Written by Madame Parsley
I was presented this (photo above) at the Yard and Garden Series plant clinic.
There are four critters held down with scotch tape in the bag. they qre 1-1.5mm in length.
All that was with it was a name , email and phone number. I was told they were “mites” and they were all over the kitchen in a condo that was rented. the contact is the landlord.
In looking at the sample, one of them had wings and the wings appeared to have a pattern on them.
I sent the following email to the client:
I have your insect sample. It appears to be a very small red/ orangish-headed fly with checkered wings.
I need some more information to help me ID it. This may seem like a long list yet the more information you can give me , the easier it will be to figure out your sample.
Where did you find it?
How long have you been noticing this type insect?
What is it on or near? Are there many or few?
Has the population increased or decreased in the last 2 days?
How did you discover its presence?
If it is on any plant material, what are the signs it leaves behind? e.g. black or reddish spots, holes, slime, egg cases, shredded layer of leaf,
In what part of the plant/ house/ outside do you see it?
Anything else that has changed since the insects appearance?
I need some more information to help me ID it. This may seem like a long list yet the more information you can give me , the easier it will be to figure out your sample.
Where did you find it?
How long have you been noticing this type insect?
What is it on or near? Are there many or few?
Has the population increased or decreased in the last 2 days?
How did you discover its presence?
If it is on any plant material, what are the signs it leaves behind? e.g. black or reddish spots, holes, slime, egg cases, shredded layer of leaf,
In what part of the plant/ house/ outside do you see it?
Anything else that has changed since the insects appearance?
Her response:
Thank you for your response. I will try to answer what questions I can and then will find answers to your other questions. We were contacted by our renters who live in our condominium in Port Townsend. They reported these little bugs in their upper kitchen cupboard to the left of their sink and said they were all over the food, especially packaged pasta, cereal boxes, baby food but also on can goods, dishes, etc. I think they noticed them about a week before I brought in the sample. They had thrown out the food and cleaned the cupboards thoroughly but found that they were back within a day or so and in the things that appeared to be clean that they had moved to the dining room table. They continue to clean and throw things out, but still have the problem. The bugs come out of the crevices in the cupboard and run across the counter and surfaces. When I was there we saw about five or six on the counter top even though she had just cleaned it. They are thinking we need pest control, but I discouraged that because it is in the kitchen and around food, plus they have a baby. The population was great when they first discovered them, they said all over the food and inside of the packages even sealed packages. The population has subsided and then increased again. We did not see any on any plants. I did not see what they left behind, I will ask her that.
My response:
“First we need to clarify if they are indeed in/on the food? or just crawling around all over the kitchen? And. are they even food pests? In my experience they do not look like a usual food pest?
Has anything at all else changed before the infestation? Are they outside the house too?
Has anything at all else changed before the infestation? Are they outside the house too?
You said baby food? Like cereal? or inside jars or prepared food?
I am wondering if the bug came in with some food? Usually these kind of kitchen pests come into the house with food and the larvae form is the bad guy, the adult lets you know they are in residence. The larvae of this small a critter would be tiny and hard to see.
Please drop off some infested food source and some more specimens ( sealed package in a sealed container please so we do not spread this about and we can look for larvae too). My educated guess , so far, is that the population will swell and peak and eventually die out IF:
All contaminated food sources are thrown out, the cupboards vacuumed daily for a week or possibly more especially in any cracks where eggs or pupae may be lurking.
Any foods brought into the house should be stored in clean tightly sealed glass jars.”
Please drop off some infested food source and some more specimens ( sealed package in a sealed container please so we do not spread this about and we can look for larvae too). My educated guess , so far, is that the population will swell and peak and eventually die out IF:
All contaminated food sources are thrown out, the cupboards vacuumed daily for a week or possibly more especially in any cracks where eggs or pupae may be lurking.
Any foods brought into the house should be stored in clean tightly sealed glass jars.”
THEN THE LIGHT BULB WENT ON INSIDE MY HEAD. I have been fixed on flies or Diptera because the patterned wings and could not see my way out of the genus. I made a wrong assumption and was sticking to it. On further inspection the head had tiny eyes and a big nose. An email exchange with an entomologisy nailed it for me.
Here is the final results:
They range in size from 1–10 millimeters (0.04–0.4 in) in length.
The species known as booklice received their common name because they are commonly found amongst old books—they feed upon the paste used in binding. The barklice are found harmlessly on trees, feeding on algae and lichen. No member of this order is currently considered endangered; in fact, in 2007, Atlantopsocus adustus, a species native to Madeira and the Canary Islands, was found to have colonized the mild Cornish coast of southwest England.[5]“
| Psocids (booklice or bbarklice |
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| Biology Psocids are small insects, usually 1/16 to 1/8 inch long. While sometimes called booklice or barklice, psocids are not lice. Some psocids are winged as adults, while other species may be wingless. Some of the wingless types can be pests of stored food such as flour, sugar, or cereal and some will attack the glue of book bindings. Many species in nature are beneficial scavengers feeding on dead insects. Many others feed on pollen, fungi, lichens, and mold. Psocids are generally white, pale cream-colored, light gray or dark gray in color. They are elongate-oval in shape, and have chewing mouthparts and fairly long threadlike antennae. Those species that cause problems in stored foods favor damp, dark, and warm habitats that are relatively undisturbed. Under favorable conditions, these prolific insects can exceed six generations a year. |
Management Options