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Pest Identification Photos #201 to 300
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This space reserved for
your pest photo |
The pictures below have been
submitted by visitors. If you can identify them you are invited to send us
your answers.
Your description is also welcome.
Please
Include the picture number
in your answers.
If you have a digital camera or
scanner send us photos of any pest you would like identified.
Please
include the location the pest was found and any other information you can offer.
Hopefully one of our visitors will be able to identify them. Send your photos
or answers to:
webmanager@pestcontrolcanada.com
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#300 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a
Pseudoscorpion. These are arachnids.. part of the
group which includes spiders, ticks, mites and scorpions too.
Pseudoscorpions are usually very tiny.. only about 4 mm in length.
See similar
photos, # 8 and 32. |
 
#299
Sorry for the poor
photos by my camera doesn't like bugs either!! This one was on my husbands
leg and gave him a nasty bite. It appears to be a camel cricket, but do they
bite? We've had a cold January here in SE Manitoba, would warmer weather
have them coming out of hiding in the basement? Thanks!. Shane
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Although the photos
are indeed fuzzy, the insect appears to be a camel/cave cricket (Orthoptera:Gryllacrididae
- or Rhaphidophoridae of some authors). Many orthopteran insects,
including some grasshoppers and katydids, have jaws powerful enough to
give a very painful pinch to humans, but they do not usually make a habit
out of biting people! See http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/ccamelcr.html
for a fact sheet.
Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
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#298 I live in Toronto, I've seen about 5 of these
critters in my house from Nov-Dec 2004 but have not seen any since. This is
the last one I saw and captured late Dec. It's still alive as of Feb 5. It
looks roach-like but it is slow for a roach and doesn't look exactly like
any that I've ever seen before. Any idea what it is? Should I worry?
Thanks, Robert
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This appears to be a nymph of a German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a
very common household pest in North America (see
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2099.html for
a fact sheet). As you suspect, these insects usually are fairly fast moving
- perhaps you have your thermostat set a bit low for their comfort?
Ed Saugstad,
retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV |
#297
Found this in my
patio trying to get into our home, in Solana Beach, CA. I found them
before, but I have never been able to identify it. It is almost 4
centimeters long (or 2 inches). I have other pictures if requested.
Clay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a Jerusalem cricket. They are about an
inch and a half long wingless insect. Nocturnal predators,
Jerusalem crickets burrow into the ground for the day. Renowned for their
proportionately large head with strong jaw muscles, this beast can catch and
consume just about anything in its size range and will pack a powerful bite
if startled when picked up. Photo #249 is very similar.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The photo/insect you call a 'Jerusalem Cricket', is actually a Mole Cricket.
A 'Jerusalem cricket' or 'Potatoe Bug' looks like this.
Take it easy.
Bald John of Tucson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
According to numerous websites, the photo
is a Jerusalem cricket, not a Mole cricket as
identified by Bald John of Tucson. Here are just two corroborating website
articles:
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#296
I live in an
apartment in St. Catharines, Ontario on the 6th floor. I have
these little insects crawling around a lot of places; mostly I see them
crawl up on the wall or occasionally on the floor in my bed room. They are
very fast and I have seen them even in our bathroom. They are about 1cm in
length but I have seen some smaller ones that are about 0.5 mm in length as
well. I would love to know what it is, Thank you very much. Mats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a silverfish or firebrat. They prefer dark, damp locations and
only a small percentage of the population may be seen in daylight.
Fortunately they do not breed rapidly but they can be difficult to control.
There is more information on the
Silverfish web page. |
#295 picture taken Jan 25, 2005 inside my house near
Penticton BC... it was about as long as from my fingernail to the
knuckle...thanks, Tom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next time you take a picture of a house hold pest
avoid using the flash. It causes the carapace to glisten making it harder to
identify your intruder. From what I can see the markings on the back
indicate a Cobweb Spider (/Tegnaria gigantea/) although the colour, which I
assume is black, does not. It's possible that the room wasn't lighted well
enough but it's also possible that this species, which lives around the
world, is coloured differently from place to place. An excellent specimen.
Jacob Duarte, aspiring Arachenologist |
#294 I found this bug in the corner of my living room
by a wall where my toilet pipe runs inside of this wall. Its black and a
tint of red on its back. The odour that came from it when I squat it stinked.
Thanks for you help. Thank -you, Pauline
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This appears to be a ground
beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae). This is a very large family, and most
members are predaceous on a wide variety of other insects, other small
arthropods, and even snails. A very few are plant feeders, such as the seed
corn beetle. Several species do have a strong characteristic odour when
handled or crushed. Ed Saugstad,
retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV |
#293 I saw this in Sanuma, Japan, last summer. It's
body is about the size of a large jelly bean. They looked pretty aggressive,
but you could touch them with your finger and they would hardly react at
all. I threw a rice husk on the web and it grabbed it and wrapped it up. Any
idea what kind of spider it is? thank you, Wade.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This appears to be Nephilia clavata, an
orb-weaving spider commonly seen in late summer-autumn in Japan (see
http://www.cyberoz.net/city/sekine/zukax301.htm
). When we lived in Japan (1972-1975), we
often had similar spiders spin webs on our front porch. As with other orb
weavers, they tend to have relatively small fangs in relation to their
body size, and pose no threat to humans. I have never known spiders of
this group to be aggressive.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks
Grove, WV
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#292 I found this beetle outside my door last night. I
was scratching at the door and I though it was a cat outside! It is roughly
3 cm long. It has wings under the shell. It moves quite slow, too. Can you
tell me what it is? Thank you! Wade.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a predaceous diving beetle (Coleoptera:
Dytiscidae); their larvae are fully aquatic, and sometimes called “water
tigers.” Both adults and larvae are predaceous on small aquatic organisms,
mostly other insects, but the larvae of some of the largest species
occasionally will catch tadpoles or small minnows.
See
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/biodiversity/family/Dytiscidae.html
for more information.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks
Grove, WV
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#291
I have two pests that I have found:
The first is a large bee like insect that was about 1.5 to 2 inches long and
about .5 inches around, I had no scale in the picture. It was found early
one morning on a Deck rail in central Ohio. The second is a small
insect that I have seen twice in my house in central Ohio.
Thanks, Brian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The larger specimen appears to be a European hornet
(Vespa crabro) that now can be found in much of eastern North America. We
have a small colony on our WV property, and they do not appear to be
particularly aggressive. My biggest complaint is that they girdle the
small branches on our lilac tree. See
http://www.evergreen.edu/ants/TESCBiota/kingdom/animalia/phylum/arthropoda/
for much more information.
The smaller insect appears to be a brown
lacewing (Neuroptera Hemerobiidae). Like their green cousins, these
insects are voracious predators on small soft-bodied insects such as
aphids. See
http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/beneficial/brown_lacewings.htm
for more information.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
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#290 I killed 2 of these inside the house yesterday and am wondering
what it is. It looks very much like
Photo #222 and I'm assuming it's some sort of wood wasp but not certain. The
description is approximately 1 centimeter in length, jet black with yellow
bands around the thorax. This was captured inside my home in Little Rock,
Arkansas. I was able to capture it in an empty mayonnaise jar and take one
good picture of it before euthanizing it.
I tried to get you a good shot of it's "face" :) Thank You, Bradley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This indeed a wasp, but not a wood wasp (although
many paper-nest building wasps will scrape wood in order to make the
‘paper’ for their nests, they do not as a rule actually bore into wood. If
no viewer of this site can provide you with a specific identification, you
could try taking a specimen to your county cooperative extension service
office for assistance.
See
http://division.uaex.edu/contact/ListCes.asp for
links. Ed
Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
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#289 I
found this millipede when I was camping at a cottage located on Chalk Lake
in the Township of Scugog, Ontario in late August of 2003. It was roughly
12cm in length; however, I have been told that millipedes in Canada are
normally no larger than 5-6cm. I was wondering anyone could help to
identify what it is. Thanks, Caitlin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This indeed a millipede, possibly Narceus
americanus, one of the largest species in North America. Although
basically harmless (they are detrivores), they will give off a caustic
substance if mishandled. I can tell you from personal experience that it
is one of the most vile-tasting substances that I have ever encountered!
In some tropical species, this defensive excretion can be forcibly
expelled, and is strong enough to cause chemical burns to human skin.
See
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/CritterFiles/casefile/relatives/millipedes/millipede.htm,
and look at the sporobolid millipede.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
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#288 Hi,
thank you (in advance) so much for helping me! I found this beautiful spider
walking across the carpet in our living room earlier this evening. I live
in a south suburb of Chicago, IL and have never seen one like this before.
It could probably cover a quarter, with legs and all, possibly a little
bigger too. The back seemed tan, while the head area looked more dark red.
The legs appeared orange. I will let the photo speak for it all. Thanks
again!! :) sue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This bears a very close resemblance to Dysdera
crocata, a spider that specializes in preying on isopods (small
crustaceans known as woodlice or roly polys) that sometimes can be pests
in houses, particularly where damp conditions are common. The spiders’
long fangs enable them to penetrate the tough exoskeleton of the isopods.
See
http://spiders.entomology.wisc.edu/Dysderidae/Dysdera/crocata.html
for images and more information.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks
Grove, WV
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#287 My 8
year old daughter and I were surfing the web and found your site. She is
doing a science project on the attached wasps (or hornets?). We live in
Brighton, Michigan and this fall found the attached nest in one of our
trees. It was so beautiful!! We wanted to learn more about the creatures
that created it. We have tried to identify them and think that they might
be bald faced hornets, but would like advice from an expert. If you have
any additional information or links to learn more, please let us know!!!
We are under a deadline, so please help us ASAP. Her project needs to be
well underway by the end of January. THANK YOU!!!
Patti
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think you have identified them correctly. The nest definitely
looks like the ones build by bald faced hornets in Canada. The
hornets don't seem to have much white showing on their faces, but perhaps
it is just because of the camera angle. You will find some general
information on our wasp, bees
and hornets page
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I concur that there is a resemblance to the
bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata –
see
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/bald-faced_hornet.htm
), and that the lack of apparent white areas on
these specimens as well as the relatively pale wings could be an
artifact of the camera angle and/or exposure used. For additional
information, you may consider contacting your county cooperative
extension service office -
see
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/ctyentpg/ for
links. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I would just like to say a big THANK
YOU to the experts that took the time to answer our questions about
the bald faced hornets.(#287) You really helped to make her science
project spectacular!!!! Patti
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#286 I live in Toronto. I have an wooden drum that I've
owned for eight months with no problems. I recently found a 1/4" perfect
hole in the wood, and sawdust in my drum case. The hole was about 3" deep.
After careful inspection, I found this critter walking on the drum. The
insect is approximately 3 to 4 mm in length. Is it
related to any wood boring insect?
Is there a risk to my house? Thanks, Les. Toronto
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a
true bug in the order Hemiptera, and is not a wood-boring insect. As such,
it is of no threat to either your house or the wooden drum. Most hemipterans
feed on plant sap (your specimen appears to fall into that category) and
many species are of economic importance. A few are predaceous on other
insects and some that occur from Mexico on south are blood feeders. Ed
Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV |
#285
I found this insect on my
basement floor in January. I searched through books and online and can’t
find anything like it. It reminds me of an armadillo because it has
multiple plated segments. It moves in a very strange way: it crawls with
its legs while curling its tail under, then straightening it out to scoot
forward. Its long neck moves the tiny head back and forth so it reminds me
of an elephant’s trunk. If frightened, it rolls up, pulls its head in and
plays dead. I guess it’s some sort of larva?? I’m keeping it alive in
a jar by feeding it bread. -Robin, Louisville, Kentucky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This could be a larva of
a net-winged beetle (Coleoptera: Lycidae). These are close relatives of
fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), but rather than being predaceous, these
larvae appear to feed primarily on liquids and associated microfauna in
rotting wood and other decaying organic matter.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV |
#284 We have just
recently had a house built in October 2004 and we have noticed a number of
moths since then. They are usually found in the basement; however, we have
found the odd one throughout the house. They are about 1/2 long and seem to
prefer dark places such as under the woods along the basement floor, and
under the insulation in the basement walls. They seem to crawl rather than
fly. We would appreciate any help you could give us regarding this type of
moth and how we can get rid of them. Thank you. Janet and Michael,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These moths do not appear to be anything to worry about, and likely are
accidental invaders. Just to be on the safe side, you might want to inspect
any infestable stored products (such as corn meal, flour, dry pet food,
etc.) on hand for any signs of insect activity. Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may have a species of the common clothes
moth (Tineola bisselliella.) golden - buff and shiny in colour,
they crawl rather than fly, like dark areas for harborage. Most
importantly the larvae will attack natural fibers clothes, wools, furs
etc. check the link
http://www.uk.rentokil.com/a-z-of-pests/textile-pests/common-clothes-moth.php or
get a pest controller to have a look to be on the safe side. Barry
Phillips - Rentokil Pest Control UK
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#283 What a cool website! I have forwarded the link to a few people
who will be really interested. We've had a few of these little guys in our
bathroom in California (about 20 miles Southeast of San Francisco) every day
for a couple of weeks. It's not a swarm, just a constant flow of two to
four every day. Not sure if they're coming in from outside (there are two
vent fans in the bathroom) or maybe the drains. So far, haven't noticed any
in other rooms or other bathrooms, or even the kitchen downstairs just below
the bathroom where we do find them. What are they? I wish I could get
a better picture, but this appears to be the best my camera can do. Steve in
Hayward.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fuzzy picture, but
appears to be a small fly, such as a fungus gnat (several families in the
order Diptera). Their larvae can be found in a wide variety of damp
material, including fungi, potting soil, and decaying vegetable matter, and
could be either coming in from outside or from some inside source (including
potted plants with excessively damp soil). They usually are of no importance
to humans other than causing annoyance by their presence. Ed Saugstad,
retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV |
#282 We started noticing
these little flies/moths (about 3mm long) in the house about 6 weeks ago.
Over the weeks there are more and more bodies found on window ledges. They
look very black. Helen
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This
appears to be a moth or drain fly (Diptera: Psychodidae). Although annoying
they do no real harm. See
http://www.caes.state.ct.us/FactSheetFiles/Entomology/fsen019f.htm
for a fact sheet that includes control recommendations. Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
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#281 I
have owned my new house in Cambridge Ontario Canada for approx. 1 year. We
have a cold cellar located in our basement. Every now and then I will go in
and on the cold room floor I find tiny larvae looking creatures. They
seemed to have begun arriving with the cold months although they may have
existed before then. We have vents to air our the cellar and keep it dry
but I cannot seem to locate the actual entry point. I hope they are not
something that the builder may have helped bring to us with the new sod or
wood. I use the shop vac to clean up the floor and within a day or two
there are about 4 or 5 more. I am sorry the photos are not very clear but
they range in size and plumpness the largest one about 1 cm in length. They
are light to dark tan color with black heads (like larvae) but they have
legs and once out of the cold they seem to travel quite fast. The legs are
short and they have what looks like tiny pincers on their rear ends which
are more likely for them to spin a web. When on the cold room floor they
are sluggish but are quick to change once in a warm area. Could you please
help me identify this breed of creepy crawly and give me a few suggestions
on how to get rid of them for good? I would really appreciate this for they
are annoying and until they are wiped out I refuse to use my cold cellar at
all. Thank you for you time. Samantha
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are beetle larvae, but I cannot make a positive
i.d. from the photo. On the odd chance that they might be stored products
pests, you might want to inspect any infestable stored products (such as
corn meal, flour, dry pet food, etc.) on hand for any signs of insect
activity. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV |
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Click on the photos
to enlarge |
 #280
We live in Southern California
and I found this insect in my son's room on a blanket. It looks like a
giant flea or a very small shrimp and hops. Its body is somewhat
translucent and shiny and you can clearly see internal structures and mouth
parts. It is slightly larger than 1/4 of an inch and has numerous long rear
legs . Several months ago my son had bites on his neck and I'm curious if
there is a connection with this insect. I have never seen anything like
this please let me know what you think it is. Thanks, Peter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry Peter your photo is a little too fuzzy to get a positive
identification but it may possibly be a tick. Perhaps Mr. Saugstad has
a better idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The photo is indeed too fuzzy for a positive i.d.,
but based on Peter’s description, it is unlikely to be either a flea or a
tick. Ticks don't hop, and most fleas commonly found in households (e.g.:
cat fleas and dog fleas) are much smaller than ¼.” However, I have seen
fleas nearly that size on cottontail rabbits, and there is one reported
from a primitive rodent called a ‘mountain beaver’ that can be up to 1/3”
long. If Peter’s location is close to water, the specimen could be an
amphipod. Amphipods are crustaceans that usually are aquatic, but some
species will hop about in moist terrestrial environments. They generally
are detritus feeders, and are completely harmless as far as humans are
concerned. See
www.vet-healthcentre.co.uk/creepy.htm
for some flea images, and
http://www-atdp.berkeley.edu/SDCLASSES/1453inbox/amphipod.jpg
or
http://members.surfeu.at/wtambour/media/gammarus.jpg for
amphipod images. Ed Saugstad,
retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
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  #279
Please help me on what these
insects are and how to get rid of them. I found them in my basement under a
wood cabinet, the cabinet is attached to the cement floor and wall. It
seems to be a wood eating insect, there is sawdust under the cabinet when I
try to scrap them from underneath. I sprayed Raid ant, roach, earwig bug
killer under the front of this cabinet but I'm unable to spray the full area
that is infested. Thank you for your assistance. Rob
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are dermestid beetles (sometimes called
skin beetles; Coleoptera: Dermestidae), likely in the genus Anthrenus
that includes the carpet beetle and the furniture carpet beetle among others.
They are not wood feeders, but will attack just about any material that has an
animal protein content, such as wool (including that found in carpeting,
upholstery, etc.) and some dried pet foods. They often are pests in insect
collections, and some species may be used by museum specimen preparers to clean
small delicate skeletons. It is the larval stage that does the actual damage;
the adult beetles primarily are pollen feeders on flowers. For full control, you
probably should locate the larval food source and if at all possible, eliminate
it. See
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2103.html
for a fact sheet on dermestids in general.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove,
WV.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also:
Carpet Beetles on this web site.
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#278 We
found this bug (body length of around an inch long) in the winter, right
in the middle of our bedroom floor, in daylight, not trying to flee.
When I tried to capture it, it slowly tried to get out of the way. It is
the third one we see in the past few weeks. When I killed it, it
produced an audible crunch and the smell was exceptionally strong (like
heavy grass odor). We live near a lake close to the Vermont border
in Quebec. Can you help me identify it? My actual guess was
either an assassin bug or a stink bug but I’m not really sure! Eric.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This appears to be the same as # 276 below.
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#277 I
found these colourful beetles in my backyard in Miramichi, New Brunswick.
The iridescent colours are beautiful. Just curious as to what it might be
called. I haven't seen one like that before...but I don't often notice
beetles! Thank you. ANN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This appears to be a dogbane
beetle (Chrysochus auratus; Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). One of the more
colourful members of their family, they range widely in the United States
and southern Canada where they feed on milkweed as well as dogbane. I
collected this species on our family farm in North Dakota some 50 years ago. Ed
Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV |
  #276.
Hi, Please help me to identify these awful bugs that have invaded our home!
We find them mostly in the evening, in the bathroom but, occasionally in the
basement and bedrooms. The largest one found was about 2cm in length. Just
before it was caught, it let off an unpleasant odour. I have seen one flying
in the bathroom. They have 3 legs on each side, and 2 antennae. They also
have a long antennae type thing on it's belly that pokes out. They are
mostly blackish. Their wings are of a similar pattern to a common housefly (greyish
black type of stripes). We have sprayed a common insect repellant in the
bathrooms, but haven't found any dead ones. I am afraid that they are going
to bite us when we are sleeping and we need to know how to get rid of them!
We live in a 26 year old home, in a farm area, near Oshawa, Ontario. Please
help...anyone! Thanks :) C.A., Crystal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not to worry! These appear to be leaf-footed bugs (Hemiptera:
Coreidae). This family includes both predaceous (on other small insects –
not humans) and herbivorous species. A few species, including the squash
bug, can be of economic importance. Also, some of these bugs do give off a
noticeable odor when handled roughly or crushed. As for being in the
house, they most likely are simply accidental invaders, and can be dealt
with on an individual basis when encountered. However, at least one
species that feeds on seeds of evergreens is known to invade houses en
mass seeking winter shelter
(see
www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/pdfs/westConiferSeedBug.pdf
). You may want to see if you can find
where they are getting in and see if it is feasible to seal up that
entry/entries.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks
Grove, WV
|
|
Click on the photos
to enlarge |
#275
Please help me identify these
critters. They have invaded my bathroom! I sprayed some flying insect
spray and to my surprise, ended up with around 25-50 of them dead in my
window and in the bathtub. The bathroom seems to be the only place that
they are in, with the exception of maybe one flying into the living room
from time to time. They are driving me crazy, as everytime I go in the
bathroom there they are. Please tell me what they are and how can I get rid
of them. Thanks, Rhonda in Dallas, Texas!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Photo fuzzy, but these appear to be wasps. Possible suspects include sphecoid
wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecoidea - see
http://www.stingerpest.com/information/pest_photos/images/MudDabA-g2.jpg for
an image), or spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae ). In either case, they are not likely to be any thing other than a
nuisance, as they do not make large nests nor are they as aggressive as
their cousins, the vespid wasps (such as the bald-faced hornet). As for
control, there are many wasp sprays readily available at most stores that
sell insect control items. Just follow the label directions. But what you
really should do is to try to find out how they are entering your house, and
seal off those entry points. This is not always easy, as we occasionally
find wasps in our house in areas where there are no obvious entry points.
Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
|
#274 The photo is at x10 magnification. i found a bunch
of these on a table on my porch in NJ recently. Joseph.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fuzzy photo, but it could be psocid (order Psocoptera – book lice and bark
lice). For the most part, these insects are completely harmless. See photo
number 254 for more information and some links. If after looking at those
you believe that your insects are not psocids, try to take a clearer photo
and resubmit.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks
Grove, WV |
#273 I
live in California. This is a picture of a bug I have taken off a few
vegetable plants in an indoor grow room. Thank you for any help and
time you can afford. Leo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This appears to be a lady beetle (Coleoptera:
Coccinellidae), but it is not a species that I am familiar with. With a
few exceptions (such as the Mexican bean beetle), coccinellids are for the
most part beneficial by human standards, feeding primarily on aphids,
scale insects, and the like.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks
Grove, WV
|
#272 My wife and I found these interesting
little white fellows crawling all over a fence in our back yard one morning.
They looked to be coming from a decomposing orange colored fungi, which had
appeared on the ground a few days earlier. They were about 1/2 inch in
length. As the morning grew warmer, these guys became fewer and fewer by
dropping from the fence to the ground. This happened in mid December. You
can see black dots on their sides and their eyes and a dark nose or mouth in
front. We live in San Rafael, CA. and wondered what they might be. Thanks
for your help. Paul & Carolyn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This appears to be a larva (maggot) of a
fungus gnat (Diptera: Sciaridae), likely in the genus Bradysia (formerly
Sciara). These gnats once were included in the much larger family
Mycetophilidae. For the most part they are considered harmless, but a few
species will feed on healthy plant tissue, particularly under greenhouse
conditions, if fungus is in short supply.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks
Grove, WV |
#271 Hopefully this household pest can quickly be
identified, and method of control / elimination recommended. It appears to
be some type of a very small moth that we initially found on some Buckwheat
honey I purchased at a Fall Fair. The food cupboard was totally cleaned out
and a week later they had returned with a vengeance. Their larvae are even
in the threads of jars! They appear to eat only sugar based food stuffs, ie:
candy, honey, baking supplies, soda pop, etc. but not any type of flour or
other food.
These things are starting to cost us money since we keep having to discard
the food in our cupboards, and can't get rid of them no matter how clean we
keep things. Any help or advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank
You - Richard
It
appears that you've had a lovely infestation of Indian meal moths (Plodia
interpunctella; Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). We also have had the pleasure of
their company, and now keep all infestable products either in air-tight
plastic/glass containers or in the refrigerator. You already have taken
the most basic and important steps of doing a general cleanup and
discarding any obviously infested material. You likely never can totally
eliminate them, as there always is the possibility of bringing home
foodstuffs (usually flour, corn meal, other cereal products, or dry pet
food) that already are infested by their eggs or young larvae. This is why
it is a good idea to (1) never buy more of such material than you are
planning to use within a short period of time, or (2) (as we do) keep
these materials in pest-proof containers or under refrigeration. In
addition, it also is a good idea to keep dry pet food stored separately
from infestable human food, as sanitary standards for pet food are not as
stringent as those for human food, and thus they are more likely to be
infested. Finally, there are pheromone-baited traps for these moths, sold
under a variety of names in most stores that sell insect control items.
These traps are not meant for control, but are monitoring devices. I would
suggest using them once you feel that you have your problem pretty much
under control, as they will draw any stragglers out of hiding. As long as
moths appear in the traps, you will know that you still have an active
infestation somewhere. For more detailed information on this pest,
see
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2089.html for a fact
sheet.
Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
Also: for more
information see the
Indian Meal Moth page on this web site.
|
|
If you have a
pest problem but don't have a picture, see: "Ask
the pest professionals" |
#270 We are having a hard time figuring out what this is. Not the
Ninja Matrix mouse, but the larger rodent in the photo. Looks like a rat
sort of, but it has a furry tail and the fur is very very soft and thick. It
was hauling off small boxes of food from the cupboard. Hope someone knows
what it is. We can't find it anywhere on the net. Thanks Nan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a woodrat. The bushy tail is indicative of the "bushytail woodrat"
or packrat (Neotoma cinerea). It's range is Western US, Vancouver & British
Columbia. Kim Tarter, District Biologist from the Daniel Boone National
Forest, KY. |
#269 A. We live in California near san
Francisco. These critters live in our fridge...constantly shed their
exoskeletons, and excrete a smell. They do not feed on our food. we have
never found them in our food. Mike
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Needs a clearer photo –
except for the comment about shedding exoskeletons, thus could be a
congregation of overwintering lady beetles. Some species have a very
noticeable odor, particularly when large numbers are present. Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
|
#269 B. I already sent in a pic of
this bug but was told I need to send in a bigger pic I hope this helps. I
live in the San Francisco bay area, California. We found these bugs
living in the fridge. They didn't seem to be eating our food, nor did
They seem to be alive. but we removed them and they came back. I don't
know if they were living in the motor part, and dying in the fridge but
they were stuck to the bottom and top inside. there were massive amounts
of them and they were omitting a smell. We did find one living on the
wall, they are small between the size of a Flea , and a lady bug.
Well, this definitely is not a lady beetle larva! As to what it
really is, if forced to make a SWAG at this point, my best guess is that
it might be a desiccated larva of a carpet beetle or close relative (Coleoptera:Dermestidae).
If so, it has lost most of the characteristic setae that give these larvae
a furry/hairy appearance when alive.
See
http://www.floridanature.org/unidentified.asp?family=Dermestidae
for an example.
I will be most interested in Dr. Hauser’s take on this one.
Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
|
#268 I
live in Texas just east of Dallas. What I thought was a hole in the wall
from something bumping it was in fact this guy eating his way out from the
inside. What is this Andy Dufresne wannabe? I looked on your site but didn't
see anything resembling it. Thanks. Jonathan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a
metallic wood-boring beetle (Coleoptera: Buprestidae; their larvae also are
known as flat-headed borers). Although adults occasionally will emerge
indoors from freshly cut lumber, none that I know of can be considered
structural pests. Some species are of economic importance by damaging living
trees and shrubs/canes. Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV |
#267
Hi Found these guys in our basement Edmonton, Alberta. They seem to come
out when we turn on the gas stove to warm up the room. Should we be
worried. bye for now, Isabel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello - Would it be possible
to request that Isabel submit additional photos of her wee beasties -
preferably including dorsal, ventral, and frontal views? This one really
has me puzzled - it looks like a combination of small wasp wings with a
rove beetle's body and (except for the antennae) a fly's head!
Sincerely, Ed
Saugstad, Sinks Grove, WV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi guys, Your #267 is a Xiphydria species, member of Xiphydriidae,
Hymenoptera, a kind of "wood wasp". Larvae of Xiphydria live and feed in
dying trees and therefore occur in timber and fire wood. Dry wood is not
too nutricious, and therefore the life cycle may last some years. The
holes from which the adults emerge, are circular (in contrast to those
of many beetles, which are somewaht depressed apertures). Don't
worry, the Xiphydrias won't infest your wooden house, because this kind
of wood is too dry (at least if it is not a very new house).
Best wishes, Dr. Stephan M. Blank, >o><< <°)>><
Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Müncheberg, Germany,
DEI - German Entomological Institute, an institute of the Leibniz-Centre
for Agricultural Landscape and Land Use Research (ZALF)
http://www.zalf.de/deie/index.htm
|
#266 I found this spider, less than an inch across,
crawling along the baseboard of our church office wall in San Francisco. I
used a drumstick to herd it into a plastic CD case, and it reared up on its
back legs and splayed its front legs wide, as if to fend off attack. It has
hairy, banded legs and an unusual sort of stained-glass cross design on its
back. I later turned it loose in some hedges, but I hope I didn't
unleash a deadly monster upon the suburbs.
What is this thing? Cheers, Jym Dingler.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is yet
another female orb-weaving spider (Araneida: Araneidae), a large family of
spiders that includes many large and often colorful species. To the best of
my knowledge, none of them are considered dangerous to humans, and most have
‘fangs’ that are too small to pierce human skin. See photos 255, 239, 231,
214, 201, and 183 on this site for more examples. Ed
Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The above analysis is correct. It is an orb weaver and is therfore
completly harmless. I believe that it is known as a Cross or Garden spider
(called so because of the white markings). If you find another keep it. It
spins a beautiful web. Jacob Duarte, aspiring arachenologist
|
  #265
I have a curious creature that I think is a species of ant. It is about 4 mm
long and a dark reddish-brown in color. It has a long stinger thingy out of
its abdomen that is almost as long as its body. Its antennae is as long as
the length of its body. I found this ant in the house in Chatham, Ontario,
Canada. It has long antenna and also a long stinger. Please help me
find out what it could be? Josh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is not an ant, but a
parasitic wasp. I cannot be certain of its identification, but it may be a
braconid or close relative. The 'stinger' actually is its ovipositor, used
by these wasps to lay their eggs in other insects (usually in the larval
stage), and the wasp larvae develop inside the host. A commonly seen
example is the wasp that parasitizes the tomato hornworm - the parasitized
caterpillar often attracts attention when the wasp larvae emerge from the
host and pupate on the surface of the caterpillar. Several species in this
group exhibit polyembryony, in which two to several hundred larvae develop
from a single fertilized egg.
Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.
|
#264 Can you help me
identify this little creature. Location Iowa. Discovered it crawling across
some play equipment this summer. Did not seem to have wings. Very slow. Size
was about 5 mm. Howard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
#263 This was another
creature I have been unable to identify from this Summer, in Iowa. Size was
about 1cm. Perhaps an infant form of a more commonly known insect?
Howard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the larva of a lacewing (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). They are general
predators on other small insects, especially aphids, and therefore are
considered beneficial by most gardeners. The adults have four membranous
wings, and appear quite fragile, belying their predaceous nature (see
http://woodypest.ifas.ufl.edu/223.htm ). The females lay their eggs on
the ends of long stalks, presumably so that newly hatched larvae won’t
immediately attack their unhatched/emerging siblings.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove,
WV |
#262 Can you help me
identify this insect? Location: Iowa. Summer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the nymph of a
leafhopper (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). All are sap feeders, usually on herbaceous
vegetation. Some species are of economic importance not only from damage caused
by their feeding (such as the potato leafhopper), but also by vectoring viral
diseases of plants (including potato yellow dwarf, curly top of sugar beets, and
aster yellows). Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
|
#261 I live in a basement apartment, in Edmonton Alberta, Canada. I have
these bugs living in my electric stove, the owners have the same bugs living
behind their fridge upstairs. The bugs moved into my kitchen over the
summer. They vary is size from about 2mm up to about 2cm... They have now
started to spread through out the apartment, but I don't see that many
outside of the kitchen. They don't fly, but they are very quick. I know the
picture is fuzzy but it was the best one I can get. If anyone knows what
they might be it would be really nice to know. We have just tried a residual
spray to see if this might work, if anyone has any other ideas they would be
greatly appreciated. Thanks. Shannon.S
The good news is: we can not be absolutely positive
about identification because the photo is out of focus.
The bad news is: it is likely a cockroach. The best control method
used by professionals today is careful placement of baits.
Residual insecticide sprays may kill some of them but survivors may migrate
to another apartment and eventually return to yours. You should
probably ask the building manager to call a professional to inspect the
building.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry, these are clearly cockroaches! Martin Hauser, Department of
Entomology, University of Illinois
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Although the photos are indeed fuzzy, the
general habitus of these creatures is consistent with them being German
cockroaches (Blatella germanica), exceedingly common sharers of human
dwellings nearly worldwide. One of the apartments that I lived in while
attending college in Fargo, North Dakota, was infested with them, so they
will thieve in cold climates as long as we are willing to provide them
with heat and shelter! See
http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/roaches/german.htm for a fact
sheet.
Ed Saugstad, retired
entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
|
#260 I spent a month working in the Peruvian Amazon, and discovered
this beautiful creature in my bathroom one night. It was nearly the size of
my hand. I had seen another one out in the jungle, and learned that its
Spanish name means "free-tailed scorpion", though it is properly a spider.
Paul M. Lantos, MD. Fellow in Infectious Diseases. Children's Hospital
Boston.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you Dr. Lantos for sharing these 3
wonderful photos of creatures we don't have the opportunity to see in our
environment. Perhaps one of our visitors may be able to identify them and
give us a little more information. Webmanager, Larry Cross
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a
tailless whip scorpion (Arachnida: Amblypygi), a harmless (to humans)
relative of true scorpions and spiders. Lacking venom, they rely on their
large, spiny pedipalps to overpower and help dismember their prey, usually
other small arthropods. Some people keep these as pets!
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This fascinating animal is called Whip Spider or Amblypygi. They are
nocturnal predators and seem to be harmless to humans.
http://www.evergreen.edu/ants/alastaxa/amblypygi/genuskey.html
Martin Hauser, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois
|
#259 Another visitor from my trip to the Amazon -- this centipede-like
beast can be seen taking up half of my footprint. It was about 5 inches
long. Paul M. Lantos, MD. Fellow in Infectious Diseases. Children's
Hospital Boston.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a large millipede (class Dilpopoda);
if you look closely, you can see that it has two pairs of legs on each
body segment. Millipedes are general detrivores/scavengers on decaying
organic material, part of nature’s recycling scheme. I cannot be certain
about this particular species, but some species that are flattened like
this one (order Polydesmida;
collectively known as ‘plated
millipedes’) instead of cylindrical in cross-section can give off a
cyanide compound when disturbed that may deter small predators, and, if
kept under confined conditions, may even kill other arthropods. Basically
harmless to humans, some large cylindrical tropical millipedes can give
off corrosive fluids capable of causing chemical burns to the skin and
eyes of humans.
Ed
Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
|
#258 One last specimen from my trip to the Amazon -- this beautiful
insect was sitting on a leaf in the middle of the jungle at night. I believe
it's a cicada, of which there are hundreds of varieties in the Amazon.
Paul M. Lantos, MD. Fellow in Infectious Diseases. Children's Hospital
Boston.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This
does appear to be one of the many species of katydid found in Peruvian
Amazonia. As one can see, they are quite adept at camouflage. Most are
herbivores, but some have very strong jaws and can give a very painful bite.
For several years, an entomologist of my acquaintance at the Smithsonian
Institution led Earthwatch expeditions to the Iquitos area to study this
group of insects (see
http://www.nwf.org/internationalwildlife/1998/katydid.html ). However, I
do not know whether this research remains ongoing.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is not a cicada, it is a Katydid. They often look like leaves and
are perfectly camouflaged.
Here is a collection of links, one is to the Katydids of Peru!
http://140.247.119.145/OrthSoc/links.htm
Martin Hauser, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois |
#257 This bug seems to be killing my willow tree in the
north San Francisco bay area in California. Pulling off the bark of the tree
this pest seems to burrow through the underside of the bark leaving a dense
pack of sawdust. There seem to be black beetles and larger caterpillar worms
also sharing the underside of the bark. Thanx, Mike
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whatever
this is, it most likely is not responsible for the damage to the tree, as
it is not a woodborer. I suspect that it is the larva of a predaceous
beetle, such as a checkered beetle (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Once bark has
been damaged/loosened in any way, whether by wood-boring insects or by
other causes, many other insects and arthropods will take up residence
there, and may be mistaken as the cause of the damage. Larvae of
wood-boring beetles usually are legless or nearly so.
Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.
See
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/insimg/05530f2b.jpg
and
http://linus.socs.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/none/vastator2.jpg
for images.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This insect is indeed not killing your trees. It is the larvae of a so
called snake fly (Rhaphidioptera). The very flexible larvae are living
under bark and are hunting wood boring insects, like the beetle larvae
which are more likely responsible for the damage to your trees.
These insects have strange looking adults and are related to ant lions and
lace wings.
http://www.wsl.ch/forest/wus/entomo/Antago/raphidiidae-en.ehtml
If you want to read more about the biology of these insects download this
PDF:
http://zoo.zoo.nhmus.hu/publication/actazool/48Suppl2/aspockraphi.pdf
Dr.
Martin Hauser, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again, I am
indebted to Dr. Martin Hauser for correcting a bad guess on my part.
Unfortunately for me, snakeflies are a group of insects that I never
have encountered (except perhaps for a long-forgotten lecture in insect
systematics 44 years ago), and I allowed myself to be lulled by their
very superficial resemblance to something entirely different. My
apologies to Mike and to the visitors to this site. Ed
Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV
|
 #256
My mother in law just moved into a new home in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada. She has found approximately one dozen bugs like this
in the furnace room and approximately four just outside of the room.
The floor is linoleum in the basement and near the basement stairs
(carpeted). The scale is in centimeters in the photo. Any suggestions as to
what the bugs are or how to eliminate them would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance, Geoff K.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your photo is a little too fuzzy to tell for sure, but it is
probably a sowbug or pill bug. Check the photos and information on our
sow bug pages. |
#255 This spider was crawling up onto my husbands easy
chair. I'm sending and abdominal view and and top view. We don't know if the
round white object on its abdomen was there originally, or if it is a
protrusion that resulted from being swatted. It seems to me that the abdomen
has shrunk a bit between the time I killed it with alcohol and the time it
was photographed.(apox time 36 hrs) WE live in Kansas, USA.
spider was found mid November. The pin peircing the spider is a quite large
corsage pin. Spider about the size of a nickel. This is a terrific
website. WE are so glad to find it, and are telling our friends and family
about it. Thanks for your help. Marla
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a
female orb-weaving spider (Araneida: Araneidae), a large family of spiders
that includes many large and often colorful species. To the best of my
knowledge, none of them are considered dangerous to humans, and most have
‘fangs’ that are too small to pierce human skin. See photos 239, 231, 214,
201, and 183 on this site for more examples. Ed
Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV |
#254 We found these bugs in our sugar.
Also in boxes of various cooking ingredients. I have been looking on the
internet and can't find any pictures of the various bugs you can get with
food. I am at all loss. We are in Petawawa Ontario. Help. Jennifer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
