Buggy Time fot Plant Clinic: part 2

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?
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?
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.”
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:
We finally have the answer. The infestation is a critter called a psocid, pronounced “so cid “.  Please read below. The  information  with the blue title bar is from WSU Extension. If you choose to use a pesticide, the label is the law and use following ALL precautions listed  at the recommended application rate. If you would like more information , please let me know. 
Thank you for the challenging question. This critter is 1-2mm (tiny)  and in your sample you had both winged and non- winged forms which took me on a wrong turn to look at the fly family.  Remember that future generations may still make an appearance yet at a reduced rate. Be vigilant. Store foods in tightly sealed containers. 
 Here is an interesting paragraph from the U of Minnesota and the big nose  ( under magnification) was a good clue that lead me away from the flies to find the psocids. Insect are amazing, facinating  and called pests for a reason.
From Wikipedia: ” Psocoptera are an order of insects that are commonly known as booklicebarklice or barkflies.[1] They first appeared in the Permianperiod, 295–248 million years ago. They are often regarded as the most primitive of the hemipteroids.[2] Their name originates from the Greek word ψῶχος, psokos meaning gnawed orubbed and πτερά, ptera meaning wings.[3] There are more than 5,500 species in 41 families in three suborders. Many of these species have only been described in recent years.[4]

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]

 
From U of Minn: “Psocids are soft bodied insects, less than 3/16 inches long with long, slender antennae. They are generally white, gray or brown in color and may either have four wings or are wingless. Under magnification, you can see the presence of a large, conspicuous nose (called a clypeus).”
 
From the entomologist:   “They are considered harmless but can be a nuisance pest. They prefer moist, undisturbed conditions and the immatures are gregarious so they could be found in fairly large numbers. To deter them it’s recommended to reduce moisture and increase light and air circulation.  Dehumidifiers and or fans and caulk entry points (cracks/crevices) should work. There are pesticides and fumigants labeled for use against them but I would not recommend them in a kitchen until the last resort. Any food items that could be infested can be put in a freezer for a couple days then placed in a tight sealed plastic container.”
 

Psocids (booklice or bbarklice

Photo by: Ken Grey

For successful pest management, use IPM (Integrated Pest Management).

 

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

Select Non-chemical Management Options as Your First Choice!!

  • Buy dry-good foods in quantities that will be used in a few months. Food in long-term storage is more vulnerable to infestation.
  • If these pests are discovered, locate the source and get rid of it. Examine other products in the vicinity to see if they’ve spread. Dispose of infested food to prevent further spread.
  • Maintain a good level of sanitation. Clean up spilled or exposed food and vacuum and clean food debris from cracks and corners of storage areas.
  • Pests can get into most cardboard and light plastic packaging, so store food in tightly-sealed containers of heavy plastic, glass, or other tough materials if it is not going to be used in the near future.
Revision Date:2/27/2014

Chemicals are not usually recommended. Use chemicals only as a supplement to sanitation, never as a primary defense – and never spray food or food areas.If you choose to use a pesticide, some examples of products that are legal in Washington are listed below. Some products are labeled for just INDOOR or just OUTDOOR use, or may allow both uses. Be sure to choose a product appropriate for your situation.

Always read and follow all label directions.

  • Bayer Advanced Home Pest Control Indoor & Outdoor Insect Killer R-T-U
  • Bonide Eight Insect Control Garden & Home R-T-U
  • Do It Best Ant & Roach Killer
  • Knockout RTU Indoor/Outdoor Insect Killer
  • Ortho HomeDefense Perimeter & Indoor Insect Killer RTU
  • This list may not include all products registered for this use.