pics of pseudoscorpion
We just moved to CO last May. A couple of months after moving in I found what I thought was a tick on my shirt. When I brought it into the bathroom to flush it-it started waving these little arms around! I took some pics and put the skeevy little thing in a cup so I could look it up. Your website is INSANE. I found out that I have a useful little thing called a pseudoscorpion! I let it go outside. A couple of nights ago I found another one while taking a shower. I took some better pics and put it in our spare room instead of outside. It’s too cold out right now, and if it’s in here it’s probably eating stuff I don’t want to know about anyway. I thought you might like to see them so here they are!
Kim K. in Colorado Springs
Thank you Kim,
Your photos are quite beautiful.
¶
Posted 10 March 2006
§
‡
°
scorpiomite?
I found this little guy running around my bathroom ceiling this morning. I have never seen anything like it before. The body was flat and thin and I couldn’t tell if the appendages at the front were claws, stingers, or just oddly shaped antennae. I live at the northern edge of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Thanks!
Jim Mason
Houghton, MI
12 minutes later:
Ooops, found it, pseudo-scorpion. I should have fully browsed before emailing you. Thanks for the great site!
Jim Mason
Hi Jim,
We are glad our site was helpful.
¶
Posted 02 March 2006
§
‡
°
unidentified bug in the tub
We found this bug in the bathroom in the evening. We live in Vermont and are in the middle of winter. Please help in identifying. Thank you
Heather
North Ferrisburg, VT
Hi Heather,
Future readers will have no problem identifying the tiny and harmless Pseudoscorpion thanks to your photo. Pseudoscorpions prey on insects and spiders and are often found in bathrooms.
Strange Bug in the Bathroom
Found this bug in my bathroom cant find a picture of him anywhere mainly cause I don’t know what type of bug to be looking for it was so small it was hard to get a good picture of it but this was the best one.
This is a Pseudoscorpion, and it is harmless. It is actually beneficial as it will devour other intruders less welcome than itself.
¶
Posted 06 November 2005
§
‡
°
Tiny Mystery Insect
Hello there,
First off, I have to say I love the site. Great work. I also appreciate the unnecessary carnage page. I have a little insect that has me absolutely baffled… I found him one afternoon when I picked up a half-damp wash rag off the bathroom counter. He was under it… he was so tiny, I thought he was a little spider at first. I snapped a few pictures of him, which was difficult due to his size. When he sits bunched up with all of his legs together, he’s only about 2mm wide and long. With his pincers out and extended, he’s about 5mm wide and 3mm long. He has eight small legs and obviously, the two pincers like a scorpion. I’m located in Howard City, Michigan (which is just North of Grand Rapids a bit). We don’t have very many insects with pinchers up here, which is why I’m so fascinated with this little bugger. I currently have him in a large plastic freezer bag filled with air and pieces of paper towel for him to walk on. Thank you in advance for any help you might provide.
Elizabeth A. Fisher
Hi Elizabeth,
Your photo of a Pseudoscorpion is wonderfully detailed. These are harmless predators that can capture winged insects much larger than their own diminutive size. They can even capture houseflies.
¶
Posted 17 October 2005
§
‡
°
pseudoscorpion
Great website! Glad I found it because I was pretty concerned when I found what I at first thought to be a tick on my chest, only to realize it had pinchers after pulling it off. I found this one in Virginia, and thought I would share my pictures with you.
Thanks,
Scott Baldridge
Hi Scott,
We get many letters regarding Pseudoscorpions, but few are accompanied by photos since Pseudoscorpions are so small. Note to readers: They are also harmless.
¶
Posted 17 October 2005
§
‡
°
Thought you might like this…
I live in south Texas . I saw this little guy hanging out on my wall and thought I’d take a picture and send it in. The funny thing is, I’m taking classes right now and just today we covered Class Arachnida in Biology II. Loe and behold I come home and have a pseudoscorpion right in my dining room! I’ve never seen one in person before today. Enjoy the picture!
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
My what a nice image. Thanks for sending it. Since many of our Pseudoscorpion images are blurry, yous is a great addition.
¶
Posted 21 July 2005
§
‡
°
found in cereal
Dave and Wendi
Hi Dave and Wendi,
I wasn’t aware that manufacturers were adding protein to dry cereal. Often, grain products become infested with pantry beetles or meal moths, and if they sit on the shelf too long, can be purchased that way. Most homemakers know what it is like to have kitchen infestations. Your situation is a little different though. The harmless Pseudoscorpion is actually a predator. How it got in the box is a mystery, unless there were other living morsels there to attract it. Did you enjoy your morning Spoonful of Pseudoscorpion?
¶
Posted 17 July 2005
§
‡
°
You saved a life! A bugs life that is….
Bugman,
I live in the Northeast US and tonight I saw what I thought was a deer tick on my counter after just coming in from cutting the grass. My concern came from the prevalent Lyme disease in this region and my friends recent unfortunate diagnosis. Being a techie I trapped it and g00gled >"eight legs" claws< and low and below your site comes up first. I follow the link and *whamo* I see the bugger there in your photos. A pseudoscorpion! Glad it’s not 50 times bigger cause it would be an adventure to deal with… mean lookin bugger. Your statement that he eats other critters saved its life and got it a first class seat on a solo transport to my basement to wreak havoc on the other critters down there. Must be my critter week as yesterday I moved a 6 foot black snake to the woods behind my house?… I beleive your site and concept here is very benefitial to others, I want to thank you for your services. As a thank you I have provided photos of my bugger in its first and last – most likely – photogenic moment. Look close I believe it is smiling! :]
Thanks Again,
Bo Kohut
Hi Bo,
Happy we could be of service.
¶
Posted 28 June 2005
§
‡
°
What could this be?
The attached photos are of some type of insect or arachnid that was on one of the antenna of a white spotted pine sawyer. We thought it was a scorpion but when we got a close up of it, it seemed to look more like a tick or mite of some sort. Maybe you can help identify what it is. My co-workers and myself are interested to know what it is,as we work for a pest control company.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Tiffany
Hi tiffany,
You have photographed a harmless Pseudoscorpion. they are known to prey on insects much larger than them, but I think the Pine Sawyer might have proven to be too much for the wee guy. Thanks for the photos.
We thought origionally that it was a scorpion of some sort but the missing stinger and tail threw us off thank you for helping us identify our mystery bug. I will deffinatly be visiting your site again as sometimes we get pests that we are unable to identify on our own.
Tiffany
Ed. Note: Eric Eaton just provided the following fascinating information. “P.S. Oh, that pseudoscorpion was not ‘attacking’ that longhorn beetle’s antenna, it was hitching a ride:-) That is the way they get around (just glom onto something that can fly). It is called ‘phoresy.’ “
¶
Posted 08 June 2005
§
‡
°
a little creepy
I already wrote you and asked you about mites. When i finished the first e-mail i decided to scan the bug that i was wondering about. I hope the picture is good enough to tell what it is. It is really small and i have never seen such a bug in the 21 years i have lived in Ontario. I just don’t like the fact that it had claws and i want to make sure i don’t have mites. So if you could get back to me it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much
Melisa
p.s. awesome website
Hi Melisa,
You can rest assured you don’t have mites. You have a harmless Pseudoscorpion.
¶
Posted 13 March 2005
§
‡
°
what’s this bug!
Moved into an apartment in November 2004, its on the 2nd floor of an old house here in Toronto. I’ve now found two of the same small but disturbing bugs, which I’m having difficulty identifying. The first was found in a newspaper which was on the floor by a recently acquired 1970’s organ. The other between photo’s in a plastic box (crawled into?) which was again on the hard wood floor in the same room. They look like very small crabs. They are a brown/red colour, have 8 legs, and two very long arms with claws at its front. The body is about 3mm, while the span of the arms/claws seem to be about 10mm. When disturbed, they pull in the arm/claws, and legs looking like a small brown bit of dirt. Attached is a photo of the first one, dead. Tried to save it but it died within a few hours of finding it (had it outside, cold here in Toronto!). Any help would be great!
Thank-you
Mike.
Hi Mike,
Your Pseudoscorpions are not only harmless, they are quite helpful as they will eagerly eat many household intruders that do damage. Despite their small size, they will even capture houseflies. Those claws are quite lethal for small insects and other arthropods.
¶
Posted 06 February 2005
§
‡
°
rss
