Please help me identify this bug
Location: illinois
September 21, 2010 10:42 pm
finding many of these little bugs all over my house. This is the first year this has happened. Please help me identify this bug, thinking it some sort of beetle. Also, looking for best solution to getting rid of these little guys.
thanks for your help. sorry for poor quality pics.
Signature: beetle help identify
Probably NOT Foreign Grain Beetle
We had a bit of trouble with this one, and we are not certain that our identification is correct, but it is possible that you have an infestation of Foreign Grain Beetles, Ahasverus advena, also called the New House Bug because it is”common in homes (esp. newly built) and grain storage facilities” according to BugGuide, which also indicates it feeds on “Molds and fungi growing on damp grain, grain products, and other materials.” Sadly, we realized our identification was incorrect the minute we found the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum website which has a nice page devoted to the Foreign Grain Beetle and which indicates: “They have two conspicuous and diagnostic round lobes on the prothorax right behind the eyes.“ Those lobes are missing in your beetle, so alas, we have drawn a blank on the species identification unless the lobes are just not visible because of your camera angle. There are a multitude of insects that will infest stored foods, and we believe this must be one of them. If the actual identity is critical for you, and if none of our readers come to our rescue here, we suggest you begin scouring the internet for potential Grain Beetles like those profiled on the Grain Beetles page of the Pest Products website.
Apartment with “charm” has charming bugs too!
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
September 19, 2010 5:22 pm
On a bathmat (rubber with short-hair pile) in my friend’s bathroom, we found this tiny little guy. The sink pipes are about a foot above the mat. The floor beneath is wood, and we could not find any ’friends’, but the creature is so small, and the floor wood so dark and of uneven colouring, we may have missed any lurkers.
The mat is very close to the toilet bowl. My friend lives in an older building ”with charm”, that has already had mice, chipping paint and a leak from the upstairs neighbour’s bathroom. Foot fungus, fruit flies and moth larvae have also made their appearance.
The little bugger moved relatively fast, so was hard to capture even with a higher quality camera and good macro lens. The bathroom’s light source is harsh and concentrated in one spot, so not diffuse at all – halogen, I believe. Sorry for the lack of visual detail, the rest of the shots were too blurry to tell even the vague shape of the insect. But you CAN still see the small spike at the tail end, and the darker head area, as well as the back stripes.
We are located in Montreal, Quebec (Canada), beginning to get cold temperatures before autumn has even hit, so this might be a factor in determining if the insect was perhaps brought out of hiding unseasonably early. To date the insect has not been spotted anywhere else in the apartment, and the bath mat has been bug free, at least to the casual naked eye.
Is my friend facing a menace or is this bug expected under the circumstances?
Signature: Montreal bugwatch
Carpet Beetle Larva
Dear Montreal bugwatch,
This is a Carpet Beetle Larva and it is not a welcome visitor. Carpet Beetles will feed on many varieties of organic substances, including wool, silk, feathers, pet fur and sometimes stored foods. Tell your friend it is nearly impossible to keep all insects from the home, despite the lack of “charm” it may possess. Regarding the Fruit Flies and Moth Larvae infestations, they were probably not left behind by the previous tenant unless rotting bananas and stale oatmeal were left in the cupboards somewhere, or if they were able to penetrate the walls from the neighbors’ apartments. Those pests may have been introduced with new food, or due to less than meticulous housekeeping habits.
¶ Posted 19 September 2010 § Beetles ‡ ° Also tagged: SPECKO ROACH (Cockroach+Gecko+Spider)
July 6, 2010
Ahem. Well I just found this bug crawling on the wall in my house and thought it was super interesting looking. I’ve never seen this kind of bug before so I was just curious as to what it was., although I’ve already given it a name. =]
Uh…what?
My house….which is in a normal suburb area with crazy Texas weather.
Silverfish
Silverfish are generally considered household pests because they will eat most anything, from human and pet food, to the starch in book bindings.
Bug that flies
May 23, 2010
These bugs fly, but i see wings all over the house, window sill and all. Seems as the bug dies the wings disconnect or something. They are very small bodies. I think they are coming from
the baseboards. The house is carpets, and the baseboards are lined with carpets so i guess the bugs crawl out from under. My dad said it happends once a year but i even saw one on my beadspread adn the other had no wings it is was moving like a booger with feet.
I have seen piles of something maybe wood, but its stacked in little
piles and I vacuum and they always reappear. sux. Are they termites or somthign else? My dad says they aren’t but i don’t thinki he knows. Im in a really old building. I have a $25 battery spray bottle of termite killer, help please
Adam
Fort lauderdale FL
Termite
Dear Adam,
This is a Termite Alate, the winged reproductive form. Based on your letter, it sounds like you have a well established colony or colonies in your home. The presence of the winged Alates each year is evidence that new colonies may be forming in your home. We doubt that your battery spray bottle will eradicate the colony.
¶ Posted 24 May 2010 § Termites ‡ ° Also tagged: Is this a bed bug
May 23, 2010
I woke up this morning and wanted to clean my sheets. I tore off my bedding and when looking under the mattress I found this guy curled up. I thought he/she was dead but upon prodding he/she woke up. I placed him/her a glass and took this picture. I live in Brooklyn and I have had friends with bed bugs so I am curious if this is one. He/She doesn’t look like a bed bug because he/she isn’t that flat nor does it want to start sucking blood.
I searched the surrounding area all around the wood frame and cluttered parts of my room. I haven’t found any more guys yet.
A man in Brooklyn
Under my matress
Spider Beetle
Dear man,
While under the mattress is a good place to look for Bed Bugs, it is not a typical habitat for Spider Beetles, like the one in your photo, which typically infest stored foods. Perhaps you eat in bed and the crumbs accumulate.
brown, black and white bug looks like a ladybug but smaller
May 14, 2010
I found these bugs on my asters and I am wondering if they are harmful to the asters. Reminds me of a ladybug or mabey a beetle. there were several on each flower.
thank you, Tina
downstate, NY about 40 miles north of NYC
Varied Carpet Beetles
Dear Tina,
These are Varied Carpet Beetles, Anthrenus verbasci, a common household pest. According to BugGuide, the larvae of Carpet Beetles “feed [on] keratine and chitine, and may cause considerable damage on wool, fur, feathers, and natural history collections.“ Most of the identification requests we receive at What’s That Bug? are of the larvae or of the emerged adults that congregate around windows in an attempt to gain access to the outdoors. They die on windowsills in great numbers. The adults feed upon pollen and do not cause any damage in the garden or indoors.
1
Please help me identify this bug
April 16, 2010
I have taken microscopic photos of these small specs that were picked up with clear tape from ceiling in room and where they fell on bunk bed below. There appears to be clusters on the ceiling. There’s a cable hole in wall where there are dark speckles, and dark cluster around the hole. Exterior of house is pigeon poop we are continuously cleaning off. Please help me identify these things so we know how to prevent or clean. I don’t think they’re bed bugs? Could they be some kind of dust mite? Thank you
sz
ocean beach, california
Tropical Fowl Mite
Dear sz,
This is a mite in the genus Ornithonyssus, and BugGuide has a very good photograph of a specimen found in San Diego County. Our guess is that it is a Tropical Fowl Mite, Ornithonyssus bursa, which is profiled on the Featured Creatures website. The site indicates: “The tropical fowl mite, commonly found on birds, has become a pest to man in areas of high bird populations or where birds are allowed to roost on roofs, around the eaves of homes, and office buildings. Nesting birds are the worst offenders. After the birds abandon their nests, the mites move into the building through windows, doors, and vents and bite the occupants” and “The bite is irritating to man and some individuals react to the bite with prolonged itching and painful dermatitis. Several to many reports are received each year of mites invading homes. The mites are usually the tropical fowl mite found in the central and southern areas of the state. The northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago), a close relative, is also found in Florida.“ Your visitors may also be a closely related species, the Northern Fowl Mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum. According to Charles Hogue in his book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, both species “infest the nests of urban birds, such as House Sparrows and pigeons, and may invade homes and buildings in droves.”
Tropical Fowl Mite
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PROMPT REPLY! Have a great weekend, sz
¶ Posted 17 April 2010 § Mites ‡ ° Also tagged: Apartment Bug – Manhattan NYC
April 12, 2010
Hi Thanks for your help! I live in a newly renovated apartment in Manhattan, New York and keep coming across these bugs. (image attached). I am concerned that they might be ticks or bed bugs? I usually find them crawling the walls, but found a bunch in a light fixture. Any help identifying them or any risk they may pose? Thanks so much!
Bob from NYC
West Harlem, New York, NY
Spider Beetles
Hi Bob,
You have a sizable infestation of Spider Beetles, Gibbium aequinoctiale. You should check your stored foods as they often infest items in the pantry.
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