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New Hampshire PBS

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Psocoptera - Booklice, Barklice

 

Classification

 Kingdom: Animalia
 Phylum: Arthropoda
 Subphylum: Hexapoda
 Class: Insecta
 Order: Psocoptera

BookliceThere are around 3,000 species in this order and over 240 species in North America. Bark lice are found in leaf litter, under bark, or under rocks. They eat fungi, lichen, and moss. Adult barklice are about 1/3 of an inch in length and usually have wings.

Booklice are much smaller than barklice. They like starchy foods and are often found in homes and buildings, where they eat grains and paste! They are often found in books. They like to eat the binding glue!