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, 28 Trapper® insect traps were placed throughout the University
Archives' Archives Research Center (ARC), defined here as Rooms 4, 8, 107, and 201 (climate controlled vault locations) within the Horticultural Field Laboratory (see floor layouts at end of report):
1. Room 4
Seven traps: one at each entry door (south and east walls); two within the stacks (at the center of the third aisle from the north and south walls); and one located at the center of the west, north, and south walls.
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Foot traffic: the Archives staff accesses the room throughout the day to page needed materials and may bring pests into the room on their person
•
Increased %RH throughout the Summer/Fall seasons (April – October)
•
Basement location
2. Room 8
Six traps: one at the entry door; one in each corner; and one at the center of the long eastern wall.
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Foot traffic: the Archives staff accesses the room throughout the day to page needed materials and may bring pests into the room on their person
•
Increased %RH throughout the Summer/Fall seasons (April – October)
•
Basement location
3. Rom 107
Eight traps: one in the northwest, the southeast, and the southwest corners of the room; two within the stacks (at the center of the third aisle in from the north and south walls);

one at the second entry door on the north wall; and one at a central location on the east and south walls.
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Foot traffic: the Archives staff accesses the room throughout the day to page needed materials and may bring pests into the room on their person
•
Increased %RH throughout the Summer/Fall seasons (April – October)
•
First floor location: most activity within the facility occurs on the first floor. Insects and other pests may gain access to the vault location via the hallways.
4. Room 201
Seven traps: one at a central location on each wall; two within the stacks (at the center of the third aisle in from the north and south walls); one at the southeast corner of the room.
Room characteristics that may be factors driving the level of insect activity:
•
Foot traffic: the Archives staff accesses the room throughout the day to page needed materials and may bring pests into the room on their person
•
Increased %RH throughout the Summer/Fall seasons (April – October)
Collection activities in these areas continued throughout 2010
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.
Indicators

The number of springtails grew slightly from 2009 to 2010, from 177 to 227, and the number of booklice nearly doubled, from 295 to 534. There are several possible explanations for these results: 1) the humidity in the is such that it gives the insects favorable conditions for growth; 2) the building conditions in the Room 4 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.
Looking at environmental data (graphs below) in the area, we can see that relative humidity (RH) levels have not changed significantly. The RH is above 50% for several summer months, however, which is something of a threshold for the proliferation of these insects. It is likely that we are seeing increases each year due to unduly high RH in the area. Consequently,
#3 is true as well. In essence, conditions are so good for these insects that they have not hit maximum population for the area.

Damaging Pests
There were only 2 damaging pests found in Room 4 during 2010, one cabinet beetle and one odd beetle. This is a very small number of pests, so it is most likely that these pests are blundering into the area rather than infesting it.
Recommended Actions
Given the large increase of indicators in 2010, there is some concern about conditions in Room 4. We recommend starting contacting the Facilities and Services office to discuss methods for reducing relative humidity in the area, particularly during the summer months. Also, Room 8 has far lower levels of both insects, despite ostensibly having very similar conditions. It is recommended that the two rooms be examined for differences that could cause the Room 4 to have such larger populations, such as unsealed, unused floor drains or other insect entry points.
Indicators
Springtail populations in Room 8 have remained essentially stable, 2010 showing a trend almost identical to 2008, with a large spike in late spring/early summer and a somewhat gradual drop. Booklice populations increased, doubling from 2009 to 2010 to a total of 86.

While there are far fewer total insects in Room 8, it is following a very similar pattern to
Room 4. Again, we look first to environmental conditions. The graphs below show, as with
Room 4, RH in Room 8 is above 50% for several months. Furthermore, the summer months of
2010 are higher than 2009. These conditions are very likely the reason for the increase in booklice.
Damaging Pests
There were a total of 27 potentially damaging pests found in Room 8 during 2010. The largest offenders by far were odd beetles, with 12 appearing through the year. Aside from that, there were 3 sliverfish and a large variety of beetle species: 2 cabinet, 3 carpet, 2 cigarette, 2 drugstore, 1 furniture, 1 powder post, and 1 spider beetle. While this may seem like a concerning number of damaging pests, the large variety means it is not likely that there is any infestation. A large variety of pests suggests ease of entry into the building, which is enough to explain the number of pests we are seeing here, particularly given that this is a basement location.
Furthermore, these numbers are not unique to 2010; 2009 saw 16 potentially

damaging pests. The fact that there were more odd beetles than any other is something of a concern, and this area should be closely monitored in that regard.
Recommended Actions
As with Room 4, there is a concern with the conditions of the room envelope. The large variety of pests shows that Room 8 is very easy to get into and out of from an insect’s perspective. We recommend starting discussions with the Facilities and Services office and considering building assessment options, particularly if the following year’s IPM data shows a similar trend.
Indicators
2010 saw a slight decrease in the number of springtails in Room 107, continuing a trend from 2008 to 2009. Booklice populations also decreased from 2009 to 2010, however this was after they nearly doubled from 2008 to 2009.
To compare the 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 were a total of 7 potentially damaging pests found in Room 107 during 2010: 1 drugstore beetle, 2 hide beetles, and 4 odd beetles. This is a very small number of pests, so it is most likely that these pests are blundering into the area rather than infesting it.
Recommended Actions
Given the decreasing number of indicators and small number of damaging pests, no particular remedial actions are recommended for this room.
Indicators
Compared to the other spaces, there were a very large number of springtails caught in
Room 201 during 2010, a total of 995 for the year. This figure is nearly identical to the previous year’s total of 989, however. Both of these are a large increase over 2008’s total of 430. All of these figures are an order of magnitude larger than the other rooms in the Horticulture Field
Lab. This data is surprising, since Room 201 is essentially identical to Room 4 and Room 107 in size, shape, climate, and number of traps.
Booklice in Room 201, on the other hand, followed a trend very similar to those in Room
107. There were a total of 65 in 2010, a slight decrease from 2009’s total of 79, and the monthly trend had no unusual or confusing aspects.
The environmental conditions of this room mirror those of the other rooms, and will not be shown in this report. 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

Room 201 had the largest number of potentially damaging pests, with a total of 31. The composition of this total was as varied as Room 8: 2 cabinet beetles, 2 carpet beetles, 5 drugstore beetles, 6 furniture beetles, 2 hide beetles, 6 odd beetles, and 8 silverfish. The implications are the same for Room 201 as they were for Room 8; there is likely no infestation, but it appears to be very easy for insects to travel into this room. Contributing factors to insect traffic may be cluttered adjacent spaces, proximity to attic spaces, or the re-roofing project that took place roughly when the increase in damaging pest traffic began.
Recommended Actions
Given the prolific number of springtails, efforts to dehumidify the space should commence as soon as possible. Also, given the ease in which pests are travelling into Room
201, we recommend starting discussions with the Facilities and Services office and considering building assessment options, particularly if the following year’s IPM data shows a similar trend.