Pest Control
Pest Control Service - PsocidsPest Control Service - Psocids
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Advice To Householders About Psocids
The Psocid or Booklouse is a soft-bodied insect around 1mm in length. It is either pale grey or pale brown in colour and may or may not have wings. It has long threadlike antennae.
Distribution & Habitat
Psocids are found all over the world and different species have different temperature requirements to survive.
Significance
The psocid is virtually harmless in small numbers but large infestations can cause significant amounts of damage.
Due to their widespread distribution it is not usually possible to prove where an infestation of psocids has originated i.e. from a factory, shop or domestic larder.
Life Cycle
The female psocid attaches up to one hundred sticky white eggs to food. The eggs hatch into nymphs and will go through several moults before becoming an adult. In optimum development conditions the life cycle can be completed in as little as eight weeks. The adults survive for around six months.
Psocids do not usually feed directly upon human foodstuffs but they will occur in significant numbers where there has been mould or fungal development within the food itself.
Psocids are often found within dry products such as flour, bagged nuts, milk powder, chocolate, yeast and stored cereal grains. They may also be found on books, furnishings, walls, and newly-plastered surfaces which are still damp.
Control Methods
Psocids favour warm and humid conditions and they rapidly increase in numbers in these conditions. Kitchens tend to be the best place for them to live.
If you have an infestation, all infested foodstuffs should be disposed of into an outside bin. The storage areas should then be cleaned with a mild bleach solution paying attention to crevices.
Care should be taken that you do not re-introduce the psocids back into the cupboard when replacing foodstuffs.
Psocids often are transported into the home in dried food packages. As they can live in the folds of the packaging, dry foods are best stored in labelled plastic containers where possible.
Dry goods can also be treated by enclosing them in a plastic bag and placing them in a deep freezer for twenty-four hours. The freezer treatment is also suitable for books and other objects.
Care should be taken when cleaning not to get chipboard wet as this will encourage mould growth which psocids feed upon.
All potential hiding places such as unfinished edges on chipboard should be sealed with paint or varnish so that psocids cannot hide in them.
Areas used for storing food should be kept scrupulously clean and stock rotation of dried food is important along with regular cleaning and inspection.
Treatment
Ashfield District Council does not offer a service for the treatment of psocids at domestic premises.
If you think that you may have a problem, please contact us immediately.
You will be advised fully of the costs involved prior to any treatment being undertaken.
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