posted 01-21-2002 08:10 AM            

Residents in Brevard County flooded 911 operators Thursday with reports of
strange thread-like objects falling from the sky, Local 6 News reported.

Thousands of the strands could be seen floating around the Palm Bay, Fla.,
Police Department and other buildings in the area.

After an investigation, the substance was identified as Psocids' webs.
Psocids are tiny insects less that 1 inch long that are commonly called
barklice or webspinners. They are almost invisible to the naked eye, and
fairly common in Florida.

Psocids usually prefer warm, damp, undisturbed conditions, and feed mainly on
microscopic molds. They are commonly found in old magazines and books, where
they also feed on binding glue.