Hi all- I have a problem with pill and sow bugs coming inside a portion of our library. The area on the exterior has a drain at the bottom of a cement stairwell, which leads to an old wooden door. The door enters an area of our manuscripts processing area and they are inundated with these pill and sow bugs - two large sticky traps can be filled in a week's time. A sweep has been applied, but because of the age of the door, the sweep does not work well enough. The drain cannot be closed off. Maintenance is unreliable around here and I don't expect that the drain will be well cleaned any time soon.
I took the drain cover off of the drain and saw that there are sow and pill bugs in the drain. This is definitely the source of the problem. My question is this: can I put Diatomaceous Earth in and around the drain on the exterior and will it help the problem? Would putting the same underneath the door and the path leading to the door help as well? I just need a way to dry up the drain that won't hurt anybody or anything but the pill and sow bugs. Will this be effective? Or does anyone have any other suggestions? Many thanks, Tara *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Tara D. Kennedy Preservation Field Services Librarian Preservation Department Yale University Sterling Memorial Library 130 Wall Street New Haven, CT 06511 (203) 432-4335 (Voice) (203) 432-9900 (FAX) [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> "let me help you help your library!"
