A Harmless Nuisance: How To Deal With Booklice Infestations

March 14, 2024
A Harmless Nuisance: How To Deal With Booklice Infestations

It is common knowledge that Singapore is home to many bugs and pests of all shapes and sizes. One of the more harmless of these includes the tiny booklice – not to be confused with bed bugs – who make their homes in warm and humid environments. Seeing as they pose no real danger to humans, noticing one or two of them randomly in your abode is no cause for concern. However, experiencing an infestation is a different story, as they can still cause much anguish and distress despite being harmless.

How to identify booklice

Booklice typically grow only up to one to two mm long and appear cream-coloured, greyish-brown, or white, depending on the species. These fast-moving insects have six legs, antennae on their heads, and wings despite not being good flyers. Another thing to look out for when you suspect a booklice infestation is their eggs. They stick these pearl-coloured spheres on various damp surfaces that take a fortnight to reach adulthood.

Since booklice are fond of damp places, your home may have many such areas that have attracted their attention. These may include kitchen or bathroom areas with high condensation due to insufficient ventilation or a leaking water pipe causing the nearby growth of mould and fungus, which are the staple diet of booklice.

Tips to get rid of a booklice infestation

Thankfully, booklice do not bite, damage your possessions, or spread diseases harmful to humans. Still, having hundreds of them crawling around your house is hardly a welcome sight. The following steps should suffice to drive them away in no time.

1. Lower your home’s humidity levels

Since booklice thrive in warm and humid places, the straightforward solution would naturally be to reduce your home’s moisture levels. You can achieve this by using dehumidifiers and fans and opening some windows to improve indoor air circulation and keep humidity levels low. On top of that, root out any humid hot spots inside the house to avoid unnecessary added humidity.

2. Observe total cleanliness

Keeping your home or office clean at all times not only helps significantly in keeping booklice away but also various types of pests. Prioritise the rooms that are likely to have the most moisture, like storage areas, and properly store all your belongings to reduce the number of hiding spots that pests could use as their new home.

3. Seal cracks and crevices

Infestations caused by booklice and other pests cannot occur in the first place if they cannot make their way into your home. Therefore, look for small openings in entryways and windows and close them off for good with the right sealing materials to significantly reduce the chances of future infestations from occurring.

4. Use off-the-shelf insecticides

You are likely to encounter hotspots of booklice during the process of cleaning and sealing your home. If you deem their numbers manageable, you can use insecticides to kill them off as you resolve the causes of infestation. However, should you decide to take direct action, follow the instructions of your insecticide product regarding indoor applications.

Conclusion

Apart from being a nuisance, booklice can cause other real problems if left unchecked, such as getting into food containers and spoiling their appeal. Hopefully, the steps above prove helpful in getting rid of your infestation problem and preventing it from happening again. Otherwise, consider reaching out to pest control services if you are unsure of what to do or if your efforts have had no impact on the issue.

Whether it is booklice or other, more dangerous pests, PestClinic is always ready to lend a helping hand. Our residential, commercial, and industrial pest control services are guaranteed to be safe and effective. Keep your health and home safe from pests today by calling us at +65 6397 5677 to schedule a preliminary inspection.

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