Subject: Big? Larvae?
Location: Philadelphia
November 27, 2016 6:27 pm
Hello
I used to see a random one or two of these in my bathroom and recently have been finding them in the kitchen working thier way to dropped dry catfood
Signature: LK

Carpet Beetle Larva

Dear LK,
This is a Carpet Beetle larva, a common household pest that will eat many organic materials in the home, including shed pet hair and natural fibers in carpets like wool.

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Subject: What is this?
Location: NYC
November 19, 2016 7:01 pm
Found these in a shopping bag when I came home from the store. What type of bug is this?
Signature: Nicole

Sawtooth Grain Beetle, we believe

Dear Nicole,
This looks like a Sawtooth Grain Beetle to us.  It is a species that infests stored foods, so bringing it home from a grocery store makes perfect sense.

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Subject: striped caterpillars?
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
July 22, 2016 8:25 am
Hi, i found many of these tiny striped bugs in my couch. They shed their skin. I found alive ones and dead ones. They really like hair and fabric. My slipper was under the couch and it was totally infested. There was also a white thing with stripes that looks like a larvae. It is in the picture along with the caterpillar things and their shedded skins.
Signature: E

Carpet Beetle Debris

Dear E,
Carpet Beetles in the family Dermestidae are common household pests and the Carpet Beetle larvae will feed on a variety of organic materials in the home, including shed pet and human hair.

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Subject: Showed up after Fla. trip
Location: NYC
July 9, 2016 9:15 pm
Dont know what it is. Found it crawling on me after unpacking bags. Just came back from Miami.
Signature: Jas Wall

Larder Beetle

Dear Jas,
While we would not rule out that it was transported from Miami, the Larder Beetle is considered a cosmopolitan household pest and it may have come from anywhere, including your own pantry.

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Subject: What is this?
Location: Southern Nh
May 13, 2016 7:56 am
Found on rug below open window. 70 degree day, 6pm. Window screen had hole in it. Found 8 bugs of varying sizes the largest was no larger than 1/8 of an inch. I live in Litchfield NH. House is 50 feet from dense wooded acerage.
Signature: Skin is crawling

Larder Beetle

Dear Skin is crawling,
This Larder Beetle, Dermestes lardarius, is a common household pest that will infest stored foods in the pantry.  According to the Penn State Department of Entomology site:  “The larder beetle is a commercial pest as well as a household pest. This is a cosmopolitan species which was historically a pest of cured meats in Europe, the United States, and Canada. The use of refrigeration, the purchase of meats in small quantities, and the lack of home curing of meats, have decreased the economic importance of this insect. However, these beetles are still common in homes, museums, mills, livestock facilities, and any place that contains a suitable food source. Typically, these would include any animal by-product such as dried dog food, furs, hides, and feathers. Also, many pantry items can become infested. Another potential food source are dead insects in attic and wall voids that become trapped when they seek an overwintering site. In the fall insects such as flies, bugs, beetles and wasps, accumulate in attics and similar spaces in the home. Many of the hibernating insects die, attracting larder beetles which lay eggs on dead insects. The larvae of the larder beetle then feed on the dead insects.”

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Subject: please identify this bug
Location: sheffield uk
April 20, 2016 1:09 am
Hi I have been finding these insects in my newly built house, and really need to know what they are and how to remove them, can u help?! Thanks
Signature: stacey

Possibly Flour Beetle

Dear Stacey,
Small beetles like this found in the home are generally either wood boring species or pantry pests.  We believe your individual is a Flour Beetle in the genus Tribolium.  According to Pied Piper:  “Both the confused and red flour beetles, known as “bran bugs,” primarily attack milled grain products, such as flour and cereals. Both adults and larvae feed on grain dust and broken kernels, but not the undamaged whole grain kernels. These beetles often hitchhike into the home in infested flour and can multiply into large populations. Some survive on food accumulations in cabinet cracks, crevices, and furniture. Confused flour beetles are the most abundant and injurious insect pest of flour mills in the U.Kingdom, United States and Australia. They do not bite or sting humans or pets, spread disease, or feed on or damage the house or furniture.  In addition to milled grain products, beetle specimens have been found in barley, breakfast cereals, corn, cornmeal, crackers, flour, millet, oats, rice, rye, wheat and wheat bran, nutmeats, dried fruits, legume seeds, beans, milk chocolate, cottonseed, peas, powdered milk, sunflower seeds, vetch seeds, spices, herbarium and museum specimens” so you may want to check the pantry for the site of the infestation.

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