Entomologists, a question for you

[HeartsOfFire]

So lately I've been noticing a species of 'bug' sprouting up in my bathroom on frequent enough occasion to warrant suspicion.

I hesitate to use the word 'insect' because what I remember from my high school biology classes tells me that what I'm finding is not an insect.

It is a small, brown coloured worm-like larval bug, like a centipede. It is very small in size, shorter than the span of my pinky finger cuticle. It has a flat front, as if the head itself is completely flat, and on its tail end are small straight fibres than fat outward like a v.

Normally I would chalk this up to the occasional insect managing to find its way into a house through some inconsequential or insignificant compromise of the exterior structure... but I live on the 16th floor of an apartment high rise. Bugs and critters of the like should not be appearing in my home when I live that high up.

I always find them in the bathroom, caught in the bath mat. My guess is that they're somehow getting in through the bathroom fan fixture and falling from the ceiling to the floor. As for how often I'm finding them, well... 6 separate times in May is making me wonder if I should be concerned.

[Sr. Mints]

Maybe silverfish? Google images of them.

[drewboy12]

Tenets above you? Unsanitary living conditions you are unaware about. Gross thought, but a possibility.

[vanisleflamesfan]

Sounds like it could be a carpet beetle or possibly a larder beetle larva. Hard to say without seeing it (pictures?). If so, both of those are cause for some limited concern. Not the end of the world, but not something you want in your place.

[Wormius]

Need pics.

I am surprised at the bugs here. I had never seen a cockroach before I moved to Calgary and lived a 5 Harvest in Chinatown. Really dirty building with grungy dumbwaiters.

[Cube Inmate]

Some variety of carpet beetle larva, as mentioned above. Couldn't tell you what species, of course. You'll probably find small black beetle things around from time to time as well -- the adults. I believe they start "growing up" in the spring after spending the winter in Arizona.

I've had 'em. They suck, and I don't know any simple way to get rid of them. I once pulled a light fixture off of a bathroom wall and found the shed shells of larvae in there...so they don't just live in carpets. They're in your walls too (bathroom fan?). The larvae feast on organic matter like your cat's shed fur, or the particles you leave attached to your used shirts that you throw on the floor.

I've always wanted to try putting boric acid powder behind my baseboards, to see if that does something. Haven't had a problem lately though, so this isn't something I've tried.

[Bob]

Could be an Earwig.

I had those in my apartment in White Rock (the whole complex was infested). My experiences was that they came out of the plumbing, because I'd usually find them in the sink or bathtub, but I could never tell exactly where.

Edit: Wait, larva? That doesn't fit. The V-front part does, but not the creepy-crawly bit.

[HeartsOfFire]

I do apologize for not having pictures: I don't own a camera.

I googled the variety of insects suggested and looked at the resulting pictures.

Definitely not a silverfish, or an earwig.

Carpet beetle, on the other hand, nailed it right on the spot.



What I'm finding is the one on the right. I've not yet found an adult, apparently. And I find it weird that an adult would be smaller than the larva.

Again, the specimens I'm finding are tiny. Smaller than the Spanish of my pinky cuticle.

[blankall]

The trick to getting rid of any infestation is getting rid of the food source. If you're finding them in the bathroom, there must be a food source in the bathroom or an adjacent room. Find what these things are eating and get rid of it. From my entomology class I remember these things not only like fabrics (hence their name) but will also attack glues, like those found in old books. Maybe you have a box of old books or clothes these things are coming from.

I find this site pretty good to for tips on specific species:

http://www.getridofthings.com/get-ri...et-beetles.htm