OMG; tarot-destroying bugs...

Yesterday, I was having a reorganization of my decks, as I recently found a new shelving unit which is perfect for tarot decks so I spent a heavenly Sunday sorting everything out. I have noticed for a while that ocassionally in my apartment, I see silverfish.

For those of you who don't know, a silverfish is a very common bug (not insect as it has many legs) which eats paper. Here is a picture of one; I'm warning, this picture is NOT for the feint-hearted!

I was aware of the danger, so I - who never kill insects -always made a point of killing one if I saw one. The house isn't infested, but maybe a couple of times a week I see one. they sometimes come up into the sink and cannot get out because of the slippery sides. I recently went to a house which had a lot of old books which the person was giving away and I saw at first hand the damage which a silverfish can do. You can see what they do to paper here. I didn't bring any book home from this house just for the record, I just made a mental note of "oohh.. that's what silverfish can do..."

They thrive in damp, dark places. My house is very light, gets glorious sun all day long and is not at all damp and is very clean.

However, I picked up my vintage 80s 1JJ Swiss set and saw that the box had been nibbled and gnawed. And it really wasn't like that last time I looked at it. I took it apart over the bidet (!) and a couple of silverfish fell out and a lot of grey dust/eggs? So of course panic sets in...

Everything - except my Transparent Tarot and the most industrially laminated US Games decks - is potentially at risk.

Imagine if ONE card was nibbled from the Bohemian Gothic Silver. Or ONE card from my Pamela B (unlaminated I have to add..) Vintage decks would I suppose be most at risk as they are not laminated like they are nowadays.

Does anyone know anything about these bugs? Have they discovered gregory's place yet?

Yikes!

I wonder is a piece of cedar in the storage box would repel them?

Oh dear! Maybe this link will be of some help:
http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-silverfish/

I can remember these from when I was little. I don't know which country we would have been living in but I know my mum occasionally waged bug wars which included silverfish. I never knew they eat paper!!! Eeeek


Here - could Gussie eat silverfish?

That is absolutely horrific.

Sounds like it's time to call the Orkin Man.

Oh lord. I think you've ruined my 1JJ forever. I shall never be brave enough to open that box again...

zan_chan said:

Oh lord. I think you've ruined my 1JJ forever. I shall never be brave enough to open that box again...

Click to expand...

Quick - send me all your decks and I'll have Gussie check them out for you

Wendywu said:

Quick - send me all your decks and I'll have Gussie check them out for you

Click to expand...

No joke - the thought of a war waging between silverfish and a tarantula IN MY DECKS just caused full body itch and twitching.

Why the &%#$ do I keep clicking on these threads about insects??! Even that smiley required me to type "bugeyed"!

Thank you for that link bodhran, but - as always - the conditions they always say that Silverfish thrive in are NOT the conditions in my house. No dampness whatsoever. No piles of wet leaves in the middle of the living room... Maybe they just got lost wandering outside? But once you get two, they breed and whatnot...

Silverfish are also common in the UK. I remember we used to see them there too.

All I want to hear is that someone here has had them and no they don't eat decks (come gregory and allay my fears!). Only boxes...Like I say, it isn't an infestation, but worrying nonetheless...

Freezing kills silverfish, but I don't know what freezing does to Tarot decks! I would certainly not do that with a rare deck, but you might try it w/ in-print, not-too-expensive decks and see what happens to them, if anything. If they're not damaged, it might be worth putting some of the more-expensive decks in the freezer too. Still don't think I'd do it w/ something vintage and unlaminated. Or modern and unlaminated. Just don't know. But freezing kills 'em.

Try opening each deck and laying the cards out in a dry, bright place for a while. Not sunlight, probably, in case it harms the cards. Silverfish can live in pretty arid environments, but all creatures need water and they may die if you leave the cards/boxes spread out so there's no crevice to escape to or any possibility of even the slightest humidity.

What else, what else. Um, got a vacuum pump? I used that to kill moths in my parakeet's birdseed - put the item in the pump, pump all the air out, leave it there overnight or a day or two. But my husband has a lot of science tools and gear so I don't know if other people have vacuum pumps lying around.

Cedar, of course, which will also smell nice. Nicer than pesticides! If you have an exterminator come in, take the cards OUT of the rooms being sprayed; the exterminator will get the critters out of the walls, floors, etc. and then you won't have more silverfish etc. getting into the cards. However, if you have the cards in the room being sprayed, they'll get pesticides on them. That could harm them and be unpleasant for you when you handle them.

That's as much as I can think of before breakfast. What a horrible story, good luck getting rid of the little bastards!

A frost free freezer would be safe, and is an excellent idea, 48 hours should do it because I used to put 50 pound bags of sunflower seeds in my freezer for 24 hours so the garage wouldn't get infested with the moths often found in the seed.

Do you have bug bombs there? We do this twice a year to our home, mostly for ladybugs, they are a plague upon us. Open all the closets and cupboards and drawers, set them off, and leave for 4 hours. Wipe down the counters and stove top when you return. If you've found them in your cards there are probably some in your books too.
Good luck