Psocids or booklice are softbodied fragile insects with long thread like antennae. Barklice, booklice or psocids psocoptera arturo baz2 without abstract the insects of the order psocoptera copeognatha, corrodentia are commonly called psocids, although outdoor. Psocids, also called book lice although they are not truly lice, live in warm, moist places. Experts think that the sizing and starch in the bindings of books supports mold growth in humid environments. Other species live under silk webbing that they spin from their mouths. Psocid occasional invaders control pest control by. Psocid barklice are chewing insects and they do a stand up job of eating fungus, lichen, algae, broken bark, and other plant debris off of tree trunks. Psocids, pronounced sohsids, are actually commonly referred to as booklice, or bark lice, although they are not true lice.
Psocids are small, scavenging insects with a relatively generalized body plan. Psocids do well in areas with high humidity that support the growth of their food. The order psocoptera also known as corrodentia contains the booklice and barklice. They likely came in on construction materials while the house was being built, and simply stayed. Pdf barklice, booklice or psocids psocoptera researchgate. Psocids, also known as book or bark lice, have long been known to occur in grain storage and processing facilities, but have become more significant pests of the food industry in recent years. Psocoptera are an order of insects that are commonly known as booklice, barklice or barkflies. The psocids found indoors are extremely tiny and difficult to see.
Mouthparts are adapted for chewing, with the upper jaw usually. The name booklice comes from the fact that they gather on moldy books in. Booklice psocids booklice psocids are small, softbodied insects. Psocoptera barklice, booklice, psocids discover life. Barklice, booklice or psocids psocoptera springerlink. Book lice, called psocids, are members of the insect order psocoptera, which has about 340 identified species in north america mockford, 1992.
In general, they need to live where humidity is high or moisture is present. Psocids found indoors are usually wingless like the ones in the photo below. They are known as book lice because they are often found in association with old books stored in damp conditions such as in a basement. Thorax the thorax unites to the head with a membranous and flexible neck. However, the majority of psocids are woodland insects having no contact with humans and thus are of little economic importance. Description psocids are small, oval insects with soft bodies that usually. Known as barklice, they are found on tree bark, leaves of trees and shrubs, and under stones. Consequently, they are considered harmless and perhaps beneficial to the trees they infest. Prior to that any algae on the tree or other sources of food will have been scoured from all the nooks and crannies of the bark. Book lice are exactly what they sound liketiny, licelike insects that live in books and eat the tiny molds that grow on the pages of slightly damp books. If youve got any dried out or decaying plants, you might find these little critters enjoying a plant buffet, or they may even be lurking around your stored food.
These insects are 1 mm long, pale to translucent in colour, and have a dry weight of 27 g. Winged psocids usually live outdoors, primarily on bark and leaves, although they will occasionally come indoors. Book and bark lice the psocoptera the psocoptera are a group of small soft, stout bodied insects which include book lice liposcelis sp. Its slender antennae are at least as long as its body, and wing venation is simple, with no crossveins. Psocids booklice from time to time people find that their food cupboards have become infested with tiny grey or brown insects. My pantry is metal so i threw out all the boxes and bleached the entire pantry and all cans. Unlike bloodsucking lice, psocids pronounces sosid are phytophagous, feeding on organic matter including algae, lichen, fungi, pollen, decaying plant particles detritus, and occasionally dead animal matter. Psocids have large heads with chewing mouthparts and aphids have rather small heads bearing tubular sucking mouthparts. Psocids generally occur in shades of brown, black, or pale colors. Also, they normally live outdoors in damp places, such as under bark, in grass, leaves and on damp wood.
Some psocids live in a large communal group that may sway in a synchronous movement when disturbed. The insects of the order psocoptera copeognatha, co rrodentia are commonly called psocids, although outdoor species living on tree trunks and branches have been called barklice, whereas indoor. The head bears a pair of long and slender antennae, which extend past the abdomen, and mouthparts for chewing. Commonly called barklice or booklice, members of the order psocoptera psocids are not true lice order phthiraptera although they are closely related to parasitic lice. They are wingless and are common in moist or damp areas. They first appeared in the permian period, 295248 million years ago. Barklice most psocids live outdoors and have wings and are known as barklice. This species clings to bark on trees and logs, and occasionally camps out under rocks. Psocids or booklice have long, filamentous antennae and a characteristic bulging clypeus the area just above the mouth parts.
And, they love to feed on the starchy materials in the bindings of books, hence the name booklice. They have long and slender antennae that are at least as long as its body. Since many psocids feed on mold, the presence of booklice is a good indication of high humidity. The species cerastipsocus venosus is one of the most. They are more commonly called booklice and their presence may be a sign of a mold problem in your home. They have chewing mouth parts and the wings of domestic species are. Bark lice or psocids are small soft bodied insects which are often seen in groups or tiny herds on the surface of tree bark where they feed on lichens, fungi, and other superficial plant materials. Characteristics psocids or booklice as they are commonly known are small usually dull coloured insects with a body length of 110 millimetres.
Psocoptera corrodentia, copeognatha constitutes an order of neopterous, exopterygote insects commonly called psocids, barklice, or booklice. Psocids are not lice and the nicknames for these insects are misleading. Pdf on jan 1, 2004, arturo baz and others published barklice, booklice or. Barklice psocoptera psocids bark lice order psocoptera. Barklice feed on fungi, lichen, pollen, decaying plants and other organic material. This name has been criticized by many entomologists because the prefix a clear reference to the manner of feeding is unrelated to the suffix the presence of wings. The presence of psocids is merely a nuisance because the pests do not harm humans or pets and do not. Psocids are very common and abundant insects, but because of their tiny size, they generally go unnoticed. Pdf version, 595 kb cci note 34 is part of cci notes series 3 the museum environment. Less than 4 mm in length usually 1 2 mm soft bodied insects, with long, slender antennae and chewing.
Psocids prefer damp, warm, undisturbed situations where microscopic molds thrive. Psocids love a damp location horticulture and home pest news. The scientific name comes from the greek psocus to grind and pteron wing and refers to the psocopteran jaws, which are shaped to grind food, rather like a pestle and mortar these insects can be conveniently, if somewhat arbitrarily, discussed in two groups, barklice and booklice, based on whether they. They are not caused by poor hygiene as they are just as common in scrupulously clean homes. It is natural, but often incorrect, to assume that the.
Barklice feed on fungi, algae, dead plant tissues and other debris. Psocids are any insect that belongs to the order psocoptera, a group of 5,000 species of extremely small softbodied insects that are less than 5mm in length. All psocids possess silk glands and in some species large webs are formed in which the community lives. The name booklice comes from the fact that they gather on moldy books in damp homes. The small insects lay their eggs under this webbing. Dec 12, 2018 psocids are very small insects that can cause big problems in the food industry. Barklice is the common name for the winged forms and the wingless forms are called booklice potato, potahto. Although they are called lice, the psocoptera are freeliving insects, not parasites. Fossil insects identified as psocids have been reported from as far back as the. Chapter 26 the best control for barklice or booklice or. Psocids are very small insects measuring 1 to 4 mm. Sep 04, 2019 the white webbing looks a bit like spider webs but thicker. Apr 25, 2019 booklice psocids are itsy, bitsy little bugs about 116 long and they are not actually lice at all and are harmless. Like all insects, the body is divided into three distinct parts.
They may cause significant damage to delicate materials such as books and furs. The term lice tends to make people uneasy, but these are not the bloodsucking lice normally associated with the human body. Psocids can be found outside under bark, in logs, under stones and within leaf litter. The rise of psocids to prominence in the last decade can be attributed to their varied response to management tactics that have been developed for beetle pests e. Psocids are also known as booklice if indoors and barklice when outdoors even though the name is potentially misleading. Despite their name, booklice, also called psocids, are not true lice and do not transmit disease. Booklice is a type of a delicate and small insect also known by the name psocids, barkflies and barklice. Jul 09, 2018 psocids have large heads with chewing mouthparts and aphids have rather small heads bearing tubular sucking mouthparts. Psocids are often called booklice or barklice because of their superficial resemblance to some lice species, and because they are often found on moldy books and papers in damp situations indoors, and under loose, damp bark outdoors. Psocids psocoptera, or booklice, are very common in new houses. Basically, they feed on lichen, moss, algae, fungi, spores, pollen and possibly the remains of other insects found on the trees bark. Psocid barklice are chewing insects and they do a stand up job of eating fungus, lichen, algae, broken bark, and other plant debris off of tree. Then it is quite appropriate that some species of psocids are called barklice.
Although some species are found on the leaves and small twigs, others are confined to the trunks of trees where they may even live under the bark. Booklice vary in colour from translucent or pale white to grey or brown depending on species. Psocids, booklice, barklice horticulture and home pest news. The tiny insects that make the webbing are called psocids pronounced socids. They have numerous common names including tree cattle and bark lice.
Life cycle of psocids, booklice, barklice psocids are very common and abundant insects, but because of their tiny size, they generally go unnoticed. There are around 2 000 in the world and 68 in britain. Booklice may look like lice, but they are not actually lice and they do not bite people. There are over 200 species of psocids in the united states. Booklice become a nuisance when they are in your home in large numbers. On the campus of the university of maryland i often find adult and juvenile bark lice nestled beneath the broad evergreen leaves of native and nonnative hollies. Psocoptera have long been known as booklice and the outdoor species as barklice, but they are not true lice and the new term bark. They occur in houses, warehouses, museums, libraries, in stored foods and many other types of buildings. Psocids booklice or barklice pestsense washington state.
They have long and threadlike antennae that are multisegmented ranging from 1250 segments. The curious little wingless insects known as booklice, which are found frequently in numbers among old, dusty books in damp places, and the interesting little barkinhabiting creatures known as psocids are structurally so different from all other insects that they have been brought together in t. Psocids are tiny insects that live in damp environments. Psocids or booklice are softbodied fragile insects with long thread. They do not even look like lice except for their very small size. New houses are not the only places that have problems with psocids, however. Barklice or booklice or dust lice or psocids appearance. Psocid occasional invaders control pest control by terminix.
The insects of the order psocoptera copeognatha, corrodentia are commonly called psocids, although outdoor species living on tree trunks and branches have been called barklice, whereas indoor species, sometimes found in old books, have been called booklice. Most species are freeliving and not pests, but several species of book lice are found indoors, e. Psocoptera is derived from the greek psokos meaning rubbed or gnawed and ptera meaning wings. Although the psocids are sometimes called lice, none of them is parasitic. They feed primarily on fungi, algae, lichen, and organic detritus in nature but are also known to feed on starchbased household items like grains, wallpaper glue and book bindings. These tiny insects do not cause structural damage or spread disease. Psocids are small and softbodied and therefore have received little attention from collectors. Despite having lice in their common name, bark lice and book lice are not are not parasitic and do not cause harm to plants or people. If you imagine a small critter, you probably think of lice, right. Apart from their small size, they have nothing in common with human lice. Chapter 26 the best control for barklice or booklice or psocids. Psocid, order psocoptera, any of a group of about 5,000 species of softbodied insects, usually less than 5 mm 0. Ent 425 general entomology resource library compendium. The name barklice probably comes from the fact that outdoors they gather under the bark of trees.
Received august 8, 1956 the psocids psocoptera are one of the minor orders of insects, with only about 145 species recorded from the united states. Despite having lice in their common name, bark lice and book lice are not are not. Psocids on tree trunks outdoors may be wingless or winged. The psocoptera are a group of small soft, stout bodied insects which include book lice liposcelis sp. The webbing of larvae can completely cover the bark of trees, but appear to cause no damage. However, they may become household pests by flourishing in damp areas of house basements and crawl spaces. Eventually when the young are ready to move on to other locations, the webbing is eaten. Psocid closeup psocids are small insects which love moisture.
These are often found on the packaging of dry goods such as flour, milk powder, sugar or semolina. This natural detritus sustained psocids for millennia until people. Homeowners may be alarmed by the sight of large numbers of barklice on the trunk and branches of their trees. This is because the environment is relatively humid, and these bugs do well in humid conditions. Bark lice, booklice or psocids psocoptera, figure 11 mechanism of absorption of atmosp heric water. These insects are often regarded as the most primitive hemipteroids alive today because their mouthparts show the least modification from the primitive mandibulate condition. The small bugs that are often found in stored books are tiny insects called booklice.
So to know where to treat, start taking note of where youre finding these 1015 book lice every day. Since the first edition of this handbook was published in 1974 seven new species of psocoptera have been recorded in britain. Despite the name, booklice arent only found in books and they arent actually lice. While sometimes called booklice or barklice, psocids are not lice. There are about 2,200 species of psocids worldwide with about 270 species known from the north america. May 18, 2016 psocids, pronounced sohsids, are actually commonly referred to as booklice, or bark lice, although they are not true lice. Barklice, booklice or psocids psocoptera, figure 11 mechanism of absorption of atmosp heric water. Pest control for psocids aka book lice or barklice. They are of rather similar appearance and they all have a superficial resemblance to some other lice species hence their names.
But, they are still bugs and must be dealt with accordingly. And remember, they dont forage far from their nest site. Psocids pronounced sosids are common outdoor insects, although some species are occasionally found inside buildings. Booklice psocids are very common but harmless household pests. They graze on mold, yeasts, algae, fungi, and decaying plant matter with their chewing mouthparts. An invasion of barklice is lucky and just like having. The domestic species being smaller than a pinhead, about 1 1. They are found on tree bark, leaves of trees and shrubs, and under stones. Psocids are small, oval insects with soft bodies that usually measure only several millimeters long. Psocid barklice insect, bugs and spider identification. Bark lice are gregarious and live together underneath layers of silken webbing. Booklice are all females, developing from unfertilized eggs. So where ever it is youre seeing them, there must be a nest close by.
Jul 27, 2019 dear missmiss91, these are benign barklice, and they will not harm your friends grandchildren, nor will they destroy the swing set as they are not wood boring insects they are often found on the bark of old trees and on old unpainted fences and other wooden structures where they feed on lichen. The oldest psocid fossil was found in kansas and was thought to have lived about 290 million years ago, or 284 million years before man made his first appearance. Have you ever opened a musty old book and spotted a minute brownish insect skittering across a page. They prefer damp areas where the humidity helps foster growth and degradation of their food. Psocids are small insects, usually 116 to 18 inch long. Psocids barklice booklice the name psocoptera is derived from the greek psokos meaning rubbed or gnawed and ptera meaning wings. Their closest relatives are the phthiraptera or true lice. They feed on mold or fungi and if found in decaying organic material, as well as grains, insects, and starches like book binding glue it is the result of psocids eating the mold andor fungi growing on these items. They are known to feed on starchy substance like pastes used to bind books, dead animal matter and plants as well as fungi, molds, lichen and.
They first appeared in the permian period, 295248 million years. These creatures are drawn to areas with high humidity and moisture, and love feeding on mold. The psocid covers its eggs with a silky thread that resembles a web. They thrive in old books in museums and stores this is where they derived the name booklice. These fast moving, tine, creamcoloured or light brown insects, only 1mm long, occur in small numbers in many premises. These creatures range in color from translucent white to gray or brown and are very tiny, typically less than 116 of an inch in length when full grown. They can become obvious when they assemble in large numbers. They are often regarded as the most primitive of the hemipteroids. In this revised handbook a general introduction to the. Psocids psocoptera booklice and barklice res handbooks for the identification of british insects. They prefer to feed on mold, fungi, grains, insect fragments, and other starchy material. The first course of action that will get rid of book lice is to start doing some treatments.