A few years ago, the staff library at one of our sites experienced an infestation of silverfish, so I wrote to Dr. Mike Waldvogel, entomologist at NC State University. Here is his response: That situation is not conducive to using "conventional" pesticides because spraying the room would have marginal impact. The problem is that at some point you will be faced with the arduous task of removing all of the folders from the drawers, vacuuming the drawers, and consider place the folders into a trash bag and into a freezer for about 24 hours. In the meantime, sticky traps (you can find those at the hardware stores) can be put into the draws to catch some of the silverfish. There is also a silverfish "bait" which is simply corrugated cardboard blocks that are treated with boric acid. The Museum of Art in Raleigh uses them. They're called "Dekko Silverfish Bait Paks". I would not spread boric acid in the drawers because technically this is a label violation (misapplication). The bait paks were effective, although we still occasionally have an outbreak in humid summer months. Martha Battle Jackson, Chief Curator Division of State Historic Sites and Properties 4620 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4620 919-733-7862 ext 236; fax 919-733-9515 [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to North Carolina Public Records Law "NCGS.Ch.132" and may be disclosed to third parties by an authorized state official. The views expressed by the sender may not reflect those of my agency. “The future, though imminent, is obscure.” ~~Winston Churchill From: Kim Hanninen [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 4:12 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Silverfish elimination Scott - Thank you for sharing this information....and yes, introducing earwigs doesn't thrill me either. Kim Hanninen Dennos Museum On Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 2:08 PM, Carrlee, Scott A (EED) <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: I think what is great about this thread of commentary is that in many cases people have been able to figure out a.) that they had a pest problem, and b.) what was causing it. What helps museums do this is a functioning Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system. If you want to explore some of the finer points of museum IPM’s there is quite a bit available on the web. I recommend the following: http://museumpests.net/ http://museums.alaska.gov/documents/bulletin_docs/bulletin_29.pdf https://ellencarrlee.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/integrated-pest-management-made-easy/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_integrated_pest_management If you don’t have a working IPM, this is the answer to your question “How do I keep them away?” Scott Scott Carrlee Curator of Museum Services Alaska State Museums 1-888-913-6873<tel:1-888-913-6873> (Toll-free in Alaska) 907-465-4806<tel:907-465-4806> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of Pam Endzweig Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 9:19 AM To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Silverfish elimination I agree, environment is a critical factor. We had an indoor spike in silverfish once in the summer after power-washing the exterior wood shingles on our building. Nice dark damp places for silverfish to hide. The problem went away once the shingles dried. Pam Endzweig UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History Am 18.03.2015 um 20:38 schrieb Fiscus, Karen: We have been finding silverfish on some of our prints and in storage a storage room. What is the best way to get rid of them and keep them away? Karen Fiscus Gallery Assistant UHCL Art Gallery ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 ________________________________ -- Pamela E. Endzweig, Ph.D., RPA Director of Collections & Senior Research Associate Museum of Natural and Cultural History & State Museum of Anthropology 1224 University of Oregon / Eugene, OR 97403-1224 Ph 541-346-5120<tel:541-346-5120> / Fax 541-346-5334<tel:541-346-5334> ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 -- Kim H. Hanninen, Registrar Dennos Museum Center 1701 East Front Street Traverse City, Michigan 49686 p 231.995.1574<tel:231.995.1574> (direct) p 231.995-1055<tel:231.995-1055> f 231-995-1597<tel:231-995-1597> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> www.dennosmuseum.org<http://www.dennosmuseum.org> ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).