Hey there,
Soon I’ll be moving and I have a lot of books.
The apartment I’m leaving came with paper fish and I would love to leave them there.
I’ve been given to understand that freezing items below -15 C (5 f) for extended periods of times will kill the eggs, nymphs and adult specimen.
My freezer handles -18 C (-0.4 f), so I was hoping to use it to “sterilise” my books with a cold treatment (48 hours?) before moving them to the new place.
My biggest worry is damaging my books! I’ve read through internet discussions about putting them in ziplocks and including silica packages to deal with the moisture, but little to now follow up on its effectiveness.
Does anyone have advice on this? How can I freeze my books while minimising or preventing any damage due to freezing/thawing and wetness?
Other tips and methods are welcome to!
The paper fish have been driving me crazy and I since I have hundreds of books this will be quite an undertaking.
Has an entomologist confirmed that freezing for 48 hours will actually kill the eggs, nymphs, and adults? I worked at a dietary supplement company and freeze treatments did not work for us. Good luck to you though and I hope you find a solution!
Can’t you use the zip lock bags to vacuum seal your books instead?
Literally remove all the oxygen from the bag and leave it for 2 weeks - I’m pretty sure most living things wouldn’t be able to survive without oxygen.