#microminute 33 booklice

I found these insects infesting my kitchen cupboard and in the spirit of enquiry popped a few under the microscope. Watching this may well make you paranoid even though booklice, or Liposcelis bostrychophila, are kinda cute. Note that these are not flour mites, but are often mis-identified as such - and you do find them in things like flour.

I have had a number of requests for help getting rid of a booklice infestation. My advice is:
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There is no easy way to do this - you need to throw away anything in your store cupboard that is infested. Check everything! Then clean the outsides of any jars or packages carefully. Then use a vacuum cleaner to clean out your store cupboards, followed by a good wipe down with surface detergent. Then dry everything really well. That should get rid of them.
To stop them coming back, I now put all my flour in zip-lock plastic bags or large glass jars (with lids) - and wash these once the packet of flour is finished. Make sure you buy flour from good supplier - take a look at the shelves in the shop for loose flour and booklice. When you open a bag of flour, have a look for book lice. Also, try to keep your store cupboard free from any spills of flour or grains.
Finally - they like humidity. So, try to store any flour somewhere dry. Don't, as I did, put your kettle underneath the cupboard full of flour. The steam was rising up and making the cupboard humid and warm - perfect for booklice
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Видео #microminute 33 booklice канала Marty Jopson