Booklice
Learn More About The Booklice
Booklice are usually consider as primitive insects since they are believe to exist since 295 millions of years ago. Psocoptera are a paraphyletic group of insects known as booklice. Although most infestation are not as common as other pest. In large numbers, they still create an inconvenience and destruction to material and personal items.
Commonly found amongst old books and booklice bite to feed on fungi and the paste used in binding. They do not have preference for a main habitat and survive in places as long as it has high level damp and moist conditions. You can even find these tiny insects in the cracks and crevices of your property walls. Various effective ways to prevent booklice in Singapore and control booklice infested areas are available.
Getting a Professional Pest Control Services is your best bet to rid of your booklice problem permanently.
Lifecycle, Diet & All
Booklice Characteristic
The Booklice Lifecycle
The lifecycle is compose of four nymphal stages. They lay their eggs in minutes into nooks or on foliage. The baby booklice emerge in a small, flightless form, just like the adult. The egg can take 21 days before it hatches.
The adult can give birth to up to 50 eggs, depending on the environment. It takes at least 110 days for an egg to develop into a full functioning adult. During this period, these nymphs typically molt for six times before reaching their full adulthood. The total booklice lifespan of adult is rarely six months.
The Booklice Anatomy
The booklice size range is approximately 1mm – 2mm in length. This species of insect have soft bodies, their head are prominent, neck between the head and thorax is fairly narrow. Most of a their bodies composes of their abdomen.
Their colour on the other hand, can vary from transparent, white, grey or brown. Some species have two pairs of wings while others have none, easily mistaken for bedbug nymphs and vice versa.
The Booklice Dietary
They feed on starchy materials, feeding on mould and fungi caused by damp conditions. People believe that they feed on microscopic mould and mildew that grows on the glue of the book bindings. They commonly found around cereals, damp plaster in buildings, and air conditioners. Humans do not know the majority of woodland insects, so they do not hold great financial value.
They are scavengers and do not pose a risk of biting people. Even without food, this insect can survive for as long as two months. They can live even longer if the living condition has sufficient humidity.
Learn to Know When you Will Need Booklouse Control Services
Signs of Booklice Infestation
You should not take any kind of pest infestation lightly, even if they are not harmful to humans. Booklice control in Singapore is necessary. If you have a booklice pest problem, they can destroy important documents in your property. And further infestation within your property, it is necessary to seek booklice pest control professional services.
Watch out for these signs:
Sighting
If you see booklice crawling around residential home and office. Places likes bookshelves, walls, cabinets and opening windows, it is most likely that you have an infestation. Beside feeding on mold from moist and damp places, warm with high humidity or undisturbed places where mould and fungi are grows. Food storage areas for household items like flour or cereal typically area that contain them.
Nest
Booklice eggs possess a sticky texture and individuals usually deposit them in damp, moist areas. A common area to find them is usually the kitchen cabinets. They will be able to access food sources like flour, or hide under crumbs or other food residue. Clusters of egg are also a sign of booklice issue and can indicate that they have started breeding in your property.
These are the types of Booklouse commonly found in Singapore
Types of Booklouse
Scientists have identified more than 5,500 species of booklice that exist all around the world. In Singapore, people normally report only 3 types of booklice species to pests control company.
Deathwatch Psocid
Psocids are often mistaken for true lice or booklice, although they have no actual relation to lice. We call a large species of structural importance “deathwatch”. Because of its habit for tapping its abdomen on the surface and creating an audible clicking sound. They feed primarily on moulds and fungi, and they thrive in moist environments.
Making them commonly found in books or other items stored in damp conditions. They reproduce quickly, with a female producing an average of 60 eggs in warm weather. And the life cycle from egg to adult takes only less than a month.
Wingless Booklouse
These species of Booklice are call the Wingless Booklouse. These wingless insects commonly inhabit indoor spaces. Recognised for their small size and pale colour and mostly in, newspapers, dusty shelve, old books and papers or in cereals.
Grain Psocid
These emerging tiny pests lurks in store products, particularly in dry goods commodities such as grains, stored maize, rice and wheat. In rice containers you may spot them at them bottom feeding on powder like materials.
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