Exibir código-fonte para Bookworm (insect)

{{short description|Any insect that is said to bore through books}}
[[File:Bookworm damage on Errata page.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Pages riddled with bookworm damage on [[Errata]]]]
[[File:Bookworm traces.JPG|thumb|Traces of a bookworm in a book]]
[[File:Bookworm Grub and the damage done.jpg|thumb|A bookworm / beetle grub found inside a paperback book, showing some of the damage it has wrought]]

'''Bookworm''' is a general name for any [[insect]] that is said to bore through [[book]]s.<ref name=britannica>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/bookworm|title=Bookworm insect|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]], inc.|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Distillations">{{cite journal|last1= Wiener|first1=Ann Elizabeth |title=What's That Smell You're Reading? |url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/whats-that-smell-youre-reading |journal=Distillations |date=2018|volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=36–39|access-date=July 11, 2018 }}</ref>

The damage to books that is commonly attributed to "bookworms" is, in truth, not caused by any species of [[worm]]. Often, the [[larva]]e of various types of insects including [[beetle]]s, [[moth]]s and [[cockroach]]es, which may bore or chew through books seeking food, are responsible. Some such larvae exhibit a superficial resemblance to worms and are the likely inspiration for the term, though they are not true worms. In other cases, [[termite]]s, [[carpenter ant]]s, and [[woodboring beetle]]s will first infest wooden bookshelves and later feed on books placed upon the shelves, attracted by the [[Pulp (paper)|wood-pulp]] [[paper]] used in most commercial book production.

True book-borers are uncommon. The primary food sources for many "bookworms" are the leather or cloth bindings of a book, the glue used in the binding process, or molds and fungi that grow on or inside books. When the pages themselves are attacked, a gradual encroachment across the surface of one page or a small number of pages is typical, rather than the boring of holes through the entire book (see images on right).<ref name="Cornell" />

The term has come to have a second, idiomatic use, indicative of a person who reads a great deal or to perceived excess: someone who devours books [[metaphor]]ically.

== Booklice ==
{{Main|Psocoptera}}
[[File:Book louse 03.JPG|thumb|A booklouse]]
The '''booklouse''', also known as a '''paperlouse''', is a soft-bodied, wingless insect in the order [[Psocoptera]] (usually ''[[Trogium pulsatorium]]''), typically 1&nbsp;mm or less in length. Booklice feed on microscopic [[Mold (fungus)|mold]]s and other organic matter found in or on aging items that have been stored in places that lack the climate control necessary to inhibit organic growth. Areas of archives, libraries, and museums that are cool, damp, dark, and generally undisturbed are common sites for such growth, generating a food source which subsequently attracts booklice. Booklice will also attack bindings, glue, and paper.

Despite their name, booklice are not considered to be true [[Louse|lice]], as they do not feed on a living host.

By the 20th century, bookbinding materials had developed a high resistance against damage by various types of book-boring insects.<ref>{{cite book|last=Murray|first=Stuart|title=The Library: An Illustrated History|year=2009|publisher=[[Skyhorse Publishing]]|location=New York, NY|page=198}}</ref> Many museums and archives in possession of materials vulnerable to booklouse damage employ pest control methods to manage existing infestations and make use of climate control to prevent the growth of potential booklouse food sources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colonialpest.com/bugs-that-eat-books/|title=Bugs That Eat Books!|publisher=Colonial Pest Control Inc.|access-date=April 6, 2018|date=2013-03-21}}</ref>

==Other book-eating insects==

===Beetles===
Of the quarter million species of beetles, some adults damage books by eating paper and binding materials themselves.  However, their larvae do the most damage. Typically eggs are laid on the book's edges and spine.  Upon hatching, they bore into, and sometimes even through, the book.<ref name="Cornell" />
[[File:Drugstore beetle 02.jpg|thumb|Drugstore beetle]]

====[[Ptinidae|Woodboring beetles]]====
*[[Common furniture beetle]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/woodworm/woodworm.htm|title=Woodworm Anobium Punctatum|publisher=buildingconservation.com|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>
*[[Deathwatch beetle]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/deathwatch-beetle|title=Deathwatch beetle|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]], inc.|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>
*The genus ''[[Gastrallus]]''
*[[Gastrallus indicus|Indian bookworm beetle]]
*[[Ptinus tectus|Australian spider beetle]]
*[[Lasioderma serricorne|Cigarette beetle]]<ref name="ufl drugstore beetle">{{cite web|url=http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/stored/drugstore_beetle.htm|title=Drugstore beetle|publisher=[[University of Florida]]|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>
*[[Drugstore beetle]]<ref name="ufl drugstore beetle" />

====[[Bostrichidae|Auger beetles]]====
*[[Rhyzopertha|Lesser grain borer]]

====[[Cerambycidae|Long horned beetles]]====
*[[Hylotrupes|House longhorn beetle]]

====[[Cucujidae|Bark beetles]]====
*[[Laemophloeidae|Flat bark beetle]]
*[[Oryzaephilus mercator|Merchant beetle]]
*[[Oryzaephilus surinamensis|Sawtoothed grain beetle]]

====[[Curculionidae|True weevils]]====
*[[Rice weevil]]
*[[Wheat weevil]]
 [[File:CSIRO ScienceImage 2899 Larvae stage of a museum beetle Anthrenus museorum.jpg|thumb|Larval stage of the museum beetle ''Anthrenus museorum'']]

====[[Dermestidae|Skin beetles]]====
These beetles have been known to feed on leather bindings.
*[[Anthrenus flavipes|Furniture carpet beetle]]
*[[Anthrenus museorum|Museum beetle]]
*[[Anthrenus scrophulariae|Common carpet beetle]]
*[[Varied carpet beetle]]
*[[Attagenus pellio|Fur beetle]]
*[[Black carpet beetle]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/black-carpet-beetle|title=Black Carpet Beetle|publisher=[[Penn State]]|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>
*''[[Dermestes coarctatus]]''
*[[Dermestes lardarius|Larder beetle]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/storage-entrepose/sip-irs/lb-dl-eng.htm|title=Larder beetle|publisher=Canadian Grain Commission|access-date=April 6, 2018|date=2013-08-30}}</ref> 
*''[[Dermestes maculatus]]''
*''[[Dermestes vorax]]''
*[[Khapra beetle]]
*''[[Reesa]]''
*''[[Trogoderma versicolor]]''
*[[Thylodrias|Odd beetle]]

====[[Powderpost beetle]]s====
*[[Lyctus africanus|African powderpost beetle]]
*[[Lyctus brunneus|Brown powderpost beetle]] 
*[[Lyctus planicollis|Black powderpost beetle]]

====[[Darkling beetle]]s====
*[[Confused flour beetle]]
*[[Destructive flour beetle]]
*[[Tenebrio obscurus|Dark mealworm beetle]]
*[[Mealworm]]
*[[Red flour beetle]]

===Termites===
Termites are the most devastating type of book eating pest. They will eat almost every part of a book including paper, cloth, and cardboard, not to mention the damage that can be done to shelves. Termites can make entire collections unusable before the infestation is even noticed.<ref name="Cornell" />
*[[Cryptotermes brevis|Powderpost termite]]
*[[Incisitermes minor|Western drywood termite]]
[[File:Hercules Ant (Camponotus herculeanus).jpg|thumb|Hercules Ant (''Camponotus herculeanus'')]]

===Ants===
Some species of ants can damage books in a way that is similar to termites.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harbison |first1=Brad |title=A Termite-Damaged Book…Or Is It? |url=https://www.pctonline.com/article/termite-damaged-book-henry-fox/ |website=Pest Control Technology |access-date=20 June 2019 |language=en |date=4 August 2015}}</ref>
*[[Black carpenter ant]]
*''[[Camponotus obscuripes]]''
*[[Camponotus herculeanus|Hercules ant]]

===Moths===
Moths that feed on cloth will also feed on bookbindings, decaying organic material (which includes paper), and mold.

====[[Tineidae|Fungus moths]]====
*[[Carpet moth]]
*[[Tinea pellionella|Case-bearing clothes moth]]
*[[Tineola bisselliella|Clothing moth]] [[File:Tineola bisselliella E-MK-17521a.jpg|thumb|''Tineola bisselliella'', common clothing moth]]

====[[Pyralidae|Pyralid moths]]====
*[[Mediterranean flour moth]]
*[[Indianmeal moth]]
*[[Ephestia elutella|Warehouse moth]]

====[[Oecophoridae|Concealer moths]]====
*[[Hofmannophila pseudospretella|brown house moth]]<ref name=controllingpests>{{cite web|url=https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pest-insects/identifying-and-controlling-clothes-moths-carpet-beetles-and-silver%EF%AC%81sh|title=Identifying and controlling clothes moths, carpet beetles and silverﬁsh|publisher=Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/storage-entrepose/sip-irs/bhm-tds-eng.htm|title=Brown house moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Stainton)|publisher=Canadian Grain Commission|access-date=April 6, 2018|date=2013-08-30}}</ref>

===Cockroaches===
Bookdamaging cockroach species chew away at the starch in cloth bindings and paper. Their droppings can also harm books.<ref name="Cornell" />

====[[Ectobiidae|Wood cockroaches]]====
*[[German cockroach]]

====[[Blattidae|Household cockroaches]]====
*[[American cockroach]]
*[[Oriental cockroach]]
*[[Smokybrown cockroach]]
*[[Australian cockroach]]<ref name="Cornell">{{cite web |title=Pest Control {{!}} Library Preservation and Conservation Tutorial |url=https://chinapreservationtutorial.library.cornell.edu/content/pest-control |website=Cornell University Library |access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref>

===[[Thysanura]]===
These insects consume portions of books that contain [[polysaccharide]]s. Paper that is slightly ragged at the edges is usually the work of silverfish.<ref name="Cornell" /><ref name=controllingpests/>
[[File:LepismaSaccharina.jpg|thumb|Silverfish (''Lepisma saccharina'')]]

====[[Lepismatidae]]====
*[[Firebrat]]<ref name="Thomas">{{cite web |url=http://www.midwestmuseums.spnhc.org/media/assets/cofo_1992_V8N2.pdf#page=3 |page=3 |title=A Review of Published Temperatures for the Control of Pest Insects in Museums |first1=Thomas J. K. |last1=Strang }}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
*[[Silverfish]]
[[File:Thermobia domesticae - Firebrat.jpg|thumb|''Thermobia domestica'', firebrat]]

===[[Pseudoscorpions]]===
*''[[Chelifer cancroides]]''
<ref>{{cite web |last1=Crew |first1=Bec |title=How Book Scorpions Tend to Your Dusty Tomes |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/how-book-scorpions-tend-to-your-dusty-tomes |website=Scientific American |access-date=20 June 2019 |language=en |date=August 25, 2014}}</ref>

==Management==
[[Pesticide|Pesticides]] can be used to protect books from these insects, but they are often made with harsh chemicals that make them an unattractive option. Museums and universities that want to keep their archives bookworm free without using pesticides often turn towards temperature control. Books can be stored at low temperatures that keep eggs from hatching, or placed in a deep-freezer to kill larvae and adults. The idea was taken from commercial food storage practices, as they are often dealing with the same pests.
<ref name="Thomas" /><ref>[https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/rest.1984.6.issue-3-4/rest.1984.6.3-4.147/rest.1984.6.3-4.147.xml The Yale Non-toxic Method of Eradicating Book-eating Insects by Deep-freezing] Kenneth Nesheim</ref>

==Idiom==
The term is also used [[idiom]]atically to describe an avid or voracious reader,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/bookworm |title=Bookworm|publisher=Lexico |work=[[Oxford English Dictionary]] |access-date=June 19, 2019}}</ref> or a [[bibliophile]]. In its earliest iterations, it had a negative [[connotation]], referring to someone who would rather read than participate in the world around them. Over the years its meaning has drifted in a more positive direction.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/is-the-meaning-of-bookworm-positive-or-negative |title=Is 'bookworm' positive or negative? |publisher=[[Merriam Webster]] |access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Bibliomania]]
*[[Book collecting]]
*[[Tsundoku]]

==References==

===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
{{Commons category|Bookworms}}{{wiktionary|Bookworm}}
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=WE08AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=book+worms&hl=en&ei=kpAGTbXGHoO2sAP4yfz6Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFIQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=book%20worms&f=false, "John Francis Xavier O'Conor, Facts about bookworms: their history in literature and work in libraries (New York: Francis P. Harper, 1898.)]
*Dr. John V. Richardson Jr., PhD.[http://jvrichardsonjr.net/insects/pests.htm "Bookworms: The Most Common Insect Pests of Paper in Archives, Libraries, and Museums"].
*[http://www.termite.com.au/borers-pest-control.html "Timber Borers – Anobium & Lyctus Borers"]
*[http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0008/000821/082141eo.pdf "Study on integrated pest management for libraries and archives" – prepared by Thomas A Parker for the General Information Programme and UNISIST (Paris: Unesco, 1988)]

{{Book collecting}}
{{Books}}

{{Subject bar |portal1= Books |portal2= Literature |portal3= Education}}
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[[Category:Book terminology]]
[[Category:Books]]
[[Category:Insect common names]]
[[Category:Pest insects]]