Mystery bug on red cedar
November 16, 2009
These pictures were in Eastern Long Island in August. They were on eastern red cedar in a “grove”. Trees had cedar quince rust, even on trunks. I think they may be involved in disease spread. Move very fast in “herd” like fashion. Third image is azalea lacebug, thought you might be interested..it shows the helmet and cowl fairly clearly!
Dr. Andy
Bridgehampton, NY (Long Island)
Tree Cattle
Dear Dr. Andy,
The Barklice you wanted identified are perfectly harmless. They are sometimes called Tree Cattle. The pictured individuals are immature and the adults will have wings. Thanks for also including the photo of the Azalea Lace Bug.
Azalea Lace Bug
What is this Bug?
September 14, 2009
Dear Bugman, I have this most unusual bug in my downstairs (under the stairs bathroom). I apologise for the Quality of the pictures but it is so hard to get a picture of this bug as it is so tiny. You can see the scale from the last picture with the tap in it.
They seem almost transparent with a brown twinge and I only ever see one or 2 at a time. Usually on the sink or toilet but I have also seen them on the wall. The bathroom is small, quite cold usually and doesnt get a lot of light.
They move very slowly and seem a but unaware of my presence most of the time. They aren’t causing me any problem, more just curious as to what they are?
Thanks for your Help,
Regards,
Denis.
Dublin, Ireland
Barklouse
Hi Denis,
This is a Globular Springtail in the order Symphypleona and the class Collembola. Springtails are primitive insects that are among the most numerous insects on our planet. They are often associated with dark damp areas. When they are very numerous, they can become an annoyance in the shower and other indoor areas, but they are benign. They are thought to feed on molds, so a population explosion of Springtails may be symptomatic of a greater problem.
Correction by Eric Eaton
September 16, 2009
Daniel:
I think that “globular springtail” of September 14 is actually a wingless barklouse (order Psocoptera). The two look extremely similar and I even have trouble telling them apart sometimes. Still, I’d bet on this being a barklouse/booklouse.
Eric
¶ Posted 15 September 2009 § ‡ ° Bugs on our maple and oak trees
August 7, 2009
I noticed these dark patches on one of our maple trees. At first I thought it was patches of moss growing but when I looked closer, I saw that the patches were actually small bugs. I took a picture of the baby bugs and I have another of the adults with them. I walked my property and found that these patches of bugs were located on ALL my maple and oak trees but not the dogwood or the ash trees… Are these bugs a danger to the trees and if they are, what do I need to do to get rid of them?
Michelle
Southeastern Michigan
Barklice
Hi Michelle,
This seems to be a bumper crop year for Barklice, Cerastipsocus venosus, since we have receive so many letters in the past few weeks. Barklice are benign insects that feed on lichens and will not harm the trees.
Barklice
¶ Posted 08 August 2009 § ‡ ° Big infestation of tiny bug on Western New York maple
July 31, 2009
Hi! We’ve got a silver maple tree which is just SWARMED with these tiny bugs with striped abdomens. Each bug is about 1/8″ in length, and they gather in these densely-populated spots which are roughly 8 inches in diameter, and these spots are ALL over the tree. Within each spot are HUNDREDS of the little bugs, and 2 or 3 slightly larger winged bugs, which are a little more ant-like than the little bugs.
So what the heck are they doing? Should I worry about the health of the tree and, conversely, our house since the large tree is right next to our house? We’ve lived here for 12 years, and never seen anything like this.
Worried in WNY
Niagara County, northwest corner of NY state
Barklice
Dear Worried,
You will need to change your name to “Not Worried” because these Barklice, Cerastipsocus venosus, are perfectly benign. Though they congregate in large numbers, they will not harm your tree. They feed on lichens and not on the tree, though the presence of lichens might be symptomatic of another problem on your tree. Here is what the Texas A&M University Entomology website offers: “Mouthparts are for chewing. Barklice feed on fungi, algae, dead plant tissues and other debris. Consequently, they are considered harmless and perhaps beneficial to the trees they infest.” We love your scan of these Barklice because most photos we receive show the aggregations. Your scan shows both the winged adult and the striped immature nymph.
¶ Posted 01 August 2009 § ‡ ° Clusters of tiny striped insects
July 27, 2009
On a walk with my dog outside my house, she began to sniff the trunk of a tree ~3′ off the ground. I went to investigate and found a series of insect clusters. They were each approximately 1/4″ long and have seemingly long antennae (roughly 2x their length). They didn’t have wings from what I could tell, and had very straight alternating black and yellow striping on their bodies.
The photos I’m attaching are as close as my little point and shoot would allow me to go in macro mode, they’ll require a zoom to see more clearly
Steve
Upstate NY
Barklice
Hi Steve,
Despite the name Barklice, and despite the large number on a tree, these Cerastipsocus venosus are benign. They feed on lichen growing on the tree and are not injurious to the tree. These are immature nymphs. Adults have wings.
Barklice
Thank you! I just noticed a very similar submission on your site after doing a simple search for Barklice.
Your knowledge is invaluable.
Thanks again,
Steve Kreis
¶ Posted 27 July 2009 § ‡ ° Striped insect found in swarms
July 26, 2009
We have just recently found these little bugs in swarms on all of our trees, especially the cedar trees. We don’t see any specific damage being done by them. These are located in Syracuse NY. Please advise if these should be of concern?
Jamie
Syracuse NY 13209
Barklice
Hi Jamie,
Thanks so much for writing to us before you decided to take drastic measures to exterminate these benign Cerastipsocus venosus, Barklice in the family Psocidae. Generally when a large group of insects congregate on plants in this manner, they are feeding on the plant and potentially causing damage. These Barklice are feeding on lichens, not on your tree. They are immature and adult Barklice are winged. You may find images of adult Barklice on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 26 July 2009 § ‡ ° Need help identifying this bug.
Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 7:47 PM
Recently these little bugs started showing up in my basement bathroom. (It’s currently 11/11/08.) There are usually several in there at any given time. I have not seen them anywhere else in the house. They may be in other parts of the basement, but the rest is carpeted with a light tan carpet, so the color of these bugs would blend right in if they are elsewhere in the basement.
I’ve tried vacuuming them (and the surrounding area) but within a day or so they’re back. They walk around (rather than fly) and usually don’t do much at all to get out of the way when I go to kill one. They can jump, but apparently only about an inch or so.
They are quite tiny. I shot these pics with a 105mm macro lens plus an extra 52mm extension tube. I placed a ruler in the second shot for size reference. The marks on it are 64ths of an inch.
I would very much like to know what they are, what troubles they might cause, and how to get rid of them. If possible, would prefer to find a way of dealing with the problem without using harsh pesticides.
Thanks in advance for the info.
Chris
Leesburg, Virginia
Booklouse
Hi Chris,
We are pretty certain this is a Booklouse in the order Psocoptera, but we recently misidentified a different insect thinking it was a Booklouse. We will get a second opinion. BugGuide indicates: “Book lice are best known for feeding on the starch in book bindings.”
¶ Posted 13 November 2008 § ‡ ° bug ID
I’m not sure what this is. Found them on an oak tree in my yard. In Houston, TX. Thanks
James Benton
Hi James,
These are Bark Lice, Cerastipsocus venosus, but we like the common name Tree Cattle. The immature Tree Cattle are boldly striped black and yellow creatures without wings. Tree Cattle will not harm your trees as they eat lichens and fungus.
¶ Posted 10 April 2008 § ‡ ° 
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