Not Bugs, but Plant Seeds called Beggar’s Ticks

bugman

February 7th, 2010 at 10:23 am

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I’m trying to identify a bug I keep finding in my house
February 6, 2010
Hi there,
I appreciate your help!!
For the past 1-2 years, I keep finding this one particular bug in my house, I am the only one who seems to notice it, but I keep finding it on my bed, on the floor and the latest -stuck to my pijama pants by its little” horns”. Please see pic.
I’ve found it during all seasons of the year and whenever I find it it is always dead. If it wasn’t for those little horns, I wouldn’t even think it was a bug. I’ve never seen it living.
When I first started finding this bug, I thought that it was perhaps something my ‘semi-indoor-outdoor’ cat dragged in. But being that it is the dead of February in Toronto, Canada …there really aren’t that bugs outside. So I don’t know.
I think that is all the information I can give you for now. Thank you so much for reading this and for your consideration to help me out. Take care.
Carla
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

seeds carla 300x253 Not Bugs, but Plant Seeds called Beggars Ticks

Unknown Seeds

Hi Carla,
WE couldn’t help but to chuckle when we saw your letter. These aren’t bugs at all, nor are they even animal in origin. They are the seeds of a plant. The “horns” are projections on the seed that lodge in animal fur or human clothing and this helps to transport the seed to a new location where if conditions are favorable, a new plant will germinate. Though we recognize this seed, we are not certain from which plant it is produced. We might be able to identify them properly should we take the time, but then we run the risk of adding a new category to our site, and frankly, we haven’t the time to expand into “What’s That Seed?”

Hi Daniel,
Thank you for getting back to me! I have to say, that I too had quite the laugh when I read your email — Wow, I had a seed keeping my up at night. As long as plants don’t start growing in the middle of my living room, then I think I will be fine with it. Again, thank you for taking the time to answer my email. I’ve made a small donation to your website… just in case I am plagued by a seed again.
Sincerely,
Carla Campli

Comments 1

kkroeker wrote:
It looks like a Beggar’s Tick (or Beggartick) in the genus Bidens. It could be the Common Beggar’s Tick (B. frondosa), but it is hard to tell from the seed alone and there are several species in the genus represented in Ontario. They are in the Aster family (Asteraceae) and most have non-showy yellow flowers. Here on the prairies most hikes end with a picking session to get these little guys out of my socks. K
Posted 08 Feb 2010 at 9:45 am ¶