Booklice

A Booklice or Order Psocoptera as its scientific name, is a very small insect, it has this name because it is attracted to humid areas like bookstores and libraries, booklice does not has a major threat to humans, but it is a source of inconvenience to homeowners, they notice it suddenly in large numbers in their library or in the bathroom or kitchen where moisture places, they eat slowly and may cause damage to crops, books and wallpapers.

we recommend you to call the Pest Control Company in Jeddah to help you know more about booklice, determine the infestation and get rid of it, in this article we will discuss the external appearance of the booklice, living places, insect habits, its life cycle and how to get rid of them.

Booklice identification

Booklice size ranges from 1 to 6 mm, its color depends on its type, it has a large head and abdomen, narrow middle part of bod, big and prominent eyes on both sides of head, it has two small front wings and larger back wings to fly and invade homes, it has an oral part to chew food, it doesn’t bite humans.

booklice life cycle

A female lays eggs in spring and summer, the immature nymphs or are similar to adults insect but they are smaller in size and do not have wings, when they grow up, they turn into adult booklice which is ready for matting.

Where booklice live at your home?

Booklice is not considered a real lice, it lives in warm, high humid places. It is located in store rooms, cellar, wet and dark places, lower floors and places where there are plumbing leaks, it may live in the bathroom where plumbing pipes and bath tubes, in air conditioning, you can also find it in the trees and, under falling leaves, tree branches,

Booklice Feeding habits

 Booklice eats insects, carbohydrates, books, the glue of books, damaged parts of books, fungi and organic materials that grow on them when stored for a long time, wet cardboard boxes, papers, wood, stored materials, debris, books stored around Your house, it prefers book covers, photographs, and wallpaper.

Signs of infestation of book lice

 The main sign of booklice infestation is seeing the insect directly at your home, it appears suddenly, home owners may not notice it at first, because of its small size.

How serious is booklice?

Booklice is not considered a dangerous insect, it causes a nuisance to humans but it is not harmful to people or to pets, it does not bite humans, when you find it in your home, you may have a moisture problem, we you find it near food places it indicates that food is damaged or expired, so when you discover an infected material, dispose of it ASAP and throw it away, don’t forget to treat humidity problem.

How to get rid of booklice?

• Search for moisture location in the plumbing areas, in the bathroom, under the basins, walls, sewage pipes and household structure, treat corrosive places because they are a source of moisture to search for booklice that enter the house, fill them with insulation material and use a dehumidifier.
• Ventilate your library, clean books, and expose them to the open air, allow them to dry in the sun because it may contain insects that may die due to the strong sunlight.
• You have to find booklice breeding area, clean them well, use pesticides that contain pyrethrins, routines, lecithin, chlorpyrifos, or propocur, which kill booklice.
• booklice contaminate your food, so get rid of contaminated food, ventilate food storage areas, store food in plastic bags, refrigerator or away from booklice.
• Use bleaching solution, vinegar or chemicals to kill fungi that grow in your home.
• Get rid of water sources, dry floors to kill any bacteria.
• Call Pest Control Company in Jeddah  to help you in solving boolice problem.