Weird Bug
Location: South East Texas
March 24, 2011 4:43 pm
Mr. or Mrs. Bugman…
I have a black little bug…about a millimeter long…oval shaped…light colored spots…crawls but has wings…
Thought it was a ladybug; but can’t find any pics of it. HELP PLEASE.
Signature: Infested
Carpet Beetles
Dear Infested,
You have Carpet Beetles. The larvae feed on wool and other types of animal fibers and the adults are pollen feeders. When the beetles mature, large quantities of the adult accumulate on windowsills in an attempt to reach the outside where the flowers are blooming. Larvae can do tremendous damage to museum collections as well as home furnishings.
Carpet Beetles
Strange House Tick?
Location: Chicago, IL
March 17, 2011 7:10 pm
Dear Bugman/Bugwoman,
We were living in a damp, dark basement apartment and started seeing these strange bugs about a month ago. We probably found 3 or 4 and then we moved to a new apartment a week ago and they seem to have followed us. We’ve already found 3 of them crawling around on our stuff. I’m feeling paranoid that we’re infested with something! Is there any way you can help me identify our unwelcome stowaway? I have attached 2 pictures. They aren’t the clearest, but maybe they will be enough. If you need another picture I can send some. I captured a couple of the bugs so I could try to figure out what they were.
Thanks for your help.
Sincerely,
Signature: Ed
Spider Beetle
Hi Ed,
There are many small beetles that infest stored foods, and many of them have a cosmopolitan distribution. This is a Spider Beetle, most likely in the genus Mezium as your photo, though blurry, appears to show a pronotum with furry pubescence which according to BugGuide is a distinguishing feature.
Identify the bug
Location: California
March 13, 2011 4:17 pm
Hello! We keep finding these small bugs on our carpet, in our bedroom and I haven’t been able to identify it. It has two-tone body, almost black and yellow, very small, hard shell. I have attached pictures. I hoping these aren’t bed bugs, they dont look like them based on the pictures i’ve seen.
Signature: Rachelle Stimmel
Varied Carpet Beetle
Hi Rachelle,
This is the third identification request for the Varied Carpet Beetle we are posting this morning. The larvae can damage wool rugs and other organic materials found in the home and they also do significant damage to museum collections. They are cosmopolitan in distribution.
They are invading my duaghters room..please help!
Location: in bedroom beside window
March 13, 2011 2:19 pm
Hi
We are trying to figure out what these bugs are and where they are coming from. Do you have any idea?
Signature: Mom needing her daughter to sleep in her room again
Varied Carpet Beetle
Dear Mom needing…,
This is a Varied Carpet Beetle. Larvae feed on a variety of organic materials including the woolen fibers found in rugs. The rug in your photo looks like a wool rug. You should search our archives for images of the larvae. Other than the damage that the larvae do to home furnishings and museum collections, they pose no threat to your daughter. Adults feed on pollen.
Every year we get ’em
Location: North West washington (America)
March 13, 2011 5:00 pm
This lil critter likes to sit in our window sills.
He is about 1/16 inch?
They have the ability to fly but seem to rarely
seem to.
I thought they looked like lady bugs, But they
aren’t the correct color.
If you can identify and tell us if they are harmful
in any way…That would be great.
Signature: Tom & Kelly Gorham
Varied Carpet Beetle
Hi Tom & Kelly,
This is a Varied Carpet Beetle. The larvae are considered household pests and they will feed on a wide variety of organic matter in the home, including shed pet hair. Adults feed on pollen. They are attracted to the windows in their attempt to gain access to the outdoors.
I live NEAR San Francisco, but about 25-30 min away
Location: Redwood City, California
March 7, 2011 6:03 pm
can you identify this bug?
found about 5-6 around my kitchens window sill, whiped them up and flushed them down the toilet [last night].
2 more appeared today.
they’re really tiny, about hm, a bit bigger than a pen’s head.
ick.
Signature: xblueduckx
Varied Carpet Beetle
Dear sblueduckx,
This is a Varied Carpet Beetle, Anthrenus verbasci, and you can read all about it in our archives or on BugGuide. We have been responding to several identification requests each day for various species of Carpet Beetles and their larvae.
Found this bug in the mattress
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
March 5, 2011 12:44 pm
Should I be worried abut this fella? I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is not the first time I see one of these, this was small I recall seeing bigger ones of about 0.4in long.
Sorry for the blurry pic but I maxed out my camera macro capabilities. thanks!!
Signature: Pablo
Carpet Beetle Larva
Hi Pablo,
We find your bilingual illustration quite amusing. You do not need to be worried about personal injury because of your Carpet Beetle Larva in the family Dermestidae, however, a Carpet Beetle infestation might eventually cause damage to some of your home furnishings. The larvae feed on organic materials like fur, feathers and wool, and they will damage wool rugs and carpets. They also feed on shed pet hair, which is not a problem. Dermestid Beetles can do considerable damage to museum collections including insect collections.
tiny spotted flying bug!
Location: Columbus Ohio
February 12, 2011 1:19 am
i have had these tiny black/brown/beige spotted bugs for about a year now. They used to only hang out in my living room window sill during the spring when we would have our windows open (we have screens, not sure how they got in). Recently, they’re abundant in my bedroom. On my walls, bedposts (metal bed) and crawling on my pillows (what a delight to wake up to!). They tend to hang around by my cats food on the carpet, but they have never been IN his food or on my cat. I have no bites. I thought they were harmless until lately I see them flying with their hidden wings around my room. But mostly they crawl. Haven’t noticed any holes in bedsheets, even checked my cats ears but they’re not in there either! Haven’t seen any in my closet either. They seem to be less than a cm large…Please Help!
Signature: Nikki Ater
Carpet Beetle
Hi Nikki,
This ia a Carpet Beetle in the genus Anthrenus, which you may confirm on BugGuide. This is a common household pest that is also responsible for doing major damage to museum collections. Your photo that includes the orange carpet amuses us.
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