OMG; tarot-destroying bugs...

Hey Marina---you were asking what to do with those decks you don't like-----send them to Le Fanu for silverfish bait!

^ !

Off to get some cough medicine...and cedar wood for my storage Ottoman!

I now feel so very justified for my hatred of these bugs. They showed up every once in a while when I lived in an old Victorian house in San Jose. Knowing that they were after my tarot cards lessens any guilt I had about the foul demises they met with when I saw them.

I'd concur with the person who said it's time to call Orkin.

Edited to add: Or from that link it looks like lots of regular bug poisons will work on them as well. All is fair in love and war.

Thank you for the suggestions. I quite like the idea of an ecological approach, i.e ceder shavings and bay leaves, but what I really want is not having ANY in my house, not just "kept away" from my decks. I like Aulruna's suggestion. I really might keep that in mind; I could pay you for a couple of packs plus postage?

Marina said:

Store your decks in dry places, never inside dark forgotten cupboards.

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But this is the whole point; my decks are in very dry places. I would never put my decks in dark, forgotten cupboards! I don't understand why I don't have any of the ideal conditions for them and yet I keep seeing them scuttling and if I see 3, it means there are thirty . Surely tarot card material is not attractive for them? I'd be happy to have them nibble through my books if they would only leave my tarot decks alone! A lot of decks are in wooden chests which are not easy for these creatures to get into, but many are in their cardboard boxes on bookshelves. I keep thinking that the outer box for the 1JJ Swiss is more like old fashioned cardboard; what they make tarot card boxes out of now is a completely different type of cardboard. But god they have really gnawed my 1JJ Swiss outer box! Admittedly, the box was on the floor up against the skirting board/wainscot, but they can climb because there was a big juicy one on the ceiling last night which I had to spray at with insect spray. The outer box to my Alchemical is also looking a bit dodgy but it might have been like that when I received it, I can't be sure...

I don't quite know what to do. I think Aulruna's solution might be the best. I don't think we have anything like that here. Lisbon is a city with quite humid air because of the sea being so near. I wonder if it is this? plus when I go out, I always close all the shutters (and I'm out for most of the day), does that mean I am creating a dark environment? Would it be better to NOT shut the shutters?

Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Threads like this make me insanely nervous.

But at the same time, I'm glad for the warning . . . I will definitely be keeping more vigilant watch over my collection now.

Mostly all I ever see here is ants in the kitchen and roaches . . . well, wherever they want to go. The entire area/region is a roach pit, I kid you not. Everyone has them. No house is ever "clean" enough to keep them out. And on summer evenings, the ground is crawling with them outside. They especially love hot concrete on summer nights -- it is quite distressing to be out for a walk and realize that you are crunching roaches under your feet, literally, because there are hundreds of them on the sidewalk.

I used to have them at my other house I just moved out of in February. Never knew they ate paper and all. I think they're sooo disgusting, I always squashed them when I saw them. My house wasn't moist or dark either, but I did live by the woods and that was probably the reason I had them. I stopped hanging my laundry outside to dry there, because often they'd be clinging to my laundry by the time they dried, yech!! I know they don't fly, but I think they'd get in there from the wind? I have yet to see one in my new home. But it's been a very cold long winter here so who knows what will happen over the next few months. No woods close by like my last residence though, so maybe I luck out.

I had no idea silverfish ate paper & card! Must buy a metal cabinet ... maybe spray-paint & stencil it ...

Do woodlice eat card too? I know they eat cellulose & bits of wood ...
And what about dust mites? Or woodworm? (I try to hoover & clean often & thoroughly; but I don't use strong chemical cleaners with carcinogenic parabens, for allergy & health reasons.)
Help! Surging paranoia! < rushes off to check precious decks.>

Annabelle said:

Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Mostly all I ever see here is ants in the kitchen and roaches . . . well, wherever they want to go. The entire area/region is a roach pit, I kid you not. Everyone has them. No house is ever "clean" enough to keep them out. And on summer evenings, the ground is crawling with them outside. They especially love hot concrete on summer nights -- it is quite distressing to be out for a walk and realize that you are crunching roaches under your feet, literally, because there are hundreds of them on the sidewalk.

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Ooh... roaches !!
I will never forget them for as long as I live. I lived in Miami several years when I was growing up. They were everywhere, and my mom has always been a cleanfreak that I know it wasn't because the house wasn't clean enough. I remember having to go to the bathroom during the night barefeet and stepping on one. Yes you actually do hear them crunch (gag). And the time I saw one on my bed really close to me when I woke up. I can go on and on, but I won't. I am so glad I never see those disgusting creatures here. I'm sure they exist here, but I've never seen one in all the years I've been living here (THANK GOD!) Just thinking about them gives me the willies.

You can put anything made of paper in the freezer, it's safe, just make sure it's not damp because water expands when it turns into ice. Put it in a tight plastic bag and leave it in the freezer for three days, it kills most bugs, even those that usually survive the winter outside – because they are not used to deal with a sharp temperature drop like that. (Bonus tip for people living in places where winters are really cold: putting out the furniture and mats in the snow overnight kills moths and other unwanted guests.)

I've kept found feathers, century-old books, leather gloves, wood boxes, vintage hats and whatnot in my freezer. Sometimes forgetting them there for weeks, but better safe than sorry – I really hate bugs.

Keeping hats in your freezer is also great for making visiting friends confused.

Le Fanu said:

But this is the whole point; my decks are in very dry places. I would never put my decks in dark, forgotten cupboards! I don't understand why I don't have any of the ideal conditions for them and yet I keep seeing them scuttling and if I see 3, it means there are thirty .

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I'm sorry Le Fanu, I wasn't saying that you don't store well your decks. I'm sure you must be very careful - I was just giving general instructions to other people. The problem with the dark cupboards is not that they dark or forgotten, but that it's harder for you to notice if there are any silverfishes, mould or termites. Specially for those who have big collections, you cannot go through all your decks every week and check if they are OK - so keep them in place that you can see them. That's what I was talking about, I didn't mean to offend you

Le Fanu said:

Surely tarot card material is not attractive for them? I'd be happy to have them nibble through my books if they would only leave my tarot decks alone! A lot of decks are in wooden chests which are not easy for these creatures to get into, but many are in their cardboard boxes on bookshelves. I keep thinking that the outer box for the 1JJ Swiss is more like old fashioned cardboard; what they make tarot card boxes out of now is a completely different type of cardboard. But god they have really gnawed my 1JJ Swiss outer box!

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A common mistake that many people make is to mistake silverfishes for termites. Silverfishes nibble things that are easy to reach and easy to chew. So if your tarot is stored in place near their silverfishey-home, has a soft cardbox that can be easily eaten away and lack any lamination... they may be tempted. But they won't search for decks if you have an easy paperback laying around. And more importantly, they won't eat entire decks or books - they'll nibble the corners and the weakest parts of them, because they don't have the strength to bite stronger things. Silverfishes are the ones that leave the edges of the pages of old books with a "lace-like" appearance - irregular and full of tiny holes. If the cover of the book is slightly laminated, they won't like it. They prefer frail paper, easy to nibble.

That's why they chose your 1JJ box - because it was available to reach, and it was easy to eat. If you had, lets say, a slightly laminated box, they could perhaps eat a bit of the edges, but would quickly give up and move to something easier. They are lazy creatures.

Termites, on the other hand, will make a hole from cover to cover in a paperback. When I worked in the used bookstore, I saw books with laminated soft covers that had holes on the inside - big holes. They made this big hole inside a copy of Anne Rice's "The Witching Hour" - and that's a thick book! The only thing I rarely saw them attack was hardcovers.
They are much more aggressive, because they will really eat your furniture and anything edible in it. On the other hand, they are much easier to spot than silverfishes.

It's not your city or your home that has any problem - these creatures are everywhere. And they are attracted by what they can eat. I'd suggest the following: remove your decks from where they are temporarily, spray the place with insecticide in every corner an hidden spot (including drains and under the furniture), keep the windows and door open for a day or two (a sunny day, preferably). When the smell of the pesticide is gone, put your decks back in. Insecticides they don't just kills the insects living in your home, but also keep them away for a while.

Make sure you don't stay in the room after spraying it, because it could be bad for you.

It's best if you can hire a specialized company to do that for you, because their insecticides have more long-lasting effects. The poison doesn't damage the books (we have our home sprayed once an year and no book or deck of mine was ever damaged), but you may want to pack your most precious and/or frail decks away, just in case.