F**king Book Lice

[what..the?]

I have lived in a number of rental properties over rececnt years one of the first ones had terrible damp problem due to the fact it had just been renovated and the walls had been painted before the plaster had dryed properly trapping water there till we moved in late October and the heating on, which resulted in water running drown the walls. Over time the walls completely covered in mould even with 2 dehumidifiers and anti mould products being applied. We begain to see insects like small beetles living on the walls they varied in colour and size. Within long the whole house was full of them, the walls, our clothes even our food. I collected a sample of the insects and sent it to the council who said it was Book Lice - damp loving, mould eating insects.

We moved out having thown lots of our belongings out and cleaned down the items we took to reduce the infestation in the new property.

Since then we have continued to move house and they continue to follow us where ever we go. Even though we use the dehumidifier, and try to open windows to air the property - reducing damp, mould from say shower, kettle steam. I even found them living on old weight disks - for weight training, which are a bit rusty but not damp or mouldy.

Help help help!

[horsestache1]

Have you tried contacting your local council, as some councils will offer an inseciside spraying service for Booklice.

Also google booklice lots of info available

Good luck

[what..the?]

I worry about the cost of spraying and the effect it may have on my 10 pets.

And at present it has not spread enough at my current property to really need a guy in mask with spray tank on back. But I am sure it won't be long.

It might sound mean but it might be a good idea to get it done before we move into a new house which we are buying, incase the spaying does damage the property a little. As this property now already had a little damp/mould and it was a rental property with the same letting agent which gave us this problem in the first place. It has cost us a fortune of the years to sort/control these pests and the agent does not care. Why damage the first property we have ever actualy owned spaying insects our agents/landlords caused.

[RATTER15]

You need to call in a pest control company for a fumigation, a fumigation is where they fill the whole house with poisonous smoke, the smoke will penetrate where nothing else will, A standard size 3 bed house will cost about �85 upward, (well that's what I charge) and that's a guaranteed treatment. phone around for prices and try and get a guarantee for the treatment, Rentokill are the most expensive. good luck!!

[RATTER15]

The fumigation will not damage any property but the pets will need to be away from the property for about four hours, the house will then be safe children yourself and pets

[what..the?]

I called a pest control firm a while back (in the property which had mould everywhere) and when I said the mite/lice were in everything closed packets of food, dvd boxes etc, they said the gas could not penertrate everything and therefore there was no guarantee. To open everything to gass it would be impossible. They suggested spraying the place bit by bit but that cost a few hundred pounds.

Any thoughts, thanks for your help!