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!!

I hope...

Hello, how are you doing? I started to see springtails on my balcony. They look very similar to book lice and they are jumping. I think my struggle will be harder this summer. I am very tired.

Hi, came across this thread recently. I live in a 46 Yr old house in uk. Noticed one or two booklice in bathroom a few months ago. Didn't think anything of it, then started noticing a few in the bath. I gutted the airing cupboard out in the hall that backs onto my bathroom/shower and noticed hundreds of dead ones and some still crawling. Couldn't believe it. I'll be getting some rotten wood removed and an extractor fan. Been running a dehumidifier for weeks and still seeing them. We don't shower or wash clothes in the house anymore, but go to my mums instead. Soul destroying is an understatement! Judging by the posts there is no quick fix or even any fix for this. But posting in solidarity with everyone with the same issue!

I recommend you not to do things that will restrict your life, unfortunately you have to get used to living with them, go back to your daily routines and try to continue as if they don't exist, once you see them, you see them all the time, maybe for the rest of your life. All I know is that they won all the fights. I started to think of them as a part of natural life, just as I continued my life without looking everywhere with a flashlight, now I will continue my life by spraying pesticides from time to time. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a living thing that can be extinct. You can reduce it a lot, but it will never end, it will always be in a corner. As I ran away from them, I started to find new creatures and this annoys me very much. Previously, I only had book lice, now springtails have been added. Changing my house was not what I expected.

I also have springtails and they wander in from time to time through tiny gaps
so
again I am also having to deal with both
and I have resided myself with this
does anyone know if heat treatment works ? To eliminate booklice

How often do you see springtails in the house, where do you usually see them and do they bother you? Or do they spread all over the house like book lice? The only cure for book lice is to control the population with regular spraying for a while, which is a long process and does not cure it completely, it just helps you get back to your life and needs to be repeated from time to time. I know that heat treatment does not work, there are people who have tried it.

Oh no I was hoping heat treatment would have worked as it gets rid of booklice eggs
springtails come in through windows and doors if left open and when it rains a lot in uk
again I never used to have these either before and Iv seen them I just squash them with tissue if I see them
in garden again I have seen and hard to get rid of Some say to use DE I’m not sure that works
springtails are just one or two at the moment

oh, this is the first time you've noticed springtails? I'm guessing you've been living there for a while, are you just meeting them and I'm wondering if you've seen them around your house, indoors, do you find them often?

They’re usually just crawled in from windows or doors and after when it’s been raining alot outside
nowhere else to be honest. Pls can you advise if heat treatment is ineffective if you know ppl
I don’t want to waste money but since weather is warmer Iv noticed thwm
more

Heat treatment does not eliminate them. Even regular spraying gives more positive results. Contrary to popular belief, they are not affected by dryness very quickly. In fact, they are not that sensitive to dryness. They can stay dry for weeks and revive at the slightest moisture. It does not make sense to dry places. They are abundant even in dry homes, which is why it is so difficult to eliminate them. By the way, don't springtails migrate to homes when the weather gets warmer in the summer? I started seeing them on my balconies starting from this month because the weather is getting warmer.

I think the best for us is to burn down the house🥲...........

I read that these creatures reappeared after a fire broke out in a house and after it was renovated, I'm not kidding... My only dream is to go back to my old self, to the times when I didn't constantly think about these creatures. I miss those days so much

I feel you. You have obviously been dealing with this much longer than me. I've read this full thread but hard to keep up. What is the best thing in your opinion to control the booklice? Sprays? I don't fancy using DE as I read it can cause lung damage if inhaled. Windows open? House aired? Or closed amd heating ramped up. So confused! Also I want to be able to enjoy my kids and life and can't let it consume me. I spend more money on cleaning products than I do on food! Is control rather than eradication the best approach? Sorry for the 20 questions.

First of all, I have to say that I wish I had never dealt with them. I would like you to know that these creatures are not very sensitive to moisture. let alone that they are simply associated with humidity in every article. Eliminating food sources can keep their numbers in check: mold, dead insects, books, grains. and water. They cannot be fed regularly unless they are out in the open. Unfortunately, pesticides cause the greatest harm to us, but as long as we do not see them, we can return to our normal lives and that is why pesticides are essential. When it is done at regular intervals, there is a serious decrease in their numbers, but of course it does not end, there may be some hiding somewhere or in the hatching phase. It is important to ventilate the house regularly, even if only slightly. Make sure that there are no places that constantly drip; water will attract them. There should be no openings or cracks around the plumbing pipes. You may hear that some people get rid of them, but that's not possible, they just get used to it and stop controlling it, so they either think they've gotten rid of them, or they think they see them from time to time. Think of these creatures as butterflies behind the window. Seeing them is as normal as it is for them to be there. We are a part of nature and there is nothing more natural than encountering them. We need to make ourselves accept these, but I know we can't. We cannot say that they are not in every house, but attics, basements, etc. are very suitable places for these creatures. Maybe they are in every house, but in different parts of the house. Getting used to it will be good for us, I'm just waiting to get used to it. Now, instead of really getting rid of them, I wish I could get used to them like other people, and it's important for me to at least take this step, as I'm getting used to it a little bit.

Thankyou so much for this
I needed this trying my best to cope with them too which I will and can if they’re reduced numbers.
thinking of those who struggle with them let’s all keep
posting for reassurance

Of course, let's help each other from here. My main problem right now is springtails. I encountered them for the first time in this house. I want to open my windows and balcony doors and ventilate my house, but I'm afraid of them coming in. Actually, I don't know if they can live inside or not. How long does it take for them to disappear? Can anyone answer these questions? The medications I use for book lice have absolutely no effect on them, which is very unfortunate.

They die with powder
so you be sprinkled some along patio inside but dilemma is if you don’t ventilate you have booklice and at the moment spring tails come in when you open windows

Permethrin powder or DE powder

I think I will buy diatomaceous earth and pour it in a thin layer on the outside windows and balcony marbles. Yes, I want to ventilate for book lice, but I don't want to deal with springtails this time. I can't understand how they climb to the 4th floor... How long do you see them? I think they disappear when the weather gets cold, like book lice, because I've never seen them in winter.

I noticed them in November last year when it was very wet and reduced in winter
seeing rhem
more outside now but they don’t come in as much at the moment when it’s drier
I’ve no idea they have a mind of their own
again only seen them around kitchen bathroom and window areas
I got rid of a lot of mulch (dead leaves)which has reduced them but neighbour has a lot which probably doesn’t help me 😔

When I wonder if there really could be more, there is always more... so frustrating. I feel like I was put on this earth to deal with pests. I can neither open the window nor do I have to keep it closed. Anyway, diatomaceous earth. I think it will be effective against both book lice and springtail, it is worth trying it. Our climate is drier and less humid than yours so I guess I noticed them early. They'll be a nuisance all summer long. It drives me crazy to see people paying and buying for them.

Hi tasha
also struggling with anxiety and mine has been renovated
did you manage to get rid of them

Hello how’s everyone getting on?

Hi Ashee. I'm OK well after a melt down earlier today. Booklice multiplying rapidly with no end in site. Have the 4th pest control person coming tomorrow and a property survey due next week. How are you?

I’m trying not to look for them
anymore as my anxiety is not good
they’ve been steadily increasing as weather is warming in uk
are you also based in uk?
I had a damp survey done and other than a slow radiator pipe leak which we discovered ourselves nothing much was found.
im going to have to spray soon again
hope you’re ok pls message as ppl going through this can only relate