01-05-2013, 03:22 PM
(01-02-2013, 11:59 PM)Fox Wrote: Rant - was wiping the bookshelves in my room as part of the household's biannual general cleaning day. I noticed a trail of dirt particles leading behind the lower two shelves. Curious, i removed a couple of books to see where the dirt came from. To my horror, the dirt turned out to be from a termite colony that was now infesting the rear of my bookshelves. I immediately started pulling books out too check the extent of the infestation and the damage done.
All in all, over fifty of my books were in various degrees of being chewed on, with around a dozen so badly holed that i had no choice but to consign them to the flames. Today marks the first time that i did not enjoy lighting something up. Even with the majority of my collection salvaged and still in good condition, i still have over php20k worth of tomes to replace.
I now know what Yomiko felt like when the Library of Congress was torched.
What a way to start off the year.
We've had problems like that in certain sections of the library for years now. Normally, our maintenance guys would soak the entire affected area in some liquid termite killer that is available from most hardware stores, making sure that it goes down the holes as well. If you do not have any of that, kerosene or turpentine can be used as well but does not kill the insects quickly upon contact. If you do not have any of that too, sealing the tunnel entrances with super glue is a temporary solution.
If you plan on keeping your chewed-up books, it would be a good idea to dab some rubbing alcohol on them. This is to erase any of the termite pheromones that may be left on the pages, since they can use those to return. Once the alcohol dries up, it should take away the pheromones as well. Take note that termites also love dry, quiet and snug places.
I am sorry to hear about the loss of your collection. The world becomes a poorer place when books are lost in such a senseless manner.
