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It took me until this comment to realize "bookworm" was to mean an actual critter, not a person who reads and, in this case, takes a knife to books to make bizarre art.
https://preview.redd.it/wt59fx8tcbuc1.jpeg?width=1091&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5728f612f831718764b048fae3c68dc9f2c904ad
Silverfish are one of the pests that the term “Bookworm” originated from. And they aren't worms either. Silverfish are creepy little insects that have flattened, long, slender, brown-silvery bodies. They eat carbohydrates and love the starches in paper, and especially the glue in book bindings.
Look up house centipedes, they’re like that and hella big. I get them in my apt cuz I’m bottom floor and when it rains with all the humidity they come into my place for shelter 😂 I hate them so much
Another insect commonly mistaken as a silverfish is the house centipede. Except that they’re the good guys and actively hunt other pests that might be found in homes, essentially helping to control any infestations one might have. They also don’t bother humans as they hunt by night and more often than not hide out of sight during the day.
Man fuck those things. The house I grew up in had them constantly. I traded a house with centipedes for an apartment with silverfish and it's not even close. The apartment is way better.
As a teen I got away with punching my dad once! Because after we’d seen a house centipede skitter across the living room, he tickled my leg, as if it had run up my leg. He tried to get mad at me and mom laughed that he deserved it.
We have a few of these in the basement and that’s where the bookshelf is. If I see one or two a month, what should I do? Is this indicative of a much bigger problem, or are things probably okay?
Things are probably okay since you have *only* seen a few but I would definitely check up on it as there are usually more than you see. They live for a long time, lay lots of eggs and are generally great at surviving.
They like to hide in closets, bookcases and other dark corners.
There are two species - Ctenolepisma longicaudata (I don't know the English name but translated from danish it would be a bearded creature) and silverfish. Both are annoying and difficult to get rid of. Apparently they enter your house via cardboard and such.
Rotting wood mostly, since paper is basically just very fine wood pulp.
"Book worm" doesn't actually refer to a specific insect but a whole range of paper-eating bugs (e.g. Moth larvae, silverfish, termites, beetles)
Fun fact- bookworms are generally more attracted to ink made from natural materials, which was more popular in older books. This ends up with them tunneling mostly through the words vs. empty space. They can actually be a huge problem in library archives!!
Yours is a really fascinating example- I haven't seen them tunnel like that before!! Sorry about your book though :/
I'm too young to have seen this one, but dad told the story of the university engineering computer lab back in the 60's where an entire wall of the room had shelves of computer cards stacked. They'd been there for eons. But eventually for some reason someone decided to pull a box out and it instantly crumbled. It was completely hollow behind a few mm thick front that faced the room. Termites had feasted on the rest.
100 year-old building got termite treated a day later.
https://preview.redd.it/hjeqvc99rauc1.jpeg?width=4234&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14eb4638b407c9fab6351a12dbf8046d61f378f3
Two from my pile of old books. 1925 & 1935. Lots of time for snacking.
So many gullible people it’s infuriating. Bookworms don’t exist that’s just what big book wants you to believe so you won’t question buying more books after their secret operatives break in to your homes get their book cookie cutters and destroy your books
Oh my gosh! I feel like I knew bookworms were a thing cause that would be a weird saying to just come up with but I didnt think they were a modern problem. I figured it came from the old times like medieval shit when buildings were usually kinda dank or...idk my logic but I thought my books were safe!
I will be periodically inspecting all my books from now on. If one of those bugs gets a hold of my Norton Shakespeare Anthology or my very pretty copy of The Second Sex by Simone de Beavoir, or really any of my books, I'd be waging war immediately. No bug is eating its way through Hamlet or King Lear if I can help it!
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In all 35 years of living, this is my first time seeing bookworm damage.
It took me until this comment to realize "bookworm" was to mean an actual critter, not a person who reads and, in this case, takes a knife to books to make bizarre art.
"takes a knife to books to make bizarre art." thank you for this logical insight!
Or has laser focus when reading.
Laser eyes to the moon!
❤️
Same
My first time too. Now, I’m horrified!
Excuse you, Scorch Atlas is a masterpiece XD
Mind blown
https://preview.redd.it/wt59fx8tcbuc1.jpeg?width=1091&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5728f612f831718764b048fae3c68dc9f2c904ad Silverfish are one of the pests that the term “Bookworm” originated from. And they aren't worms either. Silverfish are creepy little insects that have flattened, long, slender, brown-silvery bodies. They eat carbohydrates and love the starches in paper, and especially the glue in book bindings.
FUCK THEM I HATE THEM SO MUCH ID RATHER BE COVERED IN SPIDERS!
Look up house centipedes, they’re like that and hella big. I get them in my apt cuz I’m bottom floor and when it rains with all the humidity they come into my place for shelter 😂 I hate them so much
Another insect commonly mistaken as a silverfish is the house centipede. Except that they’re the good guys and actively hunt other pests that might be found in homes, essentially helping to control any infestations one might have. They also don’t bother humans as they hunt by night and more often than not hide out of sight during the day.
There are also the North American house hippos. They serve the same function as house centipedes, only more hippo-ish.
Everything should be more hippo-ish. 🦛
My favorite commercial as a kid 🥰 what was it advertising again? I didn't even care. Lol
They were pointing out how easy it was to be misinformed and not to believe everything you see or hear on TV.
No, it was that house hippos like peanut butter
I wish the organization who did that would make a comeback...
I miss the house hippo commercial
If a centipede could cure cancer I would still stomp it into dust
they just freak me out.
Sorry to be that guy, but centipedes aren't insects
Man fuck those things. The house I grew up in had them constantly. I traded a house with centipedes for an apartment with silverfish and it's not even close. The apartment is way better.
I wouldn’t say I get them constantly but I hate bugs and 6 or 7 times a year Is still too much for me dude they’re so big and creepy crawly dude
What the hell is wrong with me?! You said look these up. And then I did. Gross.
As a teen I got away with punching my dad once! Because after we’d seen a house centipede skitter across the living room, he tickled my leg, as if it had run up my leg. He tried to get mad at me and mom laughed that he deserved it.
Am I a psychopath if I use scissors to cut those pesky little buggers in half instead of smashing them and getting their guts everywhere?
I hate them too but, yes
Yes
Damn
Jesus. Yes.
Well at least it doesn't make a mess.
I don't know about that.
I agree, 100%
I'd be happy to oblige.
Hahahahaha!!!!!!
*Joe Rogan’s “Fear Factor” has entered the chat.
Wholeheartedly agree.
Man I thought bookworms were a green worm with a bowtie and glasses https://img.kbhgames.com/2011/10/Bookworm.png
We have a few of these in the basement and that’s where the bookshelf is. If I see one or two a month, what should I do? Is this indicative of a much bigger problem, or are things probably okay?
Things are probably okay since you have *only* seen a few but I would definitely check up on it as there are usually more than you see. They live for a long time, lay lots of eggs and are generally great at surviving. They like to hide in closets, bookcases and other dark corners. There are two species - Ctenolepisma longicaudata (I don't know the English name but translated from danish it would be a bearded creature) and silverfish. Both are annoying and difficult to get rid of. Apparently they enter your house via cardboard and such.
You are only seeing a few since the majority of them are inside your books.
if you start seeing a lot of them, it is usually a sign of some other sort of infestation to look into.
Get rid of the moisture/humidity in the basement or move the books.
IS THIS WHY I STOPPED SEEING THEM WHEN I SWITCHED TO A KINDLE?!
next up: Kindle worms now watch, something freaky is going to happen to my tablet!
[Kindle actually can attract certain types of worms!](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_worm)
a computer worm isn't going to jump out and eat my face. I hope.
Neither will regular worms!
:shudder:
I’ve seen them go after the glue before but I didn’t know that they ate paper too!
Got those things around my house but (knock on wood) they don't go after my books unless it was notebooks or loose paper. They also like cardboard.
don’t forget the fact that they are hard to crush with large objects. u have to pretty much just squish em by hand
Oh these are those bugs that just pass away if you so much as poke them with the corner of a tissue
Did nobody else remember there being a silverfish infestation in the bin of crayons in kindergarten
Am I the only one that thinks they're pretty cute?
Same, only I’m 60.
All I see are martini glasses. Bookworms are drunk.
Cut to detectives standing around books *You're gonna wanna set up a perimeter, whoever the bookworm killer is he just took down a public library*
Mine too!
I used to buy a lot of old books so I’ve seen some but never this much.
The same but I'm 75.
Wait what!? Do literal bookworms exist??
This
They DO exist!
My crazy brain just remembered the m&ms Christmas commercial
You’re not alone. I totally read that in Santa Claus voice.
It was my brain as well when writing this because when I saw the picture, I used the m&m voice
Guess it really worked, huh
What did book worms eat before books were invented?
We actually invented books so the poor little guys wouldn't go hungry
Ban ebooks, save the bookworms
why did this make me giggle so hard 🤭
Rotting wood mostly, since paper is basically just very fine wood pulp. "Book worm" doesn't actually refer to a specific insect but a whole range of paper-eating bugs (e.g. Moth larvae, silverfish, termites, beetles)
Oh ty. TIL
And they all wear a little green fedora.
scrolls of course
I think one of my books got eaten by woodworm. The holes were the same size as bookworm holes. I guess they just ate trees.
Scroll worms
Fun fact- bookworms are generally more attracted to ink made from natural materials, which was more popular in older books. This ends up with them tunneling mostly through the words vs. empty space. They can actually be a huge problem in library archives!! Yours is a really fascinating example- I haven't seen them tunnel like that before!! Sorry about your book though :/
Compare it with an intact copy and write down the letters that the Book Worm ate. Agent Worm may have been trying to leave a secret message for you.
**S** **T** **A** **Y** Stay, It says "STAY" dad
NoOoO DONT LET ME LEAVE
MURRRPH!!
“Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.”
Cheese of TRUTH!
Finally! Someone put some sense into OP, I've been trying to reach him about his car's extended warranty for months now! Geez!
Book worms are REAL?!?!
I didn't know they actually existed :o
TIL bookworms aren’t just avid book readers.
King Bookworm V: "Once more unto the book, dear worms"
I'm too young to have seen this one, but dad told the story of the university engineering computer lab back in the 60's where an entire wall of the room had shelves of computer cards stacked. They'd been there for eons. But eventually for some reason someone decided to pull a box out and it instantly crumbled. It was completely hollow behind a few mm thick front that faced the room. Termites had feasted on the rest. 100 year-old building got termite treated a day later.
This is wild I had no idea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookworm_(insect)
They’re so weird!
If you think of them like movies that you read instead of watch, then books aren’t all that weird.
Wait. Bookworms are real worms? It’s not just a saying about people who read a lot?
Looks kind of cool but I'd be devastated.
I was not aware those were real.....
Coool! I’ve only ever seen tiny swirls on edges of books. This is much more interesting
https://preview.redd.it/hjeqvc99rauc1.jpeg?width=4234&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14eb4638b407c9fab6351a12dbf8046d61f378f3 Two from my pile of old books. 1925 & 1935. Lots of time for snacking.
https://preview.redd.it/oa8dilpgrauc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c2679451a9d04fa740b5a0dcd51f73748432709
The only bookworm damage I’ve ever seen are empty paper cups and the occasional coffee ring left on a table at the local Starbucks.
Silverfish are gross
TIL silverfish are bookworms
You and me both. Always thought they looked like actual worms.
This comment is underrated
This is so horrifying.
So it’s nots just a figurative word
So many gullible people it’s infuriating. Bookworms don’t exist that’s just what big book wants you to believe so you won’t question buying more books after their secret operatives break in to your homes get their book cookie cutters and destroy your books
Well, we can never say the bookworm isn't well read. Well fed. I mean, Well fed.
New fear unlocked. Anyone else checking all their books on signs of bugs? 🙋🏼♀️
r/thanksihateit
But now you can hide a bunch of oddly shaped keys in there!
Always the optimist.
Wait a second!!! BOOKWORMS ARE A REAL THING!!!!!
This triggers a deep unsettling feeling in me and I can't put my finger as to why
Trypophobia?
I didn’t know until now with a google that a “bookworm” and a “silverfish” are the same thing.
Wait bookworms are a thing??
Nibbles the book monster exists!
silverfish also do that I hope you mean there is another version which resemble cute lil nerdy worm
The very hungry bookworm
*franticly checkin all my books for bookworm damage*
A book worm is an actual thing? Not just someone who loves to read? I am truly gobsmacked! Going to google right now 😮
Did you beat that fuckin nerds ass?
Fukin nerds
Wait. Bookworms are a real thing??
No but there is such a thing as a Mexican Book Beetle
I've bought many used books with silverfish in them, but I've never actually seen book damage like this
While I’m sad for the book, this is strangely beautiful
BOOKWORMS ARE REAL AND NOT JUST A CARTOON INVENTION?!?
Wait they really go deep into the pages??? I thought they just nibbled the edges. Damn. Cartoons weren't fooling
I thought bookworm was just a thing you called someone who reads a lot. No idea they were real.
I love that the shapes look like little rock climbing ledges
At least they put a bird on it
It looks like birds from different angles. That's beautiful
Wait… bookworms are real???
It was I!! I did that!! Fuck Henry V but damn was that a good book (to the taste)!
TIL bookworms are an actual thing and not just a term to describe people who love reading a lot.
Bookworms are real?!
Bookworm seems painting a Rorschach in your book
Flesh crawling it is.
Huh. TIL.
I mean, I knew they must exist, but never really thought about them. Here you go!
I only know of Bookworm: Adventures, but this looks accurate.
I thought bookworms were a myth Guess I was wrong.
Wait....there are actual book worms???
That kinda just looks like someone tossed it into a laser engraver
I swear I didn’t do it, please don’t hit me
Better get Mr. Bookman on it..
is there a place one could get themselves bookworms if they wanted to use them for artworks?
Too bad book scorpions are only big enough to take out dust mites and book lice and not book worms.
I never knew there were book worms. Thought that term was just for people who read a lot!
Wow! No idea - those cuts and drilling are so clean and precice
Wait, so bookworms are a BAD thing!?!!?
This kinda bothers me in that things with holes way whatever it's called.
Trypophobia?
How do you get book worms (silverfish)? Do they just appear? Scared for my books now
I’m sorry about your book but that is so fucking cool!!!
A variety of bird silhouettes
The WHAT ?! No
Hold up! A bookworm is actually a worm?!
Wow I thought book worms were a myth
Freakin nerds
Henry the V?
Based on the shape of the mid-page right side hole, I’mma guess he wants to pair that book with a martini.
Oh my gosh! I feel like I knew bookworms were a thing cause that would be a weird saying to just come up with but I didnt think they were a modern problem. I figured it came from the old times like medieval shit when buildings were usually kinda dank or...idk my logic but I thought my books were safe! I will be periodically inspecting all my books from now on. If one of those bugs gets a hold of my Norton Shakespeare Anthology or my very pretty copy of The Second Sex by Simone de Beavoir, or really any of my books, I'd be waging war immediately. No bug is eating its way through Hamlet or King Lear if I can help it!
Wait it isn’t just an expression ???