RE: [Strawbale]Psocids infestation

[Catherine Wanek <blackrange@zianet...>]

Hi Leive --

To concur with Chug and Kes --  these tiny non-biting straw beetles
are probably a result of the moisture introduced in the walls from
plastering, made a bit worse by the humidity of moist summer rains. 
They will probably go away without the use of insecticides, once things
dry out.

To aid this, besides opening the windows, I would also recommend getting
fans going in each room, to enhance the drying process.  A hand
vacuum can help to just get them out of your sight until their moist
habitat disappears.

BTW, I was on that strawbale tour in June, and we all loved your lovely
house.  I'm sure that you're happy to have moved in, despite the
univited guests......;-)   
Blessings,
Catherine Wanek 

At 12:43 PM 8/17/04 +0100, you wrote:
> We hovered up all the dust we could
> find and then sprayed in some
> insecticides into the cracks.  They have not come back.
>
> I think it is related to the depth of plaster that has to dry out,
> it
> just takes time.  They had exactly the same problem in findhorn, I
> don't
> think it has recurred there either.
>
> The psocids go, it takes some time for the paranoia that you have
> messed
> up and your house is rotting around you to subside tho... must just
> go
> and sniff that truth window, is that the sweet smell of black goo 
> ?!
>
> kes
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: strawbale-admin@amper....muni.cz
> [mailto:strawbale-admin@amper....muni.cz]
> On Behalf Of Chug.
> Sent: 17 August 2004 09:24
> To: strawbale@amper....muni.cz
> Subject: Re: [Strawbale]Psocids infestation
>
> Hi Lieve,
>
> from looking into this problem myself it seems that most people seem
> to
> have had the problem when the weather warms up soon after
> rendering/plastering a building, and in most cases the psochids
> disappear
> on their own and do not return.
> Kester did spray or treat them with something? but I cannot 
> remember
> what
> it was.
>
> bale on
> Chug
> chug@strawbale-building....uk
> www.strawbale-building.co.uk/
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "lieve van landeghem"
> <lieve.vanlandeghem@skynet...>
> To: <strawbale@amper....muni.cz>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 8:05 AM
> Subject: [Strawbale]Psocids infestation
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> Last May, Andre de Bouter reported Erica Sapir's 'critters' 
> problem.
> Chug replied that the critters were probably psocids, and that
> Kester
> Wilkinson had had a similar problem.
>
> A month ago I moved into my strawbale house, and just a few days ago
> I
> noticed that it is infested by tiny insects.  The problem is not
> their
> concentration in one spot as was, I understand, the case in Erica's
> house.
> But they are all over the house : mainly underneath carpets and
> other
> stuff
> on the floors downstairs and upstairs which are pine planks, and
> they
> also
> crawl on the white painted plaster panel (gyproc) walls and ceiling
> of
> the
> bathroom.  Neither do they shun the bed.  (Some of you visited
> the house
> with Herwig Van Soom, I believe on June 10th, when you were on your
> way
> to
> the congress in Denmark.   Or you can take a look at the
> webpage that
> Herwig
> made http://nebraska.skynetblogs.be/)
>
> I went searching on the internet and yes, it's psocids, also called
> booklice
> or Liposcelis Bostrychophila.  (for a picture, see
> http://www.anticimex.se/?objectid=878).
>
> I did some more reading on the web
> (http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ip/bryanturner/other/index-psocids.html
> and
> http://www.sofht.co.uk/isfht/irish_98_psocids.htm) and learned that
> I
> have
> to "try to deny them the conditions they need to survive and
> multiply,
> i.e.
> warmth and moisture".  Which is beyond my control, assuming
> they come
> from
> the straw in the walls.  With the warm weather here and no sun
> protection
> in
> place yet, temperatures inside the house have been up to 30 degrees
> Celcius.
> I do ventilate the house though, as often as the weather allows.
>
> Can any of you experts give me some advice, or could the people who
> experienced a similar problem, feedback on how they dealt with it ?
>
> Many thanks.
> Kind regards.
> Lieve
>
>
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