Booklice in new build

[Emmyyyx]

We moved into a new build January 20 and over the last week found booklice all in the main bathroom and then my sons room which is the room next to it!

Went on a hunt around the house and found multiple in all rooms - I’m killing loads every day, hoovering all the time, bleached all skirting and bathrooms!

It’s making me ill as I’m constantly on the hunt for them and constantly crying about it (I am pregnant so hormones won’t be helping)

Bought 2 plug in dehumidifiers and hygrometers and loads of disposable dehumidifiers and whacked the heating up the last 3 days but it’s not something I can do constantly!

I know they are harmless but it’s the fact they breed so quickly I feel if I’m not constantly on the go getting rid of them then my house will be over run.

Anyone had these in a new build and managed to get rid of them??? My partner tells me when the house dries out they will go but I can’t cope with another year of this!!

What are book lice?

Just had to Google it as I didn't know what they were. I recognise them, every home has a few of them. With you being pregnant I would steer clear of chemicals. Try diomataceous earth swept under the skirting boards and sofas? It usually kills all bugs and is non chemical, although if you have pets just look up if it's safe for them in case they end up sniffing it.

I don’t know what is classed as a bad problem and what is something I should just grin and get on with.

When I called pest control they said they don’t really treat them as they aren’t really a pest... he did say he would do it but my partner says it won’t get rid of them all as the plaster in the house will still be wet and drying out!

I’m finding about 10-15 a day in my bathroom and then maybe 3-4 in every other room in the house!

Already got my partner to spray Rentokil insect spray - ventilated well and didn’t use the main bathroom for days which killed a load but since then they just keep coming!

It’s hideous

My DD bought a flat recently and it was overrun with clothes moths. A couple of bug bombs from Amazon sorted things. Try them. It will cost about £40 for one on each floor a few days apart but not a lot will survive that.

I will look into it!! Thank you!

I looked last night and diomataceous earth doesn’t kill them so will look at the bug bombs!

Had a better day today, the humidity has been mid 40’s for the last few days so think it’s drying them out... fingers crossed 🤞🏼🤞🏼

Still finding them but less than a few days ago! Tomorrow it could all go backwards though

Now that winter is here, the central heating will reduce humidity in the house and most insects will die.

New build and plaster dry faster with ventilation than with heat.

This is where I’m stuck...

Been using the dehumidifiers and heating because it’s humid outside if I have the windows open it’s just bringing in more humid air?

I keep reading so much stuff that all contradicts one another about what is best but from what I read if it’s dry and low humidity then open the windows but if it’s wet or high humidity keep them shut and get on the dehumidifier as these booklice like when humidity is over 50%!

In winter, the cold outside air holds less water (even if it feels cold and damp)

When you bring that air indoors and heat it, its RH drops and it can absorb more water.

The ability of air to hold water is proportional to its temperature.

New builds commonly have these. When the humidity levels drop consistently the will die out.
Dehumidifier running to keep below 50 of possible. Heating over winter will help. Any items you see that are filled with them throw out. Basically general advice is live with it.

We have this, we moved into a newly renovated home in June this year and have been battling booklice and plaster beetles since October, I didn't have a clue what they were at first they were so small.

I've had to get the pest controller in twice now at great expense but its gone from hundreds of thousands to maybe 10 each day. Which I can cope with. I've also had to buy dehumidifiers and hygro meters. Problem is I'm worried now as just found out I am pregnant having lost our son in the second trimester late August, and I've been using all these chemicals trying to get rid of these things.

I really sympathise with you. Its not a nice thing to go through, there's been many times I've sat and seriously considered packing stuff that isn't contaminated and leaving. Ive lost 4 pieces of furniture and x2 kitchen appliances because of these. We are winning but you need to keep eliminating their food source. I found a mouldy kitchen cabinet because builders plastered over an air vent. They found their way into my food, mainly cereal and oxo cubes, I just binned all my cupboard food and anything new I put into sandwich bags. If you see alot of them around a particular area then you know there is a food source there. We have pretty much raked our home with a fine tooth comb and I do a window sill sweep twice a day. 10am and 10pm seem to be their play time, The booklice love silicone and grout, so pay attention to kitchen/bathroom tiles. I know the first thing you want to do is wash them away but seriously a bad idea, as your putting more moisture into the grout and silicone. Dry wipe it and if you need to spray your kitchen work benches, spray onto a kitchen paper towel and then wipe. From one very stressed out mum to another I wish you all the Best and hope that they quickly disappear.

I feel like this is the booklice support group. I moved into my newly built home last month & didn’t pay much mind to the few I saw in the shower. I started seeing more of them in the tile grout of my bathroom. Soon the few have become hundreds & they’ve gotten into my plants
It’s so frustrating because I continue to see them after self treating & professional pest control. I just don’t want them to get in my food,

Hi. Have you got rid of your book lice? We bought a new build Sept 2020 and have had exactly the same issues. Check your grout in your bathroom shower. We had cracked grout. House builder had to ripped out 3 showers/tiles in my home and we had water getting behind the tiles which caused mould and damp to grow. You have to have a source for these book lice to survive. Your house builder should be paying for all the treatment.

Has anyone had any success getting rid of booklice? We moved to a new build in June last year and have been struggling with them for months. Turns out the loft was full of condensation and mould which was cleaned professionally a couple of days ago, fumigated and all the insulation has been replaced, but we are still getting them in every room in the house. We have both the type with wings and non-winged. I’m at the end of my tether with it all.

We have had them for a year now. Think we are nearly free off them. We have had all 3 showers ripped out now and ply wood etc replaced. It has been a nightmare but we only have a few now. House it getting sprayed with a fogger this Friday. It defiantly works but we got more back as only 2 showers were ripped out as we didn't think the 3rd shower had any problems but cracked grout had allowed water in and
mould had grown. I am really positive this will be the end of it for us. We have to be out our home for 8hours after it is sprayed and I have been packing up my home for the second time as everything has to taken out of my kitchen cupboards and photos etc off walls. As long as your source of food is away e.g. mould you should get your house fully treated with a pesticide to kill any as they may find another breeding ground. We have paid no money for this, the house builder has paid for all treatment etc. It has been a very stressful year and not what you expect buying a new home. Good luck

Hello, Just seeing I'm not the only one with a booklice problem makes me feel so much better, we've got awful builders who have been making out as if we're crazy to even notice them! Duncpage, I'm curious to know how you figured out it was the shower / bathroom that was causing the problem? We have that problem around our bathroom, and our grout is cracked too, we can't think of any reason why we've got them as no visible mould. How would we check before we take it to the builders please?

We had only been in 4/5months when I started noticing them on our ensuite. We noticed a tiny chipped tile which they had patched in with the broken peice.
The wall was damp and tiles were moving slightly.
The other 2 of my showers have been ripped out now because of cracked grout and booklice in them. Book lice will lay eggs near a damp mouldly source. In our case it was in the cracked grout behind the tiles. Water will definitely be getting behind the wall onto the plaster board/ aqua board then through onto the ply wood. If water is in there it will be causing mould to grow unknowly to you. Our builders came with a damp meter and took off adjoining room skirting boards to check if any moisture was in the wood or plaster. Aldi are selling damp meters just now if you want to check your self first. We had to have the floor boards replaced in one shower under the tray due too mould and all tiles aqua board and ply wood as replaced. A mist machine has been used to get rid of them twice now.
My advice would be to get the builders out to investigate these bugs, you need to find there source (mould). Get your bathroom tiles taken off due to the cracked tiles and see if there is mould behind them. I'm pretty sure there will be. A pest control company should then spray your home with a strong pesticide to kill any. Your builder should be paying for all this if you are under warranty. Hope that helps if you need any more advicd just ask as i know how stressful it can be. Good Luck

I had pest control alternate liquid spraying & Delta Dusting my baseboards throughout the house every 2 weeks. They hatch little ones every 14 days or so. My permanent pest control guy was very thorough & I believe effective at getting rid of them. It’s been over 2 weeks & I’ve only saw 4-5 the week after he treated with Delta Dust. No little ones either & it’s almost been 3 weeks. Delta Dust is a mix of talc-based baby powder & insecticide that dehydrates them. It has to be blown into the openings in the grout under the baseboards. There is residual so it’s best to keep children & pets out of it. If there’s no residual, I don’t believe the treatment is thorough enough, because a temp tech dusted last month & it didn’t work because he was a little on the lazy side. The perm tech got down on hands & knees. Tough, but he did great work. I prefer to leave the residual bc it kills other insects that wander in from outdoors. I have him spray my garage too & he takes the initiative to spray the outside of my home. The dust is supposed to treat up to 8 weeks if I’m not mistaken.

Oh! The ones that got into my 2 plants are annoying, but seem to be contained there. So I’m just treating the soil & spraying the floor around the plants weekly with insect spray. If that doesn’t work, I may just repot them.

As a newly married couple and first home in 2015 we bought our first property. Yep a new build. Within weeks noticed these insects, identified professionally as book lice. To date still forking out money to get the house sprayed professionally, to date it's spray num 7, nearly got an air tent fumigation at 10 grand it's been so bad. The mites still keep coming back. We have threw out rugs, mattresses, furniture etc due to infestation. We haven't been able to decorate, paint etc as adding more moisture to the walls. A Ventilation system put in first year advised by pest control company. Helped but did not rid them. Builders refused to help, bought us one small insecticide tin. We had these mites by the hundreds in every room. Nhbc Informed. Rejected claim. Blamed a clothes rail and us bringing them in on furniture. At this stage all we had was a bed, wardrobe and sofa. Horrendous experience. Went through a solicitor, advised to get reputable pest control and damp report. Did this and both advising that property wasnt properly ventilatilated resulting in mites surviving. Damp expert found severe damp at front and back doors especially on skirting. Had huge Infestation at the back door before Xmas. Nhbc recently again rejected claim ignoring both reports as they found no damp, given for several weeks now weather has been Amazing and so warm. It's a disgrace. Warranty means nothing, builders don't care and now we are left with a lot of debt. Can't sell our home due to this matter. I cannot rid my home of these mites. Someone needs to take responsibility. 6 years later and we still have them.. And we as a young family are suffering from cowboy builders and a warranty that isn't worth the paper it's written on

Hi, I’ve just moved into a new build and I have noticed these on each windowsill - bar the kitchen and now just noticed them in the bathroom (we don’t have a window here) they were on the wall.

Did your situation get better with time? I, like you am constantly cleaning and squishing them! I can’t sleep!!

You have to keep the humidity low in your home. Keep drains plugged & sinks dry. Run fans after showering & check the seals around the windows to make sure they are sealed properly.
Delta Dust dehydrates them. You may want to consult a contractor or exterminator to figure out what’s causing elevated humidity.

Hi I moved into my new build in Feb 2018. I had recentlobed from another older property which we renovated because we had booklice. And until sept 2019 had no issues. We have had booklice since sept 2019 and still do. I have found that all the chemical sprays actually make them thrive more. I have had numerous pest control people out and each say the same. Unfortunately they can be present in most houses. I have suffered with severe anxiety since I have had these in my old house too. I have tried CBT and most recently NLP which has helped. I think you just need to learn to live with them and come to the understanding they don't do you harm and if you keep you home well ventilated it does control the number. We are having a bad few months just now but hoping by late autumn it settles again. If you ever find a cure please let me know. I can sympathize with the stress that they bring especially in pregnancy. This happened in both my pregnancies and its horrible. Xx

Hi, I'm in a few new house build appartment and in the same situation to you keep finding them in the main bathroom and ensuite. It's so distressing and disgusting.

Were you able. To get rid of these?I could really do with your help.

Maria

Wow im so happy i found this thread i moved in to a new build august 2019 with my newborn baby & only found the plaster beetles while i was painting rooms, 8 months of killing them daily, pest control out 13 times i gave up & moved to a 6 year old flat ive been here 6 weeks & have now started to find them in every room i cant sleep at night from getting up to check with a torch every 2 mins, im riddled with anxiety and everyone seems to think im the beastie lady as theyve never heard of them before never mind had them in both their properties! How is everyones situation getting on ? I saw none all day yesterday was feeling hopeful then at night saw 7 on the same wall !!

Hi. My situation is still the same unfortunately. Actually it's getting wors eby the day because I find more and more in each room and cupboard and wardrobes I go into 😭😭 it's soul destroying. I genuinely want to move but afraid it's just going to happen again. This is my second property with them. Everyone thinks am the same as you he beastie lady an no one quite gets how it's making me feel. My skin actually crawls because of them. Feel my whole house is dirty no matter how much I clean it and my anxiety he's worse by the day. Feel totally hopeless. Every pest control person I speak to tells me the same thing but nothing works!