what is this ??
Location: SE. Florida, Ft.Pierce
January 25, 2012 10:44 am
Dear Bugman, I found this flat bug in my bathroom, in S.E. FL. in January,
It is about the size and shape of a watermelon seed, speckled grey and black, it has a long thin head that appears to poke out and pull itself along. I have attached two photo’s
thanks for yur help.
Ray
Signature: Ray in FLA
Case Bearing Moth Larva
Dear Ray,
This is such a wonderfully detailed image of a Case Bearing Moth Larva. While they might be considered as Household Pests that could damage organic fibers like wool, they are most likely benign and feeding off shed pet hair, human hair and other organic debris like food crumbs in the home. The case is made of silk and incorporated particulate matter.
WOW, That was a fast response, Thank you for clearing that up. we called it a flounder bug., left it alone last night as we went to bed, When we woke up she was gone..
thanks again, great service you have.
Have a great day.
Ray
household bug
Location: ireland, dublin – ceiling and under beds
November 30, 2011 3:42 pm
dear mr. bugman
for many years now i have had these white small 1cm size chrysalis hanging from my ceiling and now i have uncovered them under the beds, along with oodles of small black piles…? they seem to like leather and clothing under the beds but i have never seen them produce anything like a moth or worm? can you advise
I do not think them any harm but wonder if they contribute to my asthma and allergies, dust mites etc
Signature: debbie m
Case Bearing Moth Larvae
Dear Debbie,
These are Case Bearing Moth Larvae, a common creature found in homes worldwide. While we do not believe they contribute directly to your asthma, they often feed on organic debris like shed hair from pets as well as people. The accumulation of debris under beds and various other places might be contributing to your asthma, and the Case Bearing Moth Larvae are just symptoms of a pre-existing dust problem in your home.
Case Bearing Moth Larvae
Really interesting! Do you mean the moth lives inside the casing and moves about in it? As I have never seen any moths in the house or anything emerge from them? Are they living and moving about in the white case
Kind regards
Debbie Millington
Hi again Debbie,
The case is spun by the larva and occasionally incorporates sand and debris in its construction. The larva lives in the case. Eventually the larva will pupate in the case. Perhaps they have never had a chance to emerge as tiny adult moths because you have discovered them and cleaned them away. It is possible that Case Bearing Moth Larvae my eat organic fibers and protein, hence being considered Household Pests.
We think it’s a moth
Location: Ottawa, ON
December 7, 2011 11:13 pm
We’ve had a bunch of these in the house recently. They seem to be a moth of some kind, but they’re not in clothes or carpets or food. We’d like to know what it is, and what we can do to help get rid of them.
Signature: Bret and Meg
Indian Meal Moth
Dear Bret and Meg,
This is an Indian Meal Moth, a common moth that infests stored food in the pantry including corn meal and oatmeal as well as pet foods and bird seed. You should inspect the pantry and remove any infested grain products.
New uninvited guests
Location: Maryland
October 1, 2011 5:46 pm
Hi,
I am trying ti ID these characters.
Don’t know if their related or not.
Finding the grub/larvae mostly on ceiling, and on walls. Has a ”silk” thread. Also, Have seen a fly? with silver/grey/tan on wings both appeared around same time.See third photo. About 7mm-1cm in length. When crushed(sorry)insides leave a very pronounced black stain.
May have come in with some birdseed, though not sure.These insects appear daily, even after thorough removal of all visible specimens. Could really use your help. Thanks
Signature: Eric, The Bugged.
Caterpillar of the Indian Meal Moth
Hi Eric,
The moth in your photo is an Indian Meal Moth, Plodia interpunctella, a species that infests stored grain products as well as bird seed. The caterpillar also looks very much like the Indian Meal Moth Caterpillar images posted to BugGuide, and since the appearance of both the moth and caterpillar happened at the same time, it is a fair assumption that they are related. You might want to remove the bird seed and we would also recommend cleaning out the pantry to make sure they haven’t infested the oatmeal, nuts or cornmeal you might have stored on the shelf.
Indian Meal Moth
Hi Friends,
Think I have found answer to my dilemma:
Indian Meal Moths!!! But if you have the time please confirm this.
Thanks again for your time, Eric
Hi again Eric,
We did not notice that you had already self identified your Indian Meal Moths prior to our creating this post.
Hello,
Let me first say thank you for your fast reply. I did manage to ferret
out the ID of these. But one thing is for sure I have found another interesting site to visit and
find it to be not only a valuable resource, but rather entertaining.
Best Regards, and Thank You again,
Eric
T-shaped white bug
Location: Manhattan (Union Square)
June 4, 2011 7:11 pm
Hi,
I found this bug on the bathroom wall at my job in Manhattan on June 2. It sort of reminded me of a sun-bleached cow skull. It was about an inch and a half long. I’m not sure if it had wings or not because it was mostly sitting motionless.
Sorry about the crappiness of the photo. I took it with my camera phone.
Signature: Dennis
T-Bug Plume Moth
Dear Dennis,
We just finished postdating an identification request for a Plume Moth, however it won’t go live until next week. Our readers often write in wanting the T Bug identified and we just checked our search engine because we always identify Plum Moths as T-Bugs, but alas, the search engine is too broad to locate any of those postings. Google also doesn’t have a sensitive enough setting to be directed to a Plume Moth posting after typing in T-Bug. We really like the elegance and simplicity of your photograph. We like the division of space into 3/4 light and 1/4 dark areas.
¶ Posted 04 June 2011 § ‡ ° WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES THIS BUG IS PARASITIC? OR MAYBE ITS PARASITES PARASITIC?
Location: Urban ”forest” Surrey BC
May 13, 2011 2:31 pm
Dear Mr. Bug man
moved into ground level condo one year ago 3 months ago rash developed. shortly there after began seeing moth like winged guys (once or twice) very late at night in kitchen. Got extermination stuff. dr said the moth and rash were not related and that rash was scabies. Did treatment washed everything in house steamed extra. while doing scabies treatment small slightly transparent creature came out of my eye and then went under my fingernail. Husband dr. and mother think I am crazy. Other strange occurrences. Husband acnologes moths as pests but refuses to believe my story. I have been under stress at work… dr says the mind is very powerful and my stress has triggered these delusions.
Can you give any insight into this?
Heres some specimens i have collected. There are also ”lint” like cases attached to many of our clothes… which everyone also says I am over reacting to…. Ive never had so much lint. also had two budgies recently die…. related? or have I gone mad?
im hoping I have gone mad…
Christina
Signature: An otherwise normal happy slightly exentric housewife
Indian Meal Moth
Dear Christina,
We need to begin our response with a disclaimer. We are not doctors and we have no qualifications to diagnose any health related issues, nor are we entomologists, so any insect identifications we provide are questionable at best. We are artists who have a mission to promote an appreciation of the lower beasts as well as to make people aware of the interconnectivity of all things on our fragile planet and beyond. With that stated, we are convinced that the moth in your photo is an Indian Meal Moth, Plodia interpunctella, and that you have also supplied us with a photo of its larva. You may find information and photos of the Indian Meal Moth on Bugguide and you can also compare your larva to this image of an Indian Meal Moth Larva on BugGuide. According to BugGuide, the Indian Meal Moth: “infests a wide variety of stored food products such as flour, oatmeal, dried fruits, seeds, nuts, powdered milk, biscuits, chocolate, and bird seed“ With that said, it is senseless to try to exterminate your Indian Meal Moth problem with pesticides since they are feeding on your food. The pesticides would need to be applied directly to your food before they would have any effect on the problem. You should thoroughly inspect the food in your pantry and definitely discard anything past the expiration date. Pay close attention to corn meal, oatmeal and any boxed cake mixes or flour products. You should be able to locate the place where the larvae are feeding and dispose of those items. Larvae are the destructive stage and adult moths do not feed on stored foods. It is virtually impossible to rid you home of all insects, but you can take certain precautions to guard your clothing against clothes moths. Sachet was a popular item in days of yore. There are certain herbs that are known to discourage insects from damaging clothing. These dried herbs can be sewn into small silken pouches and hung on hangers with woolens and other organic fibers. The herbs of choice include lavender, sage, rosemary, wormwood and peppermint. Not only will this sachet repel moths, it will also make your clothes smell nice. We do not know what caused your birds to die. If your doctor believes that stress is contributing to your condition, you should follow his advice or perhaps seek a second opinion. There is a condition known as Delusory Parasitosis and here is a link to a journal article called Delusory Parasitosis by Nancy C. Hinkle that originally appeared in American Entomologist, Volume 46, Number 1 in Spring 2000. Stress can cause the mind to trigger delusions, and “Bugs” are an easy target. We hope your condition improves.
Larva of Indian Meal Moth
Worm like creature
Location: Newport, South Wales , United Kingdom
May 10, 2011 8:10 am
Hello
After recently cleaning under my bed (The first time in a while) I came across a worm like creature no longer than _____ this space when constricted.
They appear to have what seems to be some material wrapped around their torso for protection/domicile/cocooning and stretch outward to pull much like a snail does.
I found them mostly individually and around collections of dust.
I would like to know what this bug may be and whether I may have a possible infestation ?
I found close to thirty of them in my bedroom, the warmest room in the house.
Thank you for any feedback you could give me.
Signature: Mr R Heaney
Case Bearing Moth Larvae
Dear Mr R Heaney,
You have relatively benign Case Bearing Moth Larvae. They feed on natural animal fibers, and while it is possible that they might damage a wool rug, they are more likely than not feeding upon shed pet hair. Vacuuming more regularly should help to control their prodigious numbers.
What is this bug?
ILocation: celing of pantry and just outside the pantry
March 10, 2011 12:21 am
I am hoping you can ID this bug.
Signature: Bill
Indian Meal Moth
Hi Bill,
You have Indian Meal Moths, Plodia interpunctella, a cosmopolitan species that has adapted to feeding on stored foods in domiciles. Often the first indication that there is an infestation is the adult moths feebly fluttering in the kitchen or in front of the television set. The adult moths do not feed on grain products, but the larvae do. The presence of the adult Indian Meal Moths should be a signal to check the pantry for infested grains, cookies and other similar products. They have also been known to infest bird seed and pet food.
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