Will the exterminator exterminate my comics?

[Golon9977]

OK this may sound like a stupid question but just humour me please :p

I keep my collection inside the garage. There have been a lot of bugs crawling around so we are going to hire an eterminator. Do the chemicals they use to kill bugs in anyway damage comic books? I keep them in regular comic book bags, boards and boxes.

[Jeff Brady]

It would be a good idea to remove the comics from your garage before the exterminator gets there.

[OzBat!]

Will the exterminator exterminate my comics? Yes. You should give them all to me for safe keeping, immediately.

[Perry Holley]

Licensed pest control technician here.

As long as your books are bagged and in boxes, you shouldn't have any problems. At most, he might spray along the outside of the boxes, which would dry relatively shortly, and not get inside the boxes to damage the comics. More likely, he'll just spray along the corners of the garage, and treat outside so as to prevent any critters from coming in. I suppose there's a chance he might set off an fogger but a) they don't do that much good in the long term, and b) as long as your books are bagged and in boxes, they'll be okay.

At some point, you may want to go through your boxes and make sure that there's nothing nesting in there.

What type of critters are you having problems with, if you don't mind me asking?

[Golon9977]

Licensed pest control technician here.

As long as your books are bagged and in boxes, you shouldn't have any problems. At most, he might spray along the outside of the boxes, which would dry relatively shortly, and not get inside the boxes to damage the comics. More likely, he'll just spray along the corners of the garage, and treat outside so as to prevent any critters from coming in. I suppose there's a chance he might set off an fogger but a) they don't do that much good in the long term, and b) as long as your books are bagged and in boxes, they'll be okay.

At some point, you may want to go through your boxes and make sure that there's nothing nesting in there.

What type of critters are you having problems with, if you don't mind me asking?

Im not sure what kind of critters other than insects. I see several spiders but Im not concerned about those. I do see a lot of little dots that look like droppings on top of the lids. I dont know who is pooing on my comics :( But its my roomate that wants the exterminator to come. She saw a 'yellow centipede thats bigger than a centipede' that freaked her out

[Perry Holley]

I do see a lot of little dots that look like droppings on top of the lids. I dont know who is pooing on my comics :( Without actually looking at it, that sounds like it might be German Roaches. The cardboard of the boxes, with all it's corners and crevacies, might be a good harborage area for them.

It's time consuming, but you might want to go through your boxes, pull out all the comics, and make sure there's nothing hiding in there.

[Spike-X]

Only the ones with Spider-Man or Ant Man will be affected.

[Perry Holley]

Only the ones with Spider-Man or Ant Man will be affected.Don't forget Blue Beetle.

[Golon9977]

Anyone know if insects poop? Ridiculious question I know but I am curious what those little dots are.

[OzBat!]

The guy whose job it is to investigate insect poop gave you a casual estimation just up above. German Roaches.

[Golon9977]

The guy whose job it is to investigate insect poop gave you a casual estimation just up above. German Roaches.
i thought the ID of 'yellow centipede thats bigger than a centipede' was the german roach, not the little dots.

[Golon9977]

So I checked for any nests like Perry Holley advised. Did not find any 'yellow centipede thats bigger than a centipede' but I found tons of crickets underneath the boxes and behind the boxes. What do you guys do to keep critters away from your books?

[Jeff Brady]

What do you guys do to keep critters away from your books?

After all the horror stories I've heard, I wouldn't keep comics in a garage.

[Golon9977]

After all the horror stories I've heard, I wouldn't keep comics in a garage.
Elaborate on the horror stories if you don't mind.

Also, where do you keep your comics? I have too many. I don't want to sell them and the garage is the only place to keep them.

[Jeff Brady]

The garage Fabian kept his comics in recently flooded, destroying them all. Fires, infestations, chemical spills, etc.

I keep mine in my room. My trades are on bookshelves in the living room. Half of my comic boxes are stacked up in a nook next to my closet. The other half are under my bed. I recently bought bed lifts/risers, so the boxes have enough clearance.

[Perry Holley]

i thought the ID of 'yellow centipede thats bigger than a centipede' was the german roach, not the little dots.No, I was IDing the little black dots; it sounded (without having any other info to go on) like roach poop to me. I suppose it could be cricket poop, but that's something I'm less familiar with.

And I'll second Jeff's recomendation of getting the comics out of the garage. If nothing else, the frequent changes in humidity can't be doing your comics any good.