Book louse – What is a book louse?

Definition of a book louse

The book louse (or book lice) is a pale grey or yellowish-white insect that measures between one and two millimetres, and looks like a tiny ant. These small insects feed on a wide variety of organic materials of animal or plant origin. They prefer warm, humid places with little traffic where they feed on mold, starch, wallpaper glue, book glue, envelopes, dead insects, lint, etc. The female lays between 20 and 50 eggs. Its life cycle lasts between 25 and 100 days, depending on temperature and humidity.