How To Get Rid Of Termites In Books

YOU ARE READING: How To Get Rid Of Termites In Books – 5 Easy Steps AT PhebinhvanhocEN

termites love to devour books. it’s the easiest thing they can chew.

Books contain a lot of cellulose, which makes them a favorite food for termites.

but termites eating your books are a sign of a big problem.

This is a sign that the termite infestation is deeply entrenched in your home. you should take immediate action by contacting a pest control specialist.

However, in this post, we’ll give you a few steps you can take right away to get rid of termites on your books.

These steps will help stop the spread of termites to other nearby books and furniture.

Here’s how to get rid of termites in books in 5 easy steps.

Step #1: Look for signs of termite infestation in your books

Fortunately, termite infestation in books is visible fairly quickly and early. It doesn’t take months to notice the infestation like it does with furniture.

here are the signs of termite infestation in books –

book pages become dry and yellowish.
page edges and book cover become uneven.
holes in the pages.
holes in the pages.
li>
grainy or gritty dust-like layer on the pages.
veins or tunnel-like structures in or around the books.

Step #2: Empty the shelf to thoroughly clean the shelf of termites and termite droppings.

It’s time to clean the bookshelf of termites so that it doesn’t spread to other books.

If your bookcase is made of wood, it is likely that termites have already infested the bookcase.

Remove all the books from the shelf. grab a vacuum and clean the bookshelf.

After vacuuming, use a termite spray (like this one) to spray the entire shelf.

Before that, check if the shelf sticks to the wall. if so, remove it from the wall before using the spray.

spray it on all corners of the shelf, especially the back and legs of the shelf.

An excellent alternative to termite spray is kerosene. kerosene is effective against termite infestation.

You can use a cloth soaked in kerosene and clean the shelf with it.

Step #3: Look for termite entry points on the shelf to seal those points.

The next step is to close the termite entry points. how do you find the entry points?

Check the shelf for holes or dents. these are the termites’ entry points or exit points for dropping their colony droppings.

Use a suitable quality sealant, such as this one, to seal those entry points.

but don’t forget to check the back of the bookshelf. if the shelf sticks to the wall, remove it to check for holes in the back of the shelf.

Most of the time, termites invade the shelf from the wall or floor.

so look for signs that point you to termite entry points. if you see any, use termite spray on those holes and bumps before sealing them.

once you finish spraying and sealing, let the shelf dry for a while.

In the meantime, let’s focus on the termites that live inside books.

Step #4: Let the books dry in the sun to protect them from termites

leaving books in the sun is one of the best ways to kill book termites.

dust the books with a brush. then keep them under the sun.

don’t store books as they are in the sun. keep them open. it will expose the pages to the sun’s rays which will prevent termites from feeding on the books.

leave the books in the sunlight for 2-3 hours. keep turning the pages from time to time so that the sunlight reaches all areas of the books.

but what if you don’t have the sun shining bright? heat is a good termite repellent.

then you can use a press iron on the books to get rid of any termites trapped inside.

but make sure you don’t keep the iron pages on different parts of the pages for more than 10-15 seconds. otherwise, you may burn the pages.

Step #5: Use a termite spray on the books as a final blow to kill any leftover termites

The final step is to use a termite spray on the books to kill any remaining termites. use termite spray sparingly. do not flood your books with the spray. otherwise, the spray will severely damage the books.

We do not recommend using kerosene or gasoline on books because they stain the book pages, shrink them, and dry them out.

If there are books severely damaged by termites, then it is better to throw them away. keeping them on the shelf can attract more termites.

should you keep the books on the same shelf you cleaned?

you can. but like we said, this is a stopgap solution to get rid of termites from your books.

termite infestation in books is a sign of serious infestation.

indicates that you need immediate help. It would be best if you contact a pest control specialist for a whole house anti-termite treatment.

You should also know that the termites that infest your books are subterranean termites.

These termites enter your home from the ground, especially by drilling into your home’s foundation. once inside your house, they destroy your furniture, walls, clothes and books.

So, if termites have infested your books, hire a pest control specialist as soon as possible and have your entire home treated for termite infestation.

conclusion

To conclude, here is a 5 step process on how to get rid of termites in books –

Look for signs of termite infestation in books.
Empty shelf to clean of termites and termite droppings.
Look for termite entry points on shelf. shelf to seal those spots.
let the books dry in the sun to keep any termites trapped in the books away.
use a termite spray on the books as a final blow to kill any termite debris.

Do you want to know what termites eat and destroy in your home so you can protect your home from termite invasion?

If so, check out our post on what termites do and don’t eat.

Other content

How To Get Rid Of Termites In Books – 5 Easy Steps