bugs everywhere now
I’ve had these bugs at least a year. I thought they might die out with the winter but it was wishful thinking. They flock to my light fixtures in the kitchen and die there. They are all over my kitchen stove when I get up each morning . They are attracted to white surfaces. Now they are also in the bathroom, all over the bathtub, in the sink. Can you please tell me what these things are. They also get into the flour, cereals, herbs etc. Is there anything I can do to get rid of them? Thanks!
Lorna
Hi Lorna,
Keeping the pantry free of stored grain products and keeping your spices in tightly sealed containers should help you control your Pantry Beetles.
what is this? plz help
We weren’t sure exactly what type of Pantry Beetle, so we asked Eric Eaton who responded: “Ah, well, these are Anobiidae beetles of some kind, most likely the drugstore beetle or the cigarette beetle. Was it smoking? Just kidding:-) In any event, it is a stored product pest in that family. Thanks for sharing.
bug info
We are having this bug on our carpet for a while. Apparently it’s harmless, but since I have a 6-month-old baby, I’d like to check what it is. I’ve looked at several bug pictures, but could not find it. We also find them sometimes on our bathtub. We live in Boston, MA. It is the size of a small ant, very small. To kill it, I crush it and it sounds like killing a pregnant dog’s flea, it cracks. I’ve put a couple in a completely closed jar a few days ago, and they are still alive. I’m sending some pictures I took. I’d appreciate any kind of information you could provide me.
Thanks a lot
Melina Suarez
Dear Melina
We were not sure exactly what species of beetle you had, though we suspected some type of Pantry Beetle. We contacted a true beetle expert, Eric Eaton who gave us the following reply:
“Some pretty clear images of pretty tiny beetles! They are spider beetles, Mezium americanum. It is a stored product pest, so best to inspect the pantry to find the source of the infestation. This should also include examination of pet food, taxidermy mounts, insect collections, the spice rack….Aside from adding some inadvertent protein to one’s diet, though, they are of no real consequence even if you don’t ever find them. Aside, we’d love to have these images submitted to Bugguide.net. Not even sure this family is represented yet.
Thanks.
Eric”
Ed. Note: We put Eric in contact with Melina and hopefully she will give permission to post the images on Bugguide.net.
what is this bug?
1/4" in length. many legs on each side. somewhat hairy. has a wormlike head that wiggles around, the back end almost looks like wings creeping out from under a jacket. the jacket is light oolored belt around the midsection and the ends are darker. the tummy of the bug is all light colored. they had no visible antenna or tail (through a magnifying glass)…… 4 of these were on one sons wall in his bedroom. one more was sighted in an upstairs bedroom. they are very slow moving, in a slow wiggle sideways. when dropped in the carpet, they burrow down into it. help. thanks.
Jean
Hi Jean,
You have a Carpet Beetle Larva, one of the Dermestid Beetles which eat wool and other natural fibers as well as doing major damage to museum collections.
Help Me Figure Out What This Is…
Hi,
My house has recently had an infestation of a bug that seems to really be a fan of grain. We’ve found it inside our sealed cereal boxes and also in packets of oatmeal. After putting all of our food in sealed containers the contagion seems to have died down, but now I’m finding some throughout our house. I took a number of digital pictures but this is the only one that came out pretty well. The bug resembles a very tiny ant except it obviously isn’t an ant. It is about 2 mm long. Hopefully you can identify it, I’ve searched many many sites.
Thanks!
Zach
Hi Zach,
It looks like you have a type of Merchant Grain Beetle, possibly Oryzaephilus mercator or the closely related Saw-toothed Grain Beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis. These are very small beetles that are elongated. According to Hogue: “The appearance of these pests in a tightly sealed package of dried food is a source of wonder to housekeepers. Entry is commonly by way of minute imperfections in the seal, but some species may bore through paper and cardboard containers to get at the contents. In other cases, infestations occur when the foods are stored in bulk in railroad cars, warehouses, and at other stops along the processing line.”
What is this?
Can you please help me identify this bug. They are found on the walls in my home. They crawl very fast and are very tiny. I took a picture next to a dime.
Thanks for any help
Jon Lindberg
Hi Jon,
You have a Dermestid Beetle larva which include household pests like carpet beetles and larder beetles.
bugs from home
Please help…
My wife was cleaning the other day and found these two bugs in some dust balls under our bed as well as in our kitchen cabinets and drawers. We tried looking online but can’t find anything that looks like these two guys – we’re wondering if they aren’t babies of something else. We’re not sure what to do about them or even where they came from. Thanks for your help,
Tom
Hi Tom,
It is difficult to be certain with your photo.
Update: (10/21/2005)
Hi, The insect pictured here copied from WTB is a spider beetle. It is a bead like insect often associated with rodent infestations. I managed to find your site when pulling up pictures of “lawn shrimp” to show an employee.
Doug Seemann , BCE
Board Certified Entomologist
San Diego County
Pantry Beetles?
I have been finding these around the house occasionally. But today I found 5 in one unopened package and one in another unopened package of saltine crackers. There were some very tiny cracks at the corner of the packages where crackers contacted though much smaller than these bugs. Can you tell me what they are and if they could have came in the packages or if they may have entered through the tiny cracks. They range in size from less than 1/8" to almost 1/4".
Thanks Merle
Yes Merle, you have pantry beetles. It is possible to buy pre-infested food at the market, which is a good reason to check the expiration date. They will quickly spread to other stored foods in your pantry.
Featherlike bug
Recently, i noticed some tiny bugs on a clean towel that i picked up from our bedroom wardrobe. After that, i examined all the clothes in our bedroom closet and discovered quite a lot of these bugs, most of them on clothes made from wool or cotton. It was almost impossible to get rid of them because they were hardly seen, so we took all of our clothes to the laundry. Their size is from 2 mm up to 7 mm that is 1/12" up to 1/4" inches (so i guess that the guy on the photo must be their… king). Later on that day, i discovered their… kingdom. A knitted carpet of wool, carefully stored in the wardrobe closet but not inspected for a long time, was covered all over of these bugs, so much that you couldn’t make out the drawing on it. Can you please tell me, what’s that bug and what caused the presence of it? Finally, is there a way to prevent this situation to the future?
Thanks for your help.
Babis, Greece
Dear Babis,
There is a reason your insect was discovered in the carpet. It is the larval form of a Carpet Beetle, Family Dermestidae. By now you must realize that they will destroy a fine wool rug that is being stored. They will also infest wool clothing, get into suede and leather, ande they are responsible for horrific damage to museum collections.
Beetle Infestation
Hello, I live in Saskatchewan, Canada and have found 40-50 beetles in my house in the past two weeks. They are everywhere … upstairs, downstairs, bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms, etc, etc. They are approximately 1/4 inch (5-6 mm) in length and solid black. We’ve never seen them fly and believe that they don’t have wings. I’ve included pictures. I found one larva. It was redish-brown and appeared striped (very similar to that of a larder beetle). Can you help us identify them, tell us why they’re moving in, and how to get rid of them. Thank you so much for any help you can offer.
Renee.
Hi Renee,
You have one of the Grain Weevils. This is just one type of Pantry Beetle. Grain Weevils infest stored grain products. Weevils belong to the Family Curculionidae.
Hello- Rather strange question~~~I had once heard that if you put unwrapped chewing gum, not sure what flavor- I think Peppermint or spearmint in your pantry that the weevils will either die or stay away— ever heard of anything like this?
Thanks,
Candice
Hi Candice,
Never heard of it but I like the tip. Worth a try I guess. -
Pointed head bug
Dear bugman,
Perhaps you can identify this bug picture I sketched. I cannot find a close match anywhere to say that I am sure what it is. It is a 6 legged bug VERY tiny, about 1/10". I can tell you that not only did they show up in my kitchen, but there were literally millions in a bag of birdseed! There were so many that you could hear the bag rustling. Gross! I looked in the bag to see millions of these creatures with their pointed heads and antennae. I hope you could steer me as to what these bugs are.
Thanks!
Tom Bartman
Pottstown, PA
Hi Tom,
Weevils are one type of Pantry Beetle whose shape matches your description and drawing. Weevils are a type of beetle belonging to the family Curculionidae. Grain Weevils belong to the genus Sitophilus and have the head elongated into a snout.
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