{"id":2840,"date":"2015-02-18T10:06:33","date_gmt":"2015-02-18T18:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jcmgf.org\/mg2\/?p=2840"},"modified":"2018-03-30T12:48:49","modified_gmt":"2018-03-30T19:48:49","slug":"a-buggy-time-at-plant-clinic-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jcmgf.myparkpack.com\/mg2\/a-buggy-time-at-plant-clinic-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Buggy Time fot Plant Clinic: part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
Written by Madame Parsley<\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I was presented this (photo above) at the Yard and Garden Series plant clinic.<\/div>\n
There are four critters held down with scotch tape in the bag. they qre 1-1.5mm in length.<\/div>\n
\u00a0All that was with it was \u00a0a name , email and phone number. I was told they were \u201cmites\u201d and they were all over the kitchen in a condo that was rented. the contact is the landlord.<\/div>\n
In looking at the sample, one of them had wings and the wings appeared to have \u00a0a pattern on them.<\/div>\n
I sent the following email to the client:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I have your insect sample. It appears to be a very small red\/ orangish-headed fly with checkered wings.
\nI 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.
\nWhere did you find it?
\nHow long have you been noticing this type insect?
\nWhat is it on or near? Are there many or few?
\nHas the population increased or decreased in the last 2 days?
\nHow did you discover its presence?
\nIf 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,
\nIn what part of the plant\/ house\/ outside do you see it?
\nAnything else that has changed since the insects appearance?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Her response:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Thank you for your response. \u00a0I will try to answer what questions I can and then will find answers to your other questions. \u00a0We were contacted by our renters who live in our condominium in Port Townsend. \u00a0They 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. \u00a0I think they noticed them about a week before I brought in the sample. \u00a0They 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. \u00a0They continue to clean and throw things out, but still have the problem. \u00a0The bugs come out of the crevices in the cupboard and run across the counter and surfaces. \u00a0When 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. \u00a0The population was great when they first discovered them, they said all over the food and inside of the packages even sealed packages. \u00a0The population has subsided and then increased again. \u00a0We did not see any on any plants. \u00a0I did not see what they left behind, I will ask her that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
My response:<\/div>\n
“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 \u00a0a usual food pest?
\nHas anything at all else changed before the infestation? Are they outside the \u00a0house too?<\/div>\n
You said baby food? Like cereal? or inside jars or prepared food?<\/div>\n
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. \u00a0The larvae of this small a critter would be tiny and hard to see.
\nPlease drop off some infested food source \u00a0and some more specimens ( sealed package in a sealed container please so we do not spread this about and we can look for larvae too). \u00a0My educated guess , so far, is that the population will swell and peak and eventually die out IF:
\nAll 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.
\nAny foods brought into the house should be stored in clean tightly sealed glass jars.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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. \u00a0On further inspection the head had tiny eyes and a big nose. \u00a0An email exchange with an entomologisy nailed it for me.<\/div>\n
Here is the final results:<\/div>\n
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We finally have the answer. The infestation is a critter called a psocid, pronounced “so cid “. \u00a0Please read below. The \u00a0information \u00a0with the blue title bar is from WSU Extension. If you choose to use a pesticide, the label is the law and use following\u00a0ALL<\/span>\u00a0precautions listed \u00a0at the recommended application rate. If you would like more information , please let me know.\u00a0<\/center>
Thank you for the challenging question. This critter is 1-2mm (tiny) \u00a0and in your sample you had both winged and non- winged forms which took me on a wrong turn to look at the fly family. \u00a0Remember that future generations may still make an appearance yet at a reduced rate. Be vigilant. Store foods in tightly sealed containers.\u00a0<\/center>
\u00a0Here is an interesting paragraph from the U of Minnesota and the big nose \u00a0( under magnification) was a good clue that lead me away from the flies to find the psocids. Insect are amazing, facinating \u00a0and called pests for a reason.<\/center>
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From Wikipedia: ”\u00a0Psocoptera<\/b>\u00a0are an\u00a0order<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0insects<\/a>\u00a0that are commonly known as\u00a0booklice<\/b>,\u00a0barklice<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0barkflies<\/b>.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0They first appeared in the\u00a0Permian<\/a>period, 295\u2013248\u00a0million years ago. They are often regarded as the most primitive of the\u00a0hemipteroids<\/a>.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Their name originates from the\u00a0Greek<\/a>\u00a0word \u03c8\u1ff6\u03c7\u03bf\u03c2,\u00a0psokos<\/i>\u00a0meaning\u00a0gnawed<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0rubbed<\/a>\u00a0and \u03c0\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03ac,\u00a0ptera<\/i>\u00a0meaning\u00a0wings<\/a>.[3]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0There are more than 5,500 species in 41 families in three suborders. Many of these species have only been described in recent years.[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/center><\/p>\n
They range in size from 1\u201310 millimeters (0.04\u20130.4\u00a0in) in length.<\/div>\n
The species known as booklice received their common name because they are commonly found amongst old\u00a0books<\/a>\u2014they feed upon the paste used in\u00a0binding<\/a>. The\u00a0barklice<\/a>\u00a0are found harmlessly on trees, feeding on algae and\u00a0lichen<\/a>. No member of this order is currently considered\u00a0endangered<\/a>; in fact, in 2007,\u00a0Atlantopsocus adustus<\/i>, a species native to Madeira and the Canary Islands, was found to have colonized the mild\u00a0Cornish coast<\/a>\u00a0of southwest England.[5]<\/a>“<\/sup><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/center>
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).”<\/span><\/center>
\u00a0<\/span><\/center>
From the entomologist: \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0“They are considered harmless but can be a\u00a0nuisance pest. They prefer moist, undisturbed conditions and the immatures are\u00a0gregarious so they could be found in fairly\u00a0large numbers. To deter them it’s\u00a0recommended to reduce moisture and\u00a0increase light and air circulation. \u00a0Dehumidifiers 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\u00a0food items that could be infested can be put in a freezer for a couple days then placed in a tight sealed plastic container.”<\/span><\/center> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Psocids (booklice or b<\/span><\/span>barklice<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/a>
\nPhoto by: Ken Grey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n		\n

For successful pest management, use IPM (Integrated Pest Management).<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biology\u00a0<\/b>
\nPsocids 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.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Management Options<\/b><\/p>\n

Select Non-chemical Management Options as Your First Choice!!<\/p>\n