Bug under bark
Location: Worthington, OH
January 23, 2012 3:01 pm
Happy New Year to WTB!
Towards the end of December, we had a pretty warm couple of days here in central Ohio. I went outside to pick up some logs for the fireplace, and grabbed some maple logs with fairly loose bark on them. I peeled the bark off and found a ton of these little guys. The longest of them was maybe 1/4” max. To say they were lethargic was an uderstatement. I left them in the sun for about 10 minutes before they even started to move. It appears that they have a healthy appetite for wood, but I have no clue what they are. Any ideas?
Signature: Ed Huston
Dear Ed,
You have uncovered a colony of Flat Bugs in the genus Aneurus, both adults and immature individuals of various stages known as instars. Flat Bugs do not feed on the wood. According to BugGuide, Flat Bugs are found “under bark” just as you found them, and they feed on fungi.
Daniel,
Thanks for getting back to me. That was much quicker than expected. I’m glad to know that they aren’t human eating micro-zombies or some such thing.
Thanks again!
Ed
I’m in SC there is this flat brownish bug in my house, it’s slow moving difficult to smash can you tell me what it is? Please and Thank you
We don’t want to try guessing with such a vague description, but if you submit an image using the Ask What’s That Bug? link on our site, we will try.