What is This?
Location: Glenview, IL
November 7, 2011 4:29 pm
Found these bugs on the outside of paper bags of wheat in our basement
Signature: Brittany Priz
Booklice
Hi Brittany,
You have Booklice tiny insects that are often found in homes, especially damp cellars and garages. According to Charles Hogue in his wonderful book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin: “The most common is the true Book Louse (Liposcelis bostrychophila), a cosmopolitan pest for the food industry, households, museums, and libraries. Although it is a contributor to the allergens found in house dust and its feeding may do minor damage to book bindings and paper, the presence of the Book Louse is usually no more than an annoyance. Out of doors, this species lives on woody vegetation, on fungi in gournd litter, in soil, or in animal nests.” See BugGuide for additional photos.
Booklice
1
Mysterious insect!
Location: Slovenia
October 31, 2011 10:57 pm
http://imgur.com/a/SQe1O
These photos were submitted by a friend. The only info I have is that it’s from Slovenia.
I am thinking it is a beetle with the elytra missing due to a cruel individual pulling them off or due to a genetic mutation. Maybe Chrysomelidae?
What do you think?
Signature: Joseph_P_Brenner
possible Barklouse
Dear Joseph,
We agree that this insect is quite beetle-like, but we haven’t a clue as to its identity. We are posting your photos in the hope that we will be able to provide you with an identification.
Barklouse, perhaps
We are also planning on contacting Eric Eaton for assistance. The closeup of the head should be very helpful.
potentially Head of Barklouse
Eric Eaton has a suggestion
Hi, Daniel:
My gut reaction is that this is some kind of barklouse, order Psocodea. Beyond that I have no idea.
Eric
Thanks, Daniel.
My buddy got in touch with Dr. Vassili Belov and Dr. Belov thinks it’s Malthodes or Malthinus with the elytra amputated. I think he is correct. Definitely looks like one of those 2 soldier beetle genera.
Thanks again!
Hornet with no Wings?
Location: California
August 15, 2011 5:00 pm
a Friend of mine found these on another friends front trees. They appear to be some kind of wingless wasp/hornet.
Signature: Thanks, Craig
Immature Barklice
Dear Craig,
These are immature Barklice in the family Psocidae, and they look remarkably like Cerastipsocus venosus, a species that is commonly collectively called Tree Cattle. They are benign creatures that feed on lichens and they will not harm the tree, though homeowners are often startled to find large numbers on mature trees. When they mature, they will have wings that cover the strikingly striped abdomens. Here is a photo from BugGuide that shows a large number of nymphs and adults together. What we find unusual is that BugGuide does not have any sightings west of Texas, though it is indicated on BugGuide that they are “widespread.”
Eric Eaton concurs, and offers a suggestion
Daniel:
I believe you are correct. You might ask the contributor if he/she would not mind periodically taking images of these. Might be easier to identify the adult version whenever they graduate to that stage.
Eric
¶ Posted 15 August 2011 § ‡ ° Completely Baffled as to Bug ID
Location: SE MIchigan
August 8, 2011 7:15 am
Dear Bugman: What have we found? My son and I discovered this small, unknown insect on the leaf of our tuberous begonia, hanging basket.
Neither of us have ever seen an insect like this before. I don’t know where to begin to categorize it, so as to look it up. It’s face and antennae look similar to katydid & cricket species, and it measured not quite one half inch. But those dark window-paned wings have me baffled. It’s abdomen was chubby and striped.
At first I thought this might be a juvenile, or instar of some type. After taking many pictures, the insect leaped backwards off the leaf and flew down into the flower bed. Hoping you can put a name to this new find of ours.
Attaching L., R. and dorsal views of this intriguing little ”bug”.
Signature: Confused
Bark Louse
Hi Confused,
This creature is a Bark Louse, Cerastipsocus venosus, and the scientific species name refers to the “window-paned wings” you describe. We are not used to seeing solitary images of Bark Lice, and collectively, a group is sometimes referred to as Tree Cattle. Often our readers mistake them for a harmful species when a “herd” is found on a tree, but these benign insects feed on lichens and do not damage the trees. This is a winged adult. Nymphs have a boldly striped abdomen. You can see photos and get more information on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 08 August 2011 § ‡ ° Unnambed bug on trees – Good or bad?
Location: 45.120367,-79.566593
August 1, 2011 1:45 pm
Suddenly found these on several trees in our front yard near a lake in Muskoka.
Found down low at ground level, or a few feet off the ground on both mature cedars and pine.
Mostly still unless disturbed (by gathering a specimen) and then move as a school / herd away from the disturbance.
Larvae or mature?
Good or bad?
Leave or eradicate?
Signature: Wondering in Muskoka
Bark Louse
Dear Wondering in Muskoka,
What we especially love about your submission, in addition to the truly awesome photograph, is your marvelous description of this immature Bark Louse, Cerastipsocus venosus, when it is in company with the rest of its aggregation. You described them as a herd, and another common name for Bark Lice is Tree Cattle. They are harmless creatures that feed on lichens, but since lichens are generally associated with old trees that might be in decline, folks without the proper information might be inclined to blame the Tree Cattle for the death of a large tree. We have already indicated that the individual in your photo is an immature nymph. Adults are interesting insects with black wings with white veins.
¶ Posted 02 August 2011 § ‡ ° What are these???
Location: St. Johns, MI 48879
July 26, 2011 3:03 pm
I have found clusters of these on almost all of my trees in our yard. Some of the the trees are dying 
They fit the characteristics of the Emerald Ash borer, however do not look like any of the pictures I have found. Some have black/clear wings, some don’t. The ones without wings have yellowish and black stripes. There are a few in each cluster that are white. ?????
Signature: Jessi
Tree Cattle
Hi Jessi,
This is an aggregation of Barklice, commonly called Tree Cattle. They are benign creatures that feed on lichens and they will not harm your tree. The trees may be dying from other reasons, and dying trees might foster the growth of lichens, which your Barklice are feeding upon. They are a symptom of a problem, not a cause. Your photo shows winged adults as well as striped nymphs.
¶ Posted 27 July 2011 § ‡ ° Insect Colony on Pine Tree
Location: Millville, PA
July 16, 2011 1:45 pm
It’s a hot July day in central PA. I discovered several colonies of a tiny insect on a pine tree. Each colony had hundreds of bugs. About 1/8” long, the predominant color is a series of yellow-gold stripes across the back. The body looks gray or black. There are long antennae that are pointed at the ends. They don’t seem to fly. Would like to know what this is, and if it is bad for our tree!
Signature: alice
probably Bark Lice
Dear alice,
We cannot make out the detail in your image, but we suspect these are benign Tree Cattle, a common name for Bark Lice that we really like. They feed on lichen growing on the tree and they will not harm the tree. See this posting from our archive to compare: http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2010/06/13/tree-cattle-barklice/
¶ Posted 19 July 2011 § ‡ ° Is this a bed bug?
Location: Chesterfield, England, UK
April 18, 2011 7:17 am
Hello bugman,
Me and my partner turned our house upside down when we thought we had bed bugs a couple of weeks ago.
Our only evidence was that I had seen what looked like a first instar bed bug on my trousers I’d left on the floor next to the bed, and he found a pearlescent egg on the base of our bed. I also had what looked like bed bug bites on me, but he had, and still has, nothing.
I’ve been to the doctor and been told that I do not have bed bug bites, it is a small oval shaped blister-like rash called pityriasis rosea.
Today however, I have just found another bug that looks like a very young bed bug; it was in a large carrier bag next to my bed.
We do think that it does look too slim and segmented to be a bed bug, it is not bulbous or translucent either.
Please please please can you help us, before we turn our room upside down again.
Signature: Kind regards, Hailey Winstone
Booklouse
Dear Hailey,
Due to the prevalence of media coverage regarding Bed Bugs in recent years, this very real concern has spawned unnecessary paranoia among the general public. Every creature found in the bedroom is now a suspect. This is not a Bed Bug. It is an innocuous Booklouse. Booklice are often found in homes and they feed on the starch of book bindings and wallpaper glue, but they will not bite you or harm you in any way. You can see BugGuide for additional information.
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¶ Posted 18 April 2011 § ‡ ° 
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