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by pedalpete 334 days ago
I'm dealing with a carpet beetle infestation at my house which is eating my furniture (natural fibres and horse hair).

Insecticides will damage the natural fibers. The risk is that they damage the books more than the beetles would.

Insecticide or desiccants directly on the books, for example the natural adhesives, could cause the adhesive to crack, destroying the book.

I wish I could do this sealed nitrogen process. At the moment, it's spraying cedar wood with lavender and sticking into the less accessible places where the beetles are likely burrowing, and vaccuuming regularly.

1 comments

You should try diatomaceous earth, it gets rid of anything with an exoskeleton and is even food safe. Just don’t breathe it in or get it in your eyes. It takes a while to settle from the air if you use a bellows type applicator.
Thanks. This is the next step, but I was told not to use it indoors. Maybe that isn't correct.