# Need help to identify bug or insect



## jzkitten (May 3, 2004)

I've been finding some small black bugs in my bedroom and kitchen. They're small and at first glance looks like rat droppings. They move slow. Anybody have an idea what they are? TIA
Theresa


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## BrahmaMama (Nov 12, 2005)

Do they look like little black beetles with a brown strip in the middle cross-wise? If so, I'm still not sure what they are but I have them too, I think they came in with the last grain purchase :flame: .


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## MelissaW (Jun 18, 2003)

Brahmamama, your bug sounds like a larder beetle. If you ever find a larvae in the cupboard that looks like a spikey brown grain of rice, those are their babies. Theresa, I'm not sure about yours. A wheat weavil is smaller and shorter than a rat dropping. If no one else knows, maybe you could post a picture and we could look it up. I have several ID books here.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

It could be carpet beetles, from your description. They are very small, round, slow, and dark colored. If you have a good magnifying lens or microscope you can see colorations, but often it is difficult with the naked eye. It also could be a variety of other beetles. Carpet beetles are extremely common. They are scavengers and go for a variety of things. If you were to get on you hands and knees with a good flashlight and look in nooks and cranny's you would be likely to find a few in just about everyone's house.

I have seen them eating a stuffed animal trophy, in flour and other spilled food in pantries, living on dead moths accumulated in a wall, in a dead animal carcass. They are not usually very numerous, and having several, if they are carpet beetles is a clue to something else.

They got their name because they like the jute backing that was commonly used for backing on carpets of old.

Look for the larvae. They are larger and hairy. Once you find the larvae you are close to the food source of whatever you have.

The link I found on a quick google didn't show the size, but does have a picture. The beetle is about the size of the dash "-".
http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/blk_carpet_beetle.htm

If this doesn't seem to look like your bug, give me more detail.


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## BaronsMom (May 22, 2005)

Here are photos of common pantry pests including larder beetles...along with management information:

http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/pantrypests304.shtml

You can also find info on pests like dermestid beetles - includes carpet beetles - (which are pests of pantry and fabrics) - their photo is on the link above...but if you are interested in it as it relates to fabric.

http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/fabricpests010.shtml

If you aren't sure what the beetle is, save a few - take them to your local Extension office for identification. Find your local office: http://lancaster.unl.edu/office/locate.shtml

Hope that helps.


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## jzkitten (May 3, 2004)

Thanks gobug. I believe they are carpet beetles. I got a magnifying glass and it looked like the picture. This house (rented) we're in is full of cracks and crevices, nooks and crannies. We've been here almost 1 1/2 years and this is the first I've seen of them. I've not seen any larvae yet, just several dead bugs and a few live ones. FYI, the bedroom is a sleeping loft above the kitchen so the source has to be located along 2 outside walls. I'll look for larvae around there. Thanks again.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

You answered my next question about the proximity of the bedroom to the kitchen and outside walls. 1 1/2 years may not be enough history to guess on other enviromental oddities about your location. Is your pantry along that wall? The problem is that previous tenants may have spilled something that got into some cracks and could provide a food source for these bugs and may not be easily detected by you.

When you say "several", do you mean more or less than 50? Less than a dozen? As I mentioned before, these bugs are very common so a small quantity may not be a clue to another issue. 

If they continue to appear, and you can find the breeding site, cleanup is all that is needed to solve the problem. If you have furs, old stuffed furniture or toys from another country, you might inspect where they are stored. 

Is there a crawl space below the kitchen? A dead rodent could fuel a small outbreak.


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## CraftyDiva (Aug 26, 2003)

Could they be moth larvae? Had a half bag of dog food in the pantry, kept seeing these little brown things crawling around the kitchen. Couldn't figure it out, cleaned like crazy. Well............ opened the bag of dog food and out flew dozens of little brown moths. It was an old bag of food, the dog had died and it had to be there for months, forgotten.They were breeding in the dog food bag, threw that sucker out fast. End of problem.


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## jzkitten (May 3, 2004)

Might be a dead rodent. We've set out bait and only seen 1 since. No usuable crawl space. Cabin was built on those concrete deck blocks (I think that's what they're called). I've seen no more than a dozen at each place. Pantry is an enclosed former porch on the right hand side of where problem is. Haven't seen any there yet. If it's a dead rodent and if we can't find it, what do you do next?


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## dennisjp (Mar 3, 2006)

I need some help that has nothing to do with bugs, except for the fact that it is bugging the dickins out of me because I can't figure out how to start a new thread. I can build a home from the ground up, but this computer is killing my old butt. Any help out there?????????????????? please


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

Crafty
That was a grain moth - not at all uncommon in pet food or even bulk food from the health food store. You did the right thing in throwing it out.

Jz - I suggest you just keep your eye on the problem. The amount you're seeing is enough for watching, but not enough for worry. The problem with the space under the floor or between the inside and outside walls is that it requires demolition to even look for something that might not be there. If you don't have an objectionable odor, and it is a dead rodent, just let it be. 

dennis- go back one step to where you see all of the threads listed. You'll find a button at the top that says "new thread."


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## jzkitten (May 3, 2004)

Thanks gobug, I'll keep a watch on them.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

jzkitten, do you have any wool blankets or clothing near where the beetles were found? One summer I forgot to wash and store my good wool blanket only to find those nasty little buggers had eaten holes in it. I found some adults (about 20) and searched the area until I found the problem.


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## jzkitten (May 3, 2004)

I don't think I have anything wool, unless it's inside a quilt that was given to us for Christmas. If that's it and I wash it will it kill them?


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

Since the item is wool, I wouldn't wash it with hot enough water to kill the bugs. Although most soaps are pesticidal and harsh enough to kill most bugs, carpet beetles are pretty durable. Put it in a heavy duty plastic bag with some moth balls. Seal tightly and reapply fresh mothballs in 6 weeks. The moth balls in an enclosed bag will kill any insects that hatch out of the egg or pupae stages. Since these stages can last longer than 6 weeks, in ideal circumstances, the second treatment should kill everything. You don't have to do this if you don't find damage or insects in the item. Old furniture, and toys from foreign countrys often have natural stuffings, like horse hair, and can be a source. The same for stuffed animals, including fish.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Use a clothes dryer, low heat, half an hour. Even though it doesn't get that hot it does dry things out. Bugs too.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

Clothes dryer probably wouldn't work. Keep in mind this insect can survive long cold winters and hot dry summers. If you can keep the temperature below zero for a couple weeks, that would effect them. I don't have my text book handy or I could tell you how hot and how long it has to be to kill the carpet beetles. They are rugged.


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## Fla Gal (Jul 14, 2003)

dennisjp said:


> I need some help that has nothing to do with bugs, except for the fact that it is bugging the dickins out of me because I can't figure out how to start a new thread. I can build a home from the ground up, but this computer is killing my old butt. Any help out there?????????????????? please


Dennis,

To start a new thread go to the index of any of the forums and under the blue bar near the top of the page, on the left side of the page, is a button that reads "New Thread". Click on that and it takes you to the page you need to start a new thread. That problem shouldn't bug you anymore.  Welcome to the forums.


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