Booklice (or Barklice)
Liposcelis spp. (often Liposcelis bostrychophila)
- Order & Family
- Order: Psocodea (formerly Psocoptera), Family: Liposcelididae
- Size
- Very small, typically 1 to 2 mm in length
Natural Habitat
Found indoors in high-humidity areas, damp basements, bathrooms, or near starchy materials like books, wallpaper, and stored grains. In nature, they live under bark and in leaf litter.
Diet & Feeding
They feed on molds, fungi, starches, book bindings, glue, wallpaper paste, and occasionally stored dry foods like grains.
Behavior Patterns
They are wingless, soft-bodied insects that do not bite or fly. They can scuttle quickly and often appear in large numbers in humid conditions which promote mold growth, their primary food source.
Risks & Benefits
Risks: They are considered nuisance pests and can contaminate stored pantry items; their presence usually indicates a moisture or mold problem. Benefits: They are harmless to humans (do not bite or spread disease) and act as minor decomposers in nature.