Getting Rid Of Booklice

Booklice (Psocids) are small, soft-bodied insects that prefer to feed on mould, fungi, grains, insect fragments, and other starchy material. Dry food products commonly infested include cereals, pasta, flour, powdered milk, chocolate, and yeast.

Booklice also feed on the glue used in book bindings and are usually associated with warm, damp, undisturbed places. Infestation of packaged food products is uncommon, but when present, booklice can occur in large numbers.

Sanitation and inspection are the keys to good booklouse control. Booklouse infested products in warehouses often go unnoticed until a customer returns an infested product. Use sticky traps to capture the insects as they wander through warehouses and homes.

The traps should be placed in locations where the booklice can walk since they do not fly. Traps should be placed along walls, at the base of pallets, next to outside doors, or other areas where booklice are suspected.

Eliminate traps with poor booklice counts and place new traps in the vicinity that produces ever-increasing insect capture until the infested product is identified. Inspect pallets of food upon arrival at warehouses, and inspect individual products when brought home from retail outlets.

While booklice do not bite humans, their faeces and body parts infect food products. Once they get a foothold in your home, they are hard to keep under control.

• Reduction of the humidity below 50% will eliminate most booklouse infestations. Store boxes, bags, books, and papers off the floor to reduce moisture.
• Place all cereals and grains in air-tight containers. Remember that psocids, being small, may penetrate any container, which is not completely sealed; in the case of tins: remove labels that could be providing harbourage.
• Remove and dispose of all infested food.
• Clean all cracks and crevices around sinks and countertops thoroughly with ammonia-based cleaners, and dry all cracks and crevices completely using a portable hair dryer. Reducing the moisture of their hiding places will kill the majority of booklice.
• Clean cupboards using a dry cloth and by vacuuming, paying particular attention to the crevices between shelving and the cupboard carcass. Immediately dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag to prevent reintroducing the booklice into your kitchen.
• Place books and other small objects in a microwave for 40 seconds (on high). This will kill both adult book lice and their eggs.
• Any containers or packaging believed to have been infested with booklice should be placed in a plastic bag and put in the freezer for a full 24 hours. Adults will be killed in three to four hours, but eggs require a full 24 hours to kill.
• Dust or spray an insecticide containing pyrethrin or cyfluthrin (check the label) into cracks or crevices or any damp place where the lice live and thrive.

To prevent further re-infestation, ensure your cupboards are free from condensation and damp; ventilate your kitchen particularly during cooking or washing, store all foodstuff in sealed containers and store flour in a covered washable container.

Article provided by SDA Pest Control