BarkLice Webbing - Information About BarkLice In Trees. By Susan Patterson.You've probably noticed barklice webbing at one time or another in your trees. While unsightly, this often leads homeowners asking, “Do barklice insects damage trees?” Discover how these harmless insects benefit trees by cleaning bark surfaces.Extensive webbing from barklice on tree branches. Photo: Gerald J. Lenhard, Bugwood.org. Barklice feed on various organic materials such as mold, pollen, fragments of dead insects, algae, and lichens. Barklice are small, dark-colored insects that produce dense webbing on trunks of host trees. They prefer tree trunks of oaks and pecans. These pests may look harmful to trees, but they are not. Learn how to properly remove barklice from trees. Barklice are also known to spin a silken web on tree trunks. So much so that the entire trunk can be covered in a sheet of their silk. They live beneath this sheath where they go about feeding. The lice do not harm the tree in any manner. Webbing barklice spin a fine layer of silk that protects them from predators and other hazards. During years of high populations, trunks of large oak trees may be entirely encased in this fine, white silk, which, except for the strange appearance, is also harmless to the tree. BarkLice are a large, diverse, and underappreciated group of hemimetabolous insects found worldwide. Most species feed on lichen and fungi, but members of one well-known lineage, the true lice (not pictured here), have become important parasites of vertebrates. In fact, barklice are considered to be "very nice" for trees since they feed on fungi, spores, pollen, lichens, and other debris on the surface of a tree's bark—essentially cleaning the bark for free. Additionally, the webbing never extends to the foliage of the tree. Barklice are harmless small gray insects that live in the cracks and crevices of trees. They are soft bodied and are only about 1/8 of an inch long. They appear in large numbers and many times look like a dark spot on the tree trunk. Barklice are insects, but they aren’t a form of lice. The formal name of this critter is Psocoptera with these small, shiny, long-antennae, brown insects found on trees with smooth bark and, occasionally on hardwood ones. They can also be found on some shrubs. Fast facts about Psocoptera (book lice, barklice, dust lice).Below is Metylophorus nebulosus, one of the largest U. K. species at around 5.0 - 5.5mm long. It is found outdoors in many places especially in conifers and fruit trees. It overwinters as an egg covered in debris. Did the barklouse make a shelter out of silk and poo or did it take over someone elses dung flung abode? We may never know. Toolakea Beach, Qld.Grazing BarkLouse. Psocid grazes a rich smorgasboard of moss and lichen on this lemon tree. Barklice Matt Bertone N.C. State University. "The word 'lice' may get your scalp itching, but these lice are only distant relatives of the blood-feeding sort," Bertone said. Barklice, as their name suggests, are often found on the bark of trees. The Pest : BarkLiceBarklice, and their relatives, book lice, are small, soft-bodied insects. These insects are not lice at all, they are not parasitic on anything. They probably got the name because they are small and hard to see. Barklice may have wings but wingless forms also occur. Barklice are known for their communal living habits, often forming large groups on the bark of trees. They play an essential role in the ecosystem by helping to clean the bark and promote tree health.
