floor.
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Foot traffic: the RBML staff accesses the room throughout the day to page
needed materials and may bring pests into the collection area on their person
•
Increased %RH throughout the Summer/Fall seasons (April – October)
3. Rom 6L
Nine traps: five on the lower floor, and four on the upper.
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Foot traffic: the RBML staff accesses the room throughout the day to page
needed materials and may bring pests into the collection area on their person
•
Increased %RH throughout the Summer/Fall seasons (April – October)
•
Screened window at northwest corner of rooms
While IPM activities were limited by mold remediation in 2008, collections were regularly
made throughout 2009 in the defined areas. In October of 2010, a second space of the 6th
Addition was added to the RBML, and construction began on the original section of the 6th. The
South (new) 6th addition is not in this report, as it only has 3 months of data from 2010.
Monitoring in the North (old) 6th addition halted in October when construction began.
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.
4th Addition (8 traps)
Indicators
While the numbers of sprigtails and booklice both increased each year from 2008 to
2010, the populations are still very small in relation to most library spaces. From the 8 traps in
the 4th addition, a total of 34 springtails and 94 booklice were collected over the course of the
2010 year.
Damaging Pests
In 2010, two potentially damaging pests were caught in the 4th addition, one furniture
beetle and one unidentified beetle. With such a small number, it is extremely unlikely that
damaging pests present a threat to the collection.
Recommended Actions
Given the very small number of indicators and damaging pests, no remedial actions are
recommended at this time.
5th Addition (6 traps)
Indicators
In the 5th addition, the numbers of springtails and booklice caught in 2010 was also very
low. Springtail population from 2009 to 2010 remained constant, with 13 caught each year.
Booklice increased from 48 in 2009 to 70 in 2010.
Damaging Pests
One potentially damaging pest was found in the 5th addition in 2010, a German
cockroach. A single insect is very rarely a cause for concern, even in the most environmentally
sound locations, and it is unlikely that this cockroach is no exception.
Recommended Actions
Given the very small number of indicators and damaging pests, no remedial actions are
recommended at this time.
6th Addition (9 traps)
Indicators
In 2010, monitoring activities were halted from October to the end of the year due to
construction. This means that comparing year-end totals would not be entirely accurate;
however the evidence we do have suggests that the 6th addition, like the others, has a small
enough population of indicators that there is no cause for concern.
Damaging Pests
Three potentially damaging insects were caught in the 6th addition in 2010. Each was a
different species of beetle, furniture, cigarette, and odd. Again, this is a very low number of
pests, and it is extremely unlikely that they indicate an infestation of any sort.
Recommended Actions
Given the very small number of indicators and damaging pests, no remedial actions are
recommended at this time