Pest Identification Photos

6744.      Calgary, Alberta. Canada

Number 6744.  The image is not clear enough to be certain, but it might be a booklouse (Psocodea: Liposcelidae). These basically are nuisance pests, feeding primarily on mould spores and bits of decomposing organic matter. They require high humidity in order to thrive. 

6742.      Wondering what kind of bug this is in Marathon Ontario. Canada

Number 6742.  This is a sowbug, a terrestrial crustacean in the order Isopoda; the vast majority of these are harmless scavengers on decomposing organic matter. They breathe through gills that must be kept moist, so keeping your environs as dry as possible will discourage them from staying.

6740.      Can you please confirm, if possible, what type of bug this could be. It is extremely small and we have found about five in different areas of the house. Mississauga, Ontario. Canada

Number 6740.  Possibly a carpet beetle (Coleoptera: Dermestidae), but cannot be certain from this image. Click here for more information including control recommendations

6738.      Found on side of window curtain in house in December. Toronto, Ontario. Canada

Number 6738.  This is a brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Pentatomidae); an introduced species that has become a pest, primarily in orchards, in many areas of North America. They will come indoors in search for shelter, but do no harm there. Click here for more detailed information.

6736.      Since moving into this house 2 months ago, I’ve come across approximately a dozen of these bugs. I’m afraid to know what they are but need to know what we’re dealing with. There’s a constant stinky odour coming from the main floor half-bath however we haven’t found any of these bugs in this half-bath room. I catch them crawling along baseboards and ceiling/wall trims. I’ve been searching the web for a match but didn’t come across any, so far. Thanks in advance for your help. Penetanguishene, Ontario. Canada

Number 6736.  This is a nymph of an eastern boxelder bug, Boisea trivittata (Hemiptera/Heteroptera; Rhopalidae). They feed primarily on the developing seeds of boxelder and related trees, but seldom cause any real harm. They often come indoors in search of shelter, where they can be real nuisances because of their offensive odor and staining qualities if crushed. Click here for additional information.

6734.      I live in London, Ontario, on the top floor of a multiple storey apartment building. I found this spider on my countertop in the kitchen hiding near the teapot this afternoon. I was taken aback but managed to cover it with a small 2-inch high glass dish, 1 1/2 ” inside diameter at the bottom, which was on the top when I took the photo, and is visible. The spider appeared to have a flat, circular body, not plump, when I looked at first. I don’t see many spiders, and not like this. Could it have come in with potatoes from the store? There was freezing rain last night – car windshields needed scraping today. Was this just a pest coming in out of the cold? London, Ontario. Canada

Number 6734.  This is not a spider, but a brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). This is an introduced species that has become a pest, primarily in orchards, in many areas of North America. They will come indoors in search for shelter, but do no harm there. Click here for more detailed information.

6732.      Montreal, Quebec. Canada

Number 6732.  This appears to be a bed bug (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Cimicidae). Click here for a very detailed fact sheet that includes some control recommendations.

6731.      Wonder if these are bedbugs. Took pictures with 10x zoom. Hyderabad, Telangana. India

Number 6731.  This is a springtail, a primitive arthropod in the order Collembola, closely related to true insects. These basically are harmless scavengers on bits of decomposing organic matter, but they can become nuisance pests when they occur indoors in large numbers. They are quite susceptible to desiccation, so keeping indoor humidity levels as low as practical is the best control

6729.      I live in almost the exact centre of B.C. I found this while working inside in my office, from other pictures it seems to me a maritime earwig but those I believe are on the coast, the nearest body of water to me besides the river would be about 10 miles, I have put it in an empty pill bottle, will I have others of this type in the house. I also have other pictures if you need them. Vanderhoof, BC. Canada

Number 6729.  This is indeed an earwig; likely a European earwig, Forficula auricularia. Click here for more detailed information.

6727.      The insect picture is taken with a cell phone through a pocket microscope. The other picture occurred as my child was sitting quietly watching TV and then yelped. Swollen, red. Gone in about 2 hours. But it hurt. I’ve been seeing white flecks for a month, and I’ve been very itchy. I’ve noted them in our hair, treated our crew with Nix, twice. But now they are everywhere and the small white fibrous looking things progress to gelatinous globs, with perhaps 50 sacs stuck together, and all this not being larger than 1.5 MM. I have seen a translucent spider coming out of the walls (max 2mm long). It appears as if these things either jump. When I go to work, I don’t feel a scratch at all. When I return home, half an hour and I’m being bitten by something so small I have not been able to see it, but it has a pretty good pinch (worse than a mosquito, not a wasp). Lots of cobweb development in corners and little nooks. And we vacuum daily, ceiling to floor with a hepa vacuum. Over kill hepa airfilter, over-kill dehumidifier has always been on since we bought this trailer new 4 months ago. When you open the door at night you can see millions of specs of “dust” flying around, and they stick to our vehicles, and have the same gelatinous look as what is in the trailer absolutely everywhere. I seem to be the itchiest, like absolutely driving me crazy. Wife and oldest child less so. And youngest not much at all, with the exception of that bite. I feel as if they are coming through the smallest barely even draft producing cracks. Our neighbor noticed the same thing last week and has left. I’ve sprayed every chemical and fogged and they perhaps seem better for a day, but not long. All bedding and clothing and cupboards have been vacuumed and sprayed. Absolutely crazy. I literally feel as if the organism is entirely throughout the interior of our walls and small amounts seep into the trailer and then they are everywhere. If you scratch your head or cloths over a black nylon material it seems like little flecks of dandruff or lint falls out. But when I look through my microscope they have the same gelatinous and sometimes spiny fibre like appearance. Kelowna, BC. Canada

Number 6727.  The creature in the image appears to be cellar spider (family Pholcidae). These are not known to bite humans. It is quite possible that much of what you are experiencing may not be insect-related, Click here for details.

6725.      The insect found in the rice field fogera, Ethiopia, the larva feed on the leaf of rice. I grow up the larva in the isolated and transparent cage, minimum of 10 days after it put in the cage it makes a cocoon-like structure
then the pupa has appeared and then the adult was seen. Bahir Dar, Amhara region. Ethiopia

Number 6725.  These are caterpillars of a moth in the family Erebidae, tribe Arctiinae; Click here for an example.

6723.      Found two of these bugs mid-November in bedroom closet. Very small, about 2-3mm. Reddish-brown in colour. Worried it is a bed bug. Toronto, ON. Canada

Number 6723.  Thus is a spider beetle (Coleoptera: Anobiidae; subfamily Ptininae). These feed on a wide variety or organic materials and sometimes can become pantry pests. Click here for a fact sheet that includes some control recommendations.

6721.      They are approx. 3-5 mm in size. Have seen a couple that were around 15 mm long. Found in my kitchen and occasionally in the bathroom. Toronto, ON. Canada

Number 6721.  This is a young nymph of a cockroach, most likely a German cockroach Blattella germanica (Blattodea: Ectobiidae), a peridomestic species difficult to bring under complete control. Click here  for some control recommendations.

6719.      Found in my carpeted stairs and then another in my kitchen in the floor. What can it be??? Mom’s rental property is struggling with a roach infestation (damn renters) so is this a larvae she accidentally brought over on her shoes? Also got a package from Korea? Can it from that?? It is winter here. From Edmonton, Canada

Number 6719.  No need to worry. This appears to be a larva of a scarlet malachite beetle, Malachius aeneus (Coleoptera: Melyridae); Click here for an image. They are general predators on other small arthropods.

6717.      HI there. Found around 5 of these little bugs over the past few days. They are found downstairs around our washing machine area and bottom of stairs. Can someone please tell me what type of bug this and how concerned we should be and what we can do to get rid of them. I HATE bugs. Calgary, AB. Canada

Number 6717.  This is another western conifer seed bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Coreidae), a common and widespread nuisance pest. Control is not necessary;  Click here for more detailed information.

6715.      I found it outside, already dead. I had the house spider sprayed. Curious to know what kind it is. Thanks! Hagersville, Ontario. Canada

Number 6715.  This is a wolf spider (family Lycosidae) These are active hunters that do not spin a capture web and sometimes accidentally get indoors while searching for prey. They are not dangerous to humans and should be allowed to go about their business of pest control. When we find them in our house, we escort them outside.

6713.      Hello, In the past year, my SO was waking up to these bites on the hands that were quite swollen and we had no idea what the perpetrator was. Yesterday, she woke up to more bites on the neck area and managed to catch the thing and squashed and killed it. According to her, this is how it looked like before it was squashed:- it was plump and when she squashed it, very dark blood came out of it. These bites are happening at night and we’re not sure what this is because it doesn’t look like the regular bedbug – which is rounded and kind of flat. This one looks more swollen. I’ve attached two photos of it. Many thanks in advance to those who can identify it! Toronto, Ontario. Canada

Number 6713.  This looks like a nymph of a bed bug (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Cimicidae). When engorged with blood, they can appear quite chubby.

6711.      I found this insect, very small and very many of them, at the front ledge of my storage unit in Lindsay. They move very fast and are very tiny. Any help identifying this critter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much, Stacey. Port Hope, ON. Canada

Number 6711.  This is a springtail, a primitive arthropod in the order Collembola closely related to true insects. These are harmless scavengers on decomposing organic matter but can become nuisance pests when they occur in large numbers indoors.

6709.      Found indoors only a couple of times, isolated, 3-4 specimens on bedroom floor, one on bathroom floor. First time observed in September, the last time today (Oct 25). Belgrade. Serbia

Number 6709.  These are larvae of a carpet beetle (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) in the genus Anthrenus. These can be very damaging to organic fabrics (wool, silk, etc.) as well as dry stored food products. Click here for some control advice.

6707.      Princeton, TX. United States

Number 6707.  This is an orb weaving spider (family Araneidae), but I cannot provide a more specific identification from your image. All orb weavers are harmless to humans. Click here for an example.

6705.      Richmond Hill, Ontario. Canada

Number 6705.  This looks like a broad-faced sac spider, Trachelas tranquillus; it is reported to have a painful bite.  Click here for more detailed information.

6703.      Condo apartment. October, 2019. Richmond Hill, Ontario. Canada

Number 6703.  The image is not clear enough for a positive identification. The only insects of that size and general overall appearance that would be of any concern are the saw-toothed and merchant grain beetles in the genus Oryzaephilus (Coleoptera: Silvanidae).  Click here for a fact sheet that includes some control suggestions.

6701.      I live in Delta, BC and find these pests mainly in my bathroom. Occasionally, I find them in my kitchen and laundry room. They vary in size from about 1/4 inch to 1 inch. They are dark in color and move very fast. They have 8 legs, 3 feelers in front and 2 feelers in back. What are they? Are they harmful? How do I get rid of them? Darlene Balcome, Delta, BC

Number 6701.  The image is too blurry to be certain, but these most likely are silverfish or firebrats, primitive insects in the order Zygentoma. These basically are nuisance pests that seldom cause real harm. Click here for a fact sheet that includes some control suggestions. 

6700.    I pulled this off of my leg. Loretto, Ontario. Canada

Number 6700.  This is an engorged female tick; as its overall appearance is consistent with one in the genus Ixodes that includes the deer tick, you should keep alert for any signs/symptoms of Lyme disease. Click here for detailed information on Lyme disease in Ontario.