5 comments

  • bob1029 1 hour ago
    Controlling humidity could be the simplest option. RH <50% makes it really hard for anything living to propagate in an otherwise "dry" space.
  • ChrisArchitect 3 days ago
  • funnym0nk3y 3 hours ago
    I'm surprised that they use such a tame method for eradication. I expected the use of huge loads of insecticides.
    • chmod775 1 hour ago
      You could spray insecticides and kill some percentage while damaging the books further.

      Or you put them in a sealed environment with no oxygen, killing every single one of these beetles.

      I'm not sure that the more lethal option is "tame".

      • MichaelRo 1 hour ago
        How about stuffing the books in a freezer? Apparently this can kill both bugs and their eggs, although I'm not sure it works on the particular kind of bugs in these books:

        https://www.reddit.com/r/IsItBullshit/comments/orpifq/isitbu...

        Also there exist "ultra low" freezers which can bring temperature waay lower than the regular -20 Celsius. Like -80 or something. I doubt any bug or egg can survive such environment, although the books should suffer no harm.

        • krisoft 47 minutes ago
          I do not doubt that freezing them would kill the bugs. I would be worried that unless it is very carefully managed it might damage the books though. In particular i would worry that moisture from the air would freeze on the books and as they are thawed they would get water damaged. Or that moisture trapped inside the bindings would form ice crystals and physically damage the books as they form.

          None of these are concern with the hypoxic treatment they choose. Plus the nitrogen atmosphere treatment is so much simpler on the practical level. Instead of bringing in freezers and powering them for the whole duration of the treatment all you need is some crates, plastic bags and nitrogen bottles. Makes it much easier to bring the treatment where the books are, thus you avoid all kind of complications with transporting the books.

  • wiseowise 2 hours ago
    The only good bug is a dead bug!

    Do you want to know more?

    • endgame 1 hour ago
      This isn't reddit.
      • wiseowise 46 minutes ago
        I forgot that Reddit has patented references to movies, sorry. Can you put the same comment on every 00s reference to some movie, please? We really need to have that awareness spread, ty.
  • EGreg 6 hours ago