Cory McGee age 12, of Gadsden, Ala., for her question:

IS THERE A BUG CALLED A BOOKWORM?

People who spend a lot of time reading books are sometimes called bookworms. But the word "bookworm" is also the common name for an insect that feeds on the paper or binding of books. The name is most frequently given to the larvae of the beetles of the family Bostrychidae, although any insect that normally feeds on starch material or wood may eat paper.

The larvae of the Bostrychidae are about one tenth of an inch long when fully grown.

A larva of one species, the spider beetle, has been known to bore a straight hole through 27 thick volumes.

Another troublesome insect in library circles is the book louse.

The larvae of another species of beetle is known as the drugstore beetle. In addition to eating paper, this insect also hrives on drugs and tobacco.

Insects other than beetles, such as cockroaches and the tiny larvae of moths of the family Oecophoridae, have also been known to destroy books, and sometimes they are also called by the generic name of bookworm.