Elyssa from Tallahassee, Fl writes
I recently discovered a booklice infestation in the first floor kitchen of my 2 story townhouse. They were along the oven wall, on the counters, and crawling on the floor coming from the oven. I vaccummed, wiped away any mositure/spills, and all food is kept in airtight containers. I had a small incident 2 years ago and took care of it with some dehumidifiers and have been keeping an eye out ever since. They seemed to have infested overnight. I've seen maybe 100 in two days. Ive also seen a few in my upstairs bathtub where I always use the exhaust fan to remove moisture. Are they affected by season/weather? I havent seen any all summer and now they're appearing in September? I'm scared to bring them with me when I move to Maryland. I've checked my plastic storage totes and have only found a few dead ones, none alive, and they were from kitchen items I had packed from downstairs in the kitchen. I do live in FL so it's always humid, but we use central a/c. Any information/help would be appreciated. I know all homes have booklice to a degree but I dont want to bring an infestation into my new home.
It sounds like you are dealing with silverfish rather than booklice. Booklice (psocids) are very small and would not usually be found in areas like you are describing. We have an identification guide here so you can see what silverfish look like. These insects are often found in moist areas and also stored paper goods like files, plus they can often seem like a large population appears overnight. A great product to use for silverfish in stored boxes, closets, etc. are Dekko Silverfish Paks. If you wanted to use something for just about any pest in storage totes or bags, then you could use NuVan ProStrips. You can also use a residual insecticide such as Bifen IT to treat cracks and crevices in the new home before moving everything in to help prevent these and other common insects from infesting your home. If you have photos of the insects you are finding, then we are happy to take a look. You can send them to us at [email protected].
Answer last updated on: 09/06/2019
