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Booklouse
(05/09/2008) PLEASE HELP!
Please help me figure out what these bugs are! I recently
moved from NY to NC and was warned that there are alot of
bugs down here - I just didnt thing I would be dealing with
them so quickly! I moved into a new-build house about
a week ago and the day before yesterday noticed these tiny
tiny little blackish bugs on my laundry room floor.
I now also have them along the back wall in my kitchen.
Upon inspection of my patio, which is on the other side of
that wall, I was appalled to find hundreds of these bugs.
They do not fly and they stay on the floor - they dont crawl
up on table legs, walls, cabinets etc. I initially thought,
after looking through your site, that they might be springtails
but these bugs do not jump like people were saying springtails
do. Please help me find out what these are and how to get
rid of them - the bug spray i bought did nothing! I
am getting the weeby-geebies!! Thank you!
Jodi
Hi Jodi,
We believe you have Booklice. Booklice are in the order Psocoptera
and are not true lice, nor do they harm people or bite. They would much rather eat mold and fungi. Most
Booklice are in the family Liposcelidae and you can find some
additional photos on BugGuide.
We also located a North
Carolina University website that states: "The presence of booklice can be quite an annoyance; however, they rarely cause significant damage to items. Most often, the damp conditions and developing mold or fungi have already caused the damage." Large numbers of Booklice may be present in stacks of newspapers stored in damp places. The previously mentioned NCU website also gives the following advice; "Non-chemical management
Reducing moisture and maintaining relative humidity below 50% will provide excellent control of booklice. Use a fan or dehumidifier to dry out damp rooms or other locations. Repair any leaky plumbing. Try to determine and remedy the cause of any condensation around doors, windows, air conditioning units, or other areas. Eliminate any standing water. Do not over-water houseplants. Reduce or eliminate potential harborage areas by sealing up cracks and crevices. Remove or dispose of items that could be harboring mold and fungi, such as old books, cardboard, papers, wallpaper, and food goods stored in damp conditions. Those items that cannot be removed or disposed of should be stored in airtight plastic bags or containers in cool, dry, and well ventilated areas. Clean up any spilled food goods such as cereal or flour that could serve as a source for mold growth. "
Tree
Cattle
(04/10/2008) bug ID
I’m not sure what this is. Found them on an oak tree
in my yard. In Houston, TX. Thanks
James Benton
Hi James,
These are Bark Lice, Cerastipsocus venosus, but we like the
common name Tree Cattle. The immature Tree Cattle are boldly
striped black and yellow creatures without wings. Tree Cattle
will not harm your trees as they eat lichens and fungus.
Book Lice
(12/21/2007) >Can you help identify Small fly like bugs/insects
Hi Lisa Anne and Daniel,
Noted on the site you've had some internet issues and resubmitting
wasn't a bad idea. Realy incredible that you get circa 100
requests a day, WOW! Keep up the good work, I realy like this
site it's already helped me identify quite a few bugs
:o) Pity you get the "Nasty readers" but the award
is good idea, should put them to shame. Kind regards,
Willem
(12/04/2007) Can you help identify Small fly like bugs/insects
Hi Bugman,
I was wondering if you could help me with identifying these
little fly like bugs or insects. You 'll find top, botom and
side views attached. Though they have wings they don't fly.
When you approach them they jump around, about 5 cm high,
and only about 3 times max, they seem to get exausted
quite quickley. They are about 1 to 1.5 mm in length. They
are about everywhere in my appartment though not in great
numbers, one or two tend to show up here and there (though
they are difficult to see). Any idea what they are living
of? location: Brussels, Belgium. Love the site! Its well made
and accessible :-) Thanks in advance, Kind regards,
Willem
 
Hi Willem,
These sure look like Book Lice to us. Book Lice are in the
order Psocoptera and they feed on sizing, paste and glue in
book bindings. They may infest homes. We believe your specimens
are in the family Ectopsocidae based on images posted to
BugGuide. We don't get nearly as many letters per day
in the winter as we do in the summer, but we still cannot
answer every letter we receive. Thanks for being patient.
(12/22/2007)
Hi Brilliant! Thanks to you I've now narrowed their identification
down to: Dorypteryx
domestica. Kind regards
Willem.
Booklice in Indonesia
(12/06/2007) Bugs inside Milk Powder Cans
Dear Sirs,
We just searched websites for Booklice bug and found your
website. We’re seeking a technical advice concerning
bug contamination that recently found in our canned milk powder,
made of tinplate metal can-packaging. Kindly view the attached
picture showing the bugs that might be Booklice bug, found
inside the cans and suspected came from carton layers that
are used to stack the empty cans on a pallet up to 2 meters
can-stack height. We use corrugated Carton layers with specification
of Medium 100 triple layer, meaning that the top flute and
bottom layer are made from ex recycle carton materials. Why
Booklice bug loves to stay in carton layers; hope you can
provide us some advices on how to overcome it. What pest-control
required to get rid of these bugs? Looking forward to your
valuable advice; with kind regards,
Kristianto
Jakarta, Indonesia
 
Hi Kristianto,
First off, we agree that you have Booklice or Psocids, insects
in the order Psocoptera, probably the family Ectopsocidae.
They feed on starch which explains their presence in the cardboard.
They feed on sizing, paste and glue of book bindings as well.
Your problem would seem to be how to prevent the Booklice
from being transfered into the cans during the packing process.
Sorry, we do not offere extermination advice.
Mystery
from Alaska: a Barklouse
(11/22/2007) Help from Alaska
Hi Folks!
Well, I think that I am fairly conversant on local bugs but
this one has got me and our local pro scratching our heads.
I found it on a garbage can in a park in the Kenai Peninsula,
AK. It is about 3mm long. Any ideas? Keep up the wonderful
work that you do!! Cheers and we are Thankful for you guys!
DeWaine Tollefsrud
www.arcticstarstudios.com
Hi DeWaine,
We weren't real sure about this critter, and entertained the
thought that it might be a ground beetle, but Eric Eaton set
us straight. Here is what he concludes: "Hi, Daniel: Wow,
the image is of some kind of barklouse, order Psocoptera.
Wish I could be more specific! It might even be a wingless
adult, rather than a nymph. Eric"
Tree Cattle
(09/18/2007) What on earth?
Hey Bugman.
Your site has become a favorite of mine lately. Who
knew there were so many weird bugs in South Georgia? I
have found most of them fairly quickly. These were on a tree
locally known as a swamp maple. We're about 20 miles
inland from the mouth of the Savannah River. They were
moving in a cluster from the ground up, stopping and re-grouping
at knots and dark spots on the bark. They are about
three eighths of an inch long. Tan striped box elder
bugs??? Really curious what they are and what they are doing....kind
of looks like moving a queen or something. (Also happy
to finally get a decent photo of a bug to ask about! I
have blurry bad shots of bordered leaf bugs, cicada killers,
winged ant lions, and a couple of whatzits! Macro is new to
me) Thanks,
Cleo
 
Hi Cleo,
These wonderful insects are known as Tree Cattle or Bark Lice.
Though they might appear to be harmful insects, they are actually
quite beneficial. They feed on debris found on the trunks
of trees including lichen, moss, algae, fungi, spores, pollen
and possibly the remains of other insects. The larger winged
insect in your photo is the adult and the others are immature
numphs.
Tree
Cattle
(09/14/2007) Herd of insects
This was taken Sept 13th, 2007 at about 6:00 pm in central
Virginia on a maple tree. The insects were a half inch
long and kept together in a herd. My daughter separated one
for a closer look and when we put it back and it realized
it's herd was there, it ran back into the group like a baby
duck. Thanks
J.
Dear J,
We love the way your descriptive letter supports the common
name of Tree Cattle which we just discovered. Commonly known
as Bark Lice, these communal insects are not injurious to
trees. We just located a website
that mentions the other common name, Tree Cattle. The site
also quotes and article by Larry Williams, which state: " The
tiny insects that make the webbing are called psocids (pronounced
so-cids). They have numerous common names including tree cattle
and bark lice. Basically, they feed on lichen, moss, algae,
fungi, spores, pollen and possibly the remains of other insects
found on the tree’s bark. As a result are sometimes referred
to as bark cleaners. " Your specimens appear to be the genus
Cerastipsocus as evidenced by BugGuide.
Barklice
(08/05/2006) Please help identify
I have been searching the internet, trying to figure out what
kind of bug this is. I know it's some form of a true bug,
but cannot pinpoint the species. Is it harmful to my trees,
etc.? Thanks for any help you can provide.
 
These are Barklice, and they are in the order Psocoptera.
They are not harmful to your trees. According to Eric Eaton,
they probably feed on fungus spores which might make them
beneficial to your tree.
Barklice
(05/06/2006) What is this bug
We live in Fairhope Alabama. We spotted these clustered adult
and nymph(?) insects and have been unable to identify them
online. Can you help us out?
John and Melissa Pershina
 
Hi John and Melissa,
What a spectacular image of Barklice in the order Psocoptera,
family Psocidae. The last time we posted an image Eric Eaton
said they are: "also known as Tree Cattle, especially in the
nymphal stage. Some species create webbing on the bark, but
I have never heard of them becoming pests."
Booklice
(01/14/2006) Bugged in Seattle
Hello,
These miniscule little buggers have infested my flour and
grain boxes, getting into the new boxes of corn flour, wheat
flour, and oatmeal within days of bringing them home. Also
they liked to hid under the spice bottles, but didn't seem
to get inside any of them. They are 1mm long and look like
ants under a 10X hand scope. Attached are photos, sorry they
are not great, but they are tiny little rascals. What are
these bugs? And more importantly, how do we get rid of them?
Please find attached 10X microscope photos of the bugs mentioned
below. I do not believe they are springtails, although you
are right that they do resemble them. They are definately
not immmature cockroaches, as they never get bigger than 1.0mm
long. I have attached a photomicrograph of a springtail as
well for direct comparison. These are one milimeter long and
slightly less than 0.5mm across and resemble little ants.
When disturbed they appear to fall on their backs and "play
dead". At times they appear to "jump" but not
very far 1-2cm, almost like a piece of small plastic being
repelled by static electricity. We live in Seattle and they
have attacked all our grains and interestingly, when I visited
my parents in Ohio, they also had the same bugs in their oatmeal
and grain boxes. Hope this additional info and photos help
you to identify these bugs.
Cheers,
Kyle Horner
 
Hi again Kyle,
Thank you for sending the much improved images. These are
Booklice, also known as Psocids. According to Hogue: "The
most common [species] is the true Book Louse, Liposcelis bostrychophila,
a cosmopolitan pset for the food industry, households, museums,
and libraries."
Booklice
on Silk Sweater
(12/29/2005) Hi. These were crawling all over a silk sweater.
What are we dealing with? Here's another one we caught. (We
froze the sweater.) This one is "undamaged", but not very
focused. These things are on the order of 100 microns wide
Thanks.
 
You have Booklice. According to Hogue they are known as
book lice or paper lice: "becaues they are so commonly found
scurrying over books and newspapers, especially those stored
in damp cellars and garages." He goes on to write that they
are "a cosmopolitan pest for the food industry, households,
museums and libraries."
Aggregation of BarkLice
(11/05/2005) chilly bugs
Hey Bugman, these little critters were obviously chilly one
morning. After the sun came out they were gone, then back
the next morning. We are in West Tennessee. Don't know where
to look them up since we have no clue what they are. Thanks.
As always, love your informative site.
Richard
 
Hi Richard,
We wrote to Eric Eaton for help identifying your aggregation.
Here is his response: "Wow! Spectacular images of barklice,
order Psocoptera, family Psocidae. Also known as "tree cattle,"
especially in the nymphal stage. Some species create webbing
on the bark, but I have never heard of them becoming pests. Pretty
sure they feed on fungal spores and the like. Eric "
BookLouse
(10/22/2005) What the...
Hello,
I live on the Oregon coast in Coos Bay. We are
beginning to find these little bugs all over our
house. What are they and what can we
do about them? Here it sits on tape next to a dime.
Richard Hinkel
Hi Richard,
We needed to turn to Eric Eaton for help and here is his response:
"This is actually a booklouse, order Psocoptera, family Liposcelidae
most likely. Neato. Just keep it away from my insect collection:-)
Eric " According to Audubon: "Book lice are wingless and sometimes
infest houses, where they feed on the sizing, paste, and glue
of book bindings."
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