Hi:
I need help with an infestation in my kitchen of booklice. Terminix identified the bug, but won’t treat the problem. The problem probably started a few weeks before it was discovered. I cleaned out the 4 kitchen cabinets and threw out the groceries and have washed all the surfaces and cannot figure out where they are hiding. Unfortunately, the cabinets have a granite countertop that is dark and difficult to see the tiny bugs on. I have put down some glue boards to trap travelling bugs but I can’t seem to exterminate them. I have cats and do not want to smell chemicals in my kitchen or have chemicals soak into the granite.
What do you recommend?
Thank you for your assistance,
C.T.
If you read through our BOOKLICE CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn this pest is drawn to and thrives in moist environments. Once established, they’ll live in the tiniest of cracks throughout the area making complete eradication nearly impossible unless you can somehow reduce the local air moisture content. The simplest thing you can do is install a dehumidifier up under the cabinet or at least in the kitchen area. No doubt this would help. And cleaning everything might seem like a good idea but many times the use of water will only make the area even more moist so use nothing but a dry rag or paper towel and some kind of mold, mildew, algae cleaner aerosol like HOSPITAL DISINFECTANT. This will insure you aren’t “feeding” the moisture which in turn would be creating new food for the booklice.
Once you’ve cleaned the area well (paying special attention to the dark, undersides of storage cabinets), periodic treatments with an aerosol like PT-MICROCARE will help control any you still see in the area. Microcare uses nothing but Pyrethrin as the active and because it’s micro-encapsulated, you’ll get longer results compared to something like the PT 565 XLO. Though both products are similar, the residual from the Microcare formulation will really help in establishing control. The organic alternative would be our FLYING INSECT KILLER which is certified for organic gardening so it’s safe enough to be used right on plants. This option won’t last nearly as long as the Microcare so expect to use more of it since booklice will require regular treatments for a month or two to break their life cycle. But if you remove the food on which they’re feeding by doing a thorough cleaning and then followup with either of the products mentioned you can get rid of them. As for the GLUE BOARD MONITORS; I don’t think they’ll help much with this pest. At least we’ve not had good feedback using them so I don’t think you’ll get a lot of benefit from their use.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Booklice Control Article: http://www.bugspray.com/article/psocids.html
Hospital Disinfectant: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page876.html
PT-Microcare: http://www.bugspray.com/item/pt_microcare.html
PT-565xlo: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page1222.html
Flying Insect Killer: http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/aerosols/flying-insect-killer-14-oz
Glue Board Monitors: http://www.bugspray.com/item/glue_trap_monitor.html
Leave a Reply