Book lice adult.

                           Book lice adult

Are tiny brown, yellow or cream-colored insects infesting areas of your home that include drains and faucets? If you spot these creatures lurking in the damp, you are most likely experiencing a booklice infestation.

Though their name may suggest otherwise, these pests do not attack books. Nor are they lice. Booklice or psocids are tiny, wingless insects resembling lice that feed on mildew and mold within homes. They thrive in areas of your home that are high in moisture level for instance kitchens, bathrooms, and basements since their food source is most likely to grow in these areas. They will even feed on microscopic fungi or mold that you cannot see with your naked eye.

Though these pests do not bite, damage furniture or transmit diseases, they can be very annoying and difficult to control if infestation occurs. They also reproduce rapidly, making infestation a high possibility once they choose to make residence within your home. Thankfully, there are simple solutions you can use to get rid of these pests. It usually starts with controlling humidity in the home since these pests only reside within damp environments. Below are five ways to reduce humidity and get rid of booklice infestation for good but first, find out which areas of your home are infested!

  1. Check High Humidity Areas for Signs of Booklice

There are some places in your home that booklice will love. For instance, they will reside beneath wallpaper, in basements, beneath leaking pipes in your bathroom or kitchen.  Check these areas to verify where the source of the infestation is. Once you’ve spotted all the areas in your home where booklice reside, you can begin the eradication process. This will lead to the best results and ensure that these pests do not return.

2. Improve Ventilation

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Poor ventilation can be one of the main reasons your home attracts psocids. To get rid of these pests, simply improve ventilation. Open doors and windows to give moisture a chance to escape. This will also reduce the chances of fungi or mold growing within your home as they do not thrive in areas that where good ventilation is present.

3. Discard Food Containing Mold

Booklice will find mold wherever it happens to be. That includes your cereal! To reduce the likelihood of these insects infesting your home, check your pantry and other areas where food is stored for signs of mold. Where moldy food is present, remove it at once! Put extra attention on foods such as cereal. Also, ensure that the remaining food is kept dry to prevent further infestation.

4. Fix Leaking Water Pipes

Leaks are an issue in home maintenance that should be prevented at all costs as they result in water waste as well as increase the likelihood of bug invasion. But when a leak does take place, be sure to fix it as soon as possible.  Inspect pipes and faucets regularly for signs of leakage then fix the pipes to get rid of booklice.

5. Dry Out Furniture or Rugs

Wet furniture items or rugs attract booklice. To get rid of them put these items out in the sun to dry. When the moisture level is reduced, mold or mildew will also die leaving the booklice without a food source.

6. Use a Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers are another great way to control and reduce humidity levels in your home! Get rid of

booklice for good by using a dehumidifier in places that are likely to have the highest humidity such as your basement.

Your home does not need to be a booklice habitat. Reduce moisture and humidity to get rid of these pests for good! Also, consider getting help from a professional pest control company if booklice infestation in your home is more than you can handle.

Note: Since booklice inflict little damage on the home, and are mere annoyances, insecticides are seldom used. However, if you have to use insecticides, follow the label carefully to ensure safety. Especially when using insecticides with a long residual period, exercise caution when used in food prep areas. Insecticides with active ingredients lambda-cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin, and pyrethrins are very effective against booklice. When using the aforementioned insecticides, ensure they’re labeled for indoors use.

Did You Know 

  • Some species of booklice resembles lice. However, booklice and their relatives aren’t ‘true’ lice.
  • Popular belief holds that booklice feed on books, paper, and glue. However, that’s erroneous information. Booklice only feed on mold and other types of fungi. These fungi are often found in books.
  • An effective method used to control booklice is to eliminate their food sources – mold and fungi. To discourage the growth of mold within the home, reduce the level of moisture present and increase the flow of air.

 

 

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49 Comments

  1. Keren 12:06 PM 6 January 2017

    Hi, I was looking the solution of infestation in my kitchen of booklice and I came across this one. This is really wonderful, thanks for sharing information.
    My problem probably started a little while before it was discovered. I assume they were hiding in a drawer but because it is dark and tough to find out the tiny insects on it. I cleaned out the 4 kitchen drawers and also threw taken out the groceries and have washed all the surfaces and cannot figure out where they were hiding. I wanted to use chemical but We have cats and also would prefer not to smell chemicals in my kitchen area.
    What do you suggest?

    • 7:13 AM 7 January 2017

      I see…
      Try ventilating your kitchen. To add, try searching for mold. Booklice love that sort of stuff.

  2. Claire 1:11 PM 6 January 2017

    I also experienced the trouble with booklice recently and keep finding the booklice appearing in my house. They are mainly on ceilings of my MBR and my other bedroom. It feels really annoying when you see unwanted pests like Termites or Booklice is damaging your precious lovable things.
    Please Share some tips to get rid of them fast
    Can I use chemicals? And How safe are they?

    • 7:12 AM 7 January 2017

      Hi,

      If you have a termite issue, it would be shrewd to get an affordable pest control professional. Dealing with a termite infestation is very tricky and could cause you a house. In cases where homeowners try to deal with it on their own, there are reoccurrences of the problem. A pest control professional will have the ideal tools ready to deal with your predicament.

      Regarding your booklice issue, a simple bug spray could do the trick, but before resorting to using chemicals, why not try to reduce the level of moisture within your home? A typical case in point: My bathroom was once infested with booklouse because my faucet was leaking. To get rid of the problem, I had to take care of my faucet issue since they were mainly there for the moisture. Try fixing the underlined issue and they will leave. All the best.

  3. Gavin 1:25 PM 6 January 2017

    Thank you First of all. I show this article to my wife and she tried some of the tips. Also, We installed the dehumidifier and succeed.
    Keep Posting Good Tips. Thanks Again

    • 7:07 AM 7 January 2017

      Hi Gavin,

      We are here to serve you. Happy to know the tips we suggested worked. Please do visit again if you have any other pest control issues. To add, if you’re not able to find what you’re looking for, please send us a quick message. All the best.

    • Kozuka 4:32 AM 16 August 2017

      Gavin, how infected your place was, how long it took to get rid of booklice and what exactly did you do? It’s been over a year since I stated fighting book lice at home. They win so far.

  4. Dyan 11:22 AM 19 June 2017

    I think I have booklice in my tub that we never use. There are no leaks. What do you suggest? That is the only place I see them in my master bathroom. It is a whirlpool tub but a never use it!

    • 11:59 AM 20 June 2017

      Hi,

      Sorry about your infestation. You can buy household insecticides. You could try those labeled with pyrethrins, rotenone, allethrin, chlorpyrifos or propoxur for crawling insects or booklice. You can pick those up at your local Walmart store (or any you usually get your supplies from) or you can buy the recommended product through our affiliate link. The product recommended has the active ingredient pyrethrin. When you use our affiliate link, we do receive a small commission from the item bought. Purchases made through our link helps to maintain and keep Online Pest Control operational. Thank you.

      • Cathy Duncan 9:08 PM 14 December 2017

        Hi Samantha,
        I have had booklice for 4 months and cannot get rid of them. All exterminators have confirmed they are book lice but state they cannot kill them. All we were advised to do was set traps and run dehumidifiers. Nothing has worked :( Any advise?
        Thank you

        • Law 5:58 PM 29 October 2020

          hi Cathy, I know this has been a long time post, I am just wondering how did you booklice issue go? I recently got them from buying some picture frames online, and they’re all over my place

  5. Ger ruane 3:37 AM 11 August 2017

    Hi I have small white insects crawling around skirting boards in the bedroom. What could they be. No dampness in room. Would see a few every day for the last week

    • 5:58 AM 14 August 2017

      Is it possible for you to snap a photo of the insect?

      • Ger ruane 10:48 AM 14 August 2017

        Twhe r to small can’t see them in photo

  6. Ger ruane 10:53 AM 14 August 2017

    The r to small to see in photo

    • 11:06 AM 14 August 2017

      Any description of the insect is helpful. What does it look like?

      • Ger ruane 12:19 PM 14 August 2017

        Very small white insects and some brown

        • 12:28 PM 14 August 2017

          Ok. Do they partially resemble lice/louse? Do they fly as well, or only crawl?

          • Ger ruane 12:29 PM 14 August 2017

            The crawling. Don’t fly.

          • 12:32 PM 14 August 2017

            Ah, I see. It might be book lice. Some do appear white and in some cases brown. Let me know if what’s in the image describes what you’re seeing in your home. Thanks. https://i2.wp.com/www.onlinepestcontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/BOOKLICE.jpg?resize=259%2C194

          • Ger ruane 12:33 PM 14 August 2017

            Ta they look like that very small

          • 12:35 PM 14 August 2017

            Yes, they are very small. The picture I sent would represent their size when magnified or seen under something such as a microscope.

          • Ger ruane 12:49 PM 14 August 2017

            How can I get rid of them

          • 1:10 PM 14 August 2017

            We have a few suggestions listed in the article. You can have a look at them

          • 12:33 PM 14 August 2017

            Remember too that booklice feed on mold and fungi and aren’t only drawn to moisture and humidity within the home.

          • Ger ruane 12:34 PM 14 August 2017

            No mold in house

  7. Kozuka 4:26 AM 16 August 2017

    Hi, I am having a serious problem. We live in apartment building and last summer I have notice booklice on our balcony. I bet they had been there for a long while before I discovered them for they were just everywhere. I got rid of the junk that we kept there and sprayed the balcony with pyrethrins. I started checking my apartment and I discovered a number of booklice at home too as well as on the other balcony that faces another side of building! I inspected stuff at home many times and finally got rid of them, they were mostly in boxes with shoes and books. I was hoping that booklice that survived poisoning on balconies would freeze to death in winter. We live in Moscow and winter temperature goes down way bellow freezing. But obviously the eggs survived freezing OK for this summer booklice is on my balcony again! The worst thing is that “defense lines” (poison gel around balcony door and windows in that room) does not prevent all of them from sneaking into our home! They must enter through air conditioning system unit that is located on that balcony and there is just not way to seal air pipes and electrical cords hermetically!
    I started expecting things at home and yes, I found several lice in books and windowsill in the room where we keep clothing and some books.
    We have no leaks, our place is dry, we always have windows wide open and humidity at home is about 40% (20-25% in winter when the heat is on)/ And yet, they seem to feel comfortable at our home for last summer like I said, I found and killed close to 60-70 spices and found about the same number of dead lice. My husband is against of using poison for he thinks “it is harmful for our health” and I also have asthma. But how in the world can I get rid of them on the balcony??? This is where they breed and where they come from to our apartment. Every time I see them, I feel panic attack even though I know they are harmful. I am depressed and desperate, I was hoping my misery of finding and fighting booklice was over last fall but it was not. Our balcony is dry and sunny, there no damp spots there, no leaks, no mold (that can be seen). Please, help me.

    • 6:19 AM 16 August 2017

      Wow!

      I’ve never heard of a booklice infestation that is that bad.

      I’m sorry about your dilemma. Seems like you’ve been trying everything in the book. You may need to inspect more closely for mold or fungi.

      But, the preventative measures won’t help at this moment. You have to think about an all out attack to reclaim the comforts of your balcony before they start streaming into your house again.

      Since it’s mostly on. your balcony, my advice is to use the chemicals there. I know you mentioned you have asthma, so have your husband do the application and stay as far away from the area as possible.

      Your husband might have to treat the area for about a week since a one off application won’t do. You can also try applying diatomaceous earth near cracks and crevices that they’ll likely go through.

      Whatever products you opt to use, ensure to read the labeling and apply as instructed to protect yourself and your family. Chemicals are harsh, but sometimes we get desperate and have to resort to them.

      I hope you do find some relief.

  8. Mia 8:10 PM 30 September 2017

    Hi, I have huge problem of this pests and need get rid of them immediately! I have been fighting these nasty pests for 1 month by now. The first time I notice it was 4 months ago. I was being so silly that I didn’t know what it is and what it will do to my precious book collection, my plants and shoes! I started to clean my apartment once I realized it has become such a serious infection.
    My apartment doesn’t have high humidity, around 40 in days and 50 at nights. I kill 20 of them per day. I cleaned all the surface and inspected everything that made of wood or dead plants. Found two nests on IKEA bookcase, a big nest on the top of my closet, one under a bamboo basket, and a small nest at the edge of my wood drawer, and soil of my plants. I was so depressed that when I reach out to local pest control companies, they gave me a price of $4000. How can I afford it? I brought pt-cick residual insecticide, moth ball, and dehumidifier try to DIY. I feel the number dropped significantly. But every time I think “maybe I won” then I see them again. Either in my shoe boxes or my books. Now I have to move to my first owned apartment with in a month, I couldn’t find any other way to eliminate these pests but throwing away everything… Any advice please?

    • 2:29 AM 1 October 2017

      Hey,

      I’m sorry that you have to encounter that predicament so much that you feel your only option is to leave your home.

      Many people struggle with a booklice infestation so take courage, you’re not alone.

      As you’ve rightly mentioned, contracting a pest control professional is expensive. We don’t want you breaking the bank. :)

      Since you’re also doing your own pest control, my advice is to take courage. Your situation will come to an end. However, it’ll only happen after persistent, aggressive, and continuous treatments. Don’t let up with the treatments. Since it’s heavy on your hands, you have to put out the same fight they’re meting out to you.

      Keep applying those treatments and even if it seems drawn out and long, you’ll reduce their numbers greatly or completely get rid of them.

      My first booklice encounter was nothing like yours but I got rid of them after fixing a leaking faucet in my bathroom. I got rid of them after fixing that problem. Maybe look around in your home to see if you discover anything that you can adjust that’s keeping them around. They are very deliberate creatures.

      I really do hope you find peace soon.

    • Jane 4:10 AM 5 October 2017

      Hi Mia,

      I’m so sorry to hear of your situation. I’ve found this page today whilst searching for ways to get rid of booklice. This is not the first time I’ve encountered them. I’ve had them in several of my homes. Like you, I had to leave homes because of them and made me very depressed. I now have them again, for the second time in this home that I own. The first time I got rid of them in my kitchen by throwing away any papers or cardboard I did not need – any I did need I put in the freezer for several days. Any cupboards were cleaned with strong bleach and dried. Any gaps in the cupboards were sealed with a decorator’s /plumbers silicone gel. All cans or bottles that had paper labels were removed – we had to write on the jars to know what they were. It took a lot of time and emotion to do this, but it worked. I live in a humid area and perhaps I have become used to them not being here, but they are here again and will go through the same process in all rooms until they are gone again.

      I would recommend cleaning, drying and sealing in plastic bags anything that you are moving to your new home.

      Good luck and feel free to reply if you need to.

      • 8:14 AM 5 October 2017

        Great suggestions. I hope you overcome your reoccurring problem. They are truly nasty to have around.

      • Mia 11:31 AM 25 October 2017

        Hi Jane,

        Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
        Sharing experience is really great so we can found a few other tricks to get rid of them. Since I posted my first comment, I pushed back my moving date and kept doing what I have been doing like what Samantha and you said, and thing are getting better. I run a dehumidifier day and night to maintain the humidity between 35-50 and regularly vacuum the floors, surfaces and corners. I also keep applying chemicals on the suspicious areas and insecticide powders in the wall cracks. I’m happy to report that I haven’t see them for days. However, I won’t lose my guard because if only one of them got away, there is a good chance of a big come back next year. So I decided to maintain my apartment as a hard condition for them to live.

        Some experience that I feel very useful:
        1. Checked every inside corner of furnitures, you will be surprised by you have found. Think like if you’re a tiny bug where would you hide?
        2. Get some dehumidifier bags and mothballs then put them in storage closets. Although no documents said they can kill them, but they surely hate that smell.
        3.Reduce the items I owned to make my life easier when I clean. Less dust and moss means less food for the booklice.

  9. Cathy Duncan 9:19 PM 14 December 2017

    If anyone has any helpful hints, please email me at [email protected]. Thanks so much. :)

  10. Sharon 5:22 AM 17 February 2018

    Hi,

    We appear to have a serious booklice infestation. But they are not located in the areas I have seen mentioned in these posts. Definitely not around wet/damp areas. I found them crawling on and around our printer, in the office on top of bookshelves, inside the storage boxes in the bookshelves. On top of my ikea drawers in our bedroom and on my bed head, my daughters chanfe table and on any items in have in the storage boxes camera bad etc – backpack (which I washed in hot water and placed in the dryer which helped that bag). I keep cleaning and they keep returning, driving me a little crazy. It is humid where we are in Australia at the moment, but not too bad not unbearable. Is this common behaviour of booklice? They are pretty much in every room of our apartment except the bathroom and kitchen (where there is visible mould they we try to clean constantly – we are only renting). I clean the areas where I find them, think they are gone and then they keep reappearing. Please help me. I am ready to move out, leave everything behind and start all over again with brand new furniture etc. Which we cannot afford. Will pest control work to eradicate booklice?

  11. Lisa 6:29 PM 29 March 2018

    I finally had the courage to look on the net what my problem could be. Years ago I noticed these tiny tiny little bugs that you have to REALLY look to see they are so tiny even smaller than a hole a thumb tack could leave! I started seeing them on my casette tapes of all things…then video tapes..books papers…then I had a huge freak out when I saw them crawling on my dresser my clothes my BED! I have anxiety bad and that just flipped me over the edge. Then I cleaned a bit and got rid of them or so I thought. I was fine for awhile and then on the weekend whole laying in bed reading on my tablet I saw one walk across the screen….it was IN the tablet! Then I saw them on my bed again on the sheets then I looked cause I dont have a headboard and when I shined a bright light I saw them on the WALL. Now, I might have some mold other places but not where I saw them and no where near my bed that’s not even touching the wall. I threw out my wood platform bed m, sprayed the mattress down with carpet cleaner, washed the wall with a moo and hertel like 4 times, put my bed and box spring up on cinder blocks. I’ve been sleeping on the sofa for days letting my mattress dry and I went to check today and I STILL see random ones on my just cleaned wall and am freaking out and going to have a nervous breakdown. Im scared that as soon as I clean one area they will just migrate or be somewhere I can’t get to like in the parkay wood floor or under baseboards in sockets etc. I have a dresser thats pressed wood and I’m switching to real oak dresser thatbwont break down so easily but I’m just so at a loss right now I feel like it’s hopeless. I know I’ve seen them in used tissue and paper products and I’m about to turn my whole bedroom into a plastic only zone! I need help. Any other ideas other than ventilation and less humidity and cleaning the mold?

  12. Jay 4:30 PM 1 June 2018

    I’ve been experiencing a problem with these bugs ever since I built my house last year. It got quite bad finding them on all my walls and ceiling, I tried the dehumidifier etc and it doesn’t work. People say a new house has slight mould growth on the walls as the plaster dries out, so my logic tells me, remove their food and they’ll disappear. So I painted my bathrooms as that’s where the problems were the worst, plugged up holes in the walls in the bathrooms where electric wires were for lighting and before long I found thousands all dead on my sink. Constantly dieing. So my advice, paint your walls. All winter I had none, now summer is here, warm weather and their all over the outside of my windows with some getting in. I’m going to do some extra painting and see if that helps as it is driving me insane thinking the problem may get bad again. I’ve just built this house and I am considering selling up and moving. But for any people struggling I recommend you paint/redecorate. I read it before somewhere that it had worked for a lady and it worked a lot for me. It drastically reduces their numbers so it’s worth a try and it’s relatively cheap to buy paint and a paint roller. Pest control companies told me they would just go away in time so they weren’t willing to help in anyway.

  13. Ashrynn 3:56 PM 9 July 2018

    Hi Lisa! My heart is with you. I’m experiencing the same problem and it’s driving me insane. I live in Madrid where summers are very hot and dry however this year it has been raining a lot and i started having booklice problems. I’ve seen them on the sink, toilet paper, walls and my BED too. It’s horrifying and they must be falling from the ceilling because i can’t explain how else would they just get on my bed in matter of seconds. I bought a high performance vaccum and vaccumed and washed the walls, ceiling and floors with bleach and it was pointless. They keep coming back. I just bought a steam cleaner with high pressure and temperature and will try to steam them all to hell. I imagine i could get the steam through any visible cracks and i hope their eggs will die too. If it doesn’t work I’ll just have to start using pest control products. How is your fight going? I’ll update if i get improvements. Also, a million thanks to the creators of this website. It’s good to know you’re not alone.

  14. Deb 7:20 AM 24 July 2018

    Hi I recently moved to a rented apartment. They changed a few kitchen cupboard doors as rotten and looks like previous tenants must have had bad leaks as can see stains appearing around ceilings through new paint.
    I am extremely clean as I hate anything that crawls. But a few weeks back I noticed a few extremely tiny insects crawling on my cooker top. I sprayed them and yet some more appeared like within an hour or so. Then when you think they’ve all gone the next morning some on cooker again. I had pest control out and their work was guaranteed for a second visit. So when they came yesterday twice. Cleared all my kitchen cupboards so they could spray everything. Whole kitchen was dripping and told to just let product dry overnight. Today I find one inside my iron water jug which was on the kitchen top. Are they falling from somewhere? Pest control didn’t know what they were and couldn’t find the source. So what on earth is my option now?

  15. Ashley 10:08 AM 23 August 2018

    I’m having the same problem and I’m going CRAZY how to get rid of these things plus I live in an apartment so the thought of them coming bc of another’s monster is mind boggling I found them on my clothes they got into my kid hair also wat do I do???

  16. Travis 10:56 PM 26 August 2018

    Booklice are becoming more prevalent worldwide so your definitely not alone. I too have had them, suspected they came in the box my new sound system came in from one of the local electrical retailers. They are very frightening and annoying but don’t panic or despair. They don’t cause lasting damage and as long as you keep your house clutter free and store books and paper in plastic storage boxes (spray inside with Mortein and quickly shut the lid), keep humidity as low as possible by running A/C, dehumidifier and spreading Diatomaceous Earth around the place.

    I wish everyone the best of luck and hopefully research tells us soon more effective ways of eradicating this annoying (but harmless) pest!

  17. pragati 2:57 AM 9 September 2018

    we have some tiny insects every where in the house in a very large numbers found more on walls,windows,cuboards,books ,it is very small in size.could rceognize if it is termite or booklice ,they both in black n white colours

  18. pragati 3:07 AM 9 September 2018

    we have some tiny insects every where in the house in a very large numbers found more on walls,windows,cuboards,books ,it is very small in size.we could not recognize if it is termite or booklice ,they are both in black n white colours. could u help me know what it is and they are not flying but just crawling.

  19. Lisa 3:48 PM 29 October 2018

    Can’t stand bugs. Even ones that don’t bite. I’m trying diatomaceous earth in my cupboards and along baseboards since I have cats. It drys them out and absorbs moisture. I took everything out of my cupboard and put the powder along the sides and back. Also got airtight containers for any food. Even sealed tea bags will go in containers since the bugs were in the boxes.

  20. Julie and Carl 8:46 PM 12 June 2019

    We have a home in Northern California. We have been battling psocids for 4 years and cant get rid of them. They fog the attic and down stairs. They spray outside. We have order a assortment of chemical our self and sprayed. Side Kick, Delta dust, borax, dcatmost earth, drion, Pt565. We called a mold company, could not find anything. We still see them by the front door and on the walls and in the bath tube. It is so bad we are thinking about selling our home…. Can you help us please!

  21. Linda dwight 8:17 AM 19 February 2020

    It sounds like none of the persons on this post have had them as an actual lice that infests humans but me and my husband have and it has been a nightmare for over eight years. We got them from a neighbor girl that was infested with thousands on her head. You totally could not tell she had them until you lifted up a piece of her hair. She did have really bad flaking on her scalp and I was told by her mom that she had some sort of autoimmune disease. We at first thought they were regular parasitic headlice. Weeks turned to months and we were unable to get rid of them. After about four months, I was buying spot on dog flea medicine and the exact bug we have was listed on the box as chewing lice. After trying everything under the sun and getting very discouraged, more bad came to us in that we realized that there were lumps developing on our scalp and we were getting a gooey white gel that seemed to be coming off our hair when we used the lice combs and we started getting itching all over our bodies. While plucking my eyebrows I noticed that the gooey substance was actually wrapped around the hair root under my skin as if these things are not bad enough off of you; on you it ruins your life. I went to my family physician for the first couple years and he really pooed me away thinking it was a figment of our imagination even after bringing in samples of the bugs. He finally referred us me to a dermatologist and I was treated so rude and was insulted by the dermatologist that I have had extreme anxiety about going back to a doctor but at this point we need to because they are taking over our whole body. Anywhere we pluck a hair, there is a slimy gooey substance that can be wet or dry. When’s the goo is wet your hair slides right out. IF the goo is dry, it acts like cement and is really hard to pluck out and is about ten times more painful. Because my husband has larger pores, he has them worse than me. Oh, and we only found out about booklice about a year and a half ago. It makes since as far as their behavior and lifecycle that they are booklice because we were so perplexed how headline or chewing lice could actually transform themselves from not being able to survive off of their host for more than 24 to 48 hours to being able to live in a sample jar with no food/no water for over 30 days and even more shocking, survive and thrive in a cardboard box put in a black trash bag in direct sun in 110 degree weather. 110 in the shade so temp in that bag had to be really really hot. we are not the only people that this family gave these super booklice to but I know if at least three other families that got them from the neighbors also

  22. Veena 11:00 PM 16 September 2020

    Hi

    This booklice infestation is driving me insane please suggest some easy ways to get rid of them .. I’ve tried diatomaceous earth.but it’s just be 5 days.. what else can I use to get rid of them.completely? We will be moving out in 1-3 years and dont want these pests when we move.. we already had the in the old house and we moved into an apartment last October and have been seeing them here too since then.. I’m afraid they came from the old house … please help me.. I don’t have a dehumidifier nor a vacuum cleaner.. can’t afford one right now in this pandemic.. please suggest me some effective yet affordable means to get rid of these pests.. the pest control guys have been useless and didn’t help me at all.. they couldn’t even figure out it was booklice.

  23. Debbie 7:36 AM 5 February 2023

    Hi,
    I’ve had bird lice, from our hens, many years ago starting in 2008, and also booklice. Both are killed by a product called Natural Enzymes. It’s great because it’s not toxic to us or our pets.
    Before 2008 i never noticed a bug, since i’ve noticed them all. I think booklice must have a biting instar phase, i don’t know this for a fact, but i do get bitten. If I take a good Vitamin B supplement they bite a whole lot less.
    In any case they certainly get your house clean. Wrapping things in plastic. Removing paper and cardboard. Keeping things dry. Keep electronics out of their way, they do love a scrummy warm laptop. Keep them out of your vehicle..
    Over the years they have driven me to the edge of sanity and back and now i’m stronger. So just keep going, cleaning, defo spray the ceiling too, let it dribble into cracks in kitchen cupboards etc. Wash pet bedding. De-clutter.
    Today i’m finding and killing many in the kitchen cupboards. Over the last weeks i’ve done hundreds (feels like) of clothes washes, and tumble dried them in the shed outside. It’s expensive, lonely and exhausting. Don’t spread them around friends and family, that’s the surest way to get them back yourself.
    Natural enzymes comes into England from America, that’s all i know about it, apart from it’s the only thing that works that i found and i’ve tried all mentioned above.
    Good luck, think like a bug and have compassion for yourself and the bugs, they most likely didn’t ask to come into your house to get killed…

  24. S. Datta 3:07 AM 14 May 2023

    Small white and grey colour insects are there in my quilt and clothes.. i don’t know what are these. Kindly help me

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