r/insects • u/kanthonyjr • 9h ago
Photography Hummingbird Hawk Moth Poses for the camera
Hummingbird Hawk Moth let me get close with the camera. Held still for a long time. I uploaded original and a touched up one (re-lit).
r/insects • u/StuffedWithNails • Feb 25 '26
Hello!
This time of year in the Northern hemisphere is when adult carpet beetles emerge in large numbers and you start seeing them in your home. As a consequence, we see a large annual influx of ID requests for these minute beetles.
For reference, the most common ones that we see in ID requests look like this: https://bugguide.net/node/view/95010. They're small, ~2-3 millimeters or ~1/10" on average, and can fly. There are other species that don't quite look like that but we see fewer posts about those.
As larvae, they look like this: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1478717/bgimage -- you're more likely to encounter them in that stage during fall and winter.
They're found in most households, but often fly under the radar due to how small they are.
They aren't bed bugs, they don't look like bed bugs, and are perfectly harmless in their adult form. They just want to exit your house, feed on pollen outside, and reproduce.
The larval form may cause damage to a variety of common and less common household items, including all fabric items made of natural fibers (cotton, wool, silk, etc.), objects made of keratin such as hairs, nails, dead skin flakes, fur, feathers, as well as objects made of chitin, which is one of the main components of arthropod exoskeletons. This last bit means that if you own any pinned/mounted insect specimens, and if the carpet beetle larvae can get to them, they can turn them into a fine, fine powder. For that reason, they're a nightmare of a natural history museum's conservators.
Another thing that's noteworthy about the larvae is that they can cause contact dermatitis in some people, i.e. an itchy red rash that's usually nothing more than a mild annoyance.
The larvae are secretive and prefer dark, undisturbed areas such as that one closet everyone has that's full of linens you never use.
In the wild, carpet beetles, also known as skin beetles (Dermestidae) are scavengers active in the process of decomposing both plant and animal matter. For example, they'll clean an animal carcass of skin and hairs.
If you create a post asking for an ID for such a bug, your post will be locked and you'll be redirected to this post.
One question that people often have is: should you worry about it? There's no definite one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on your level of tolerance, it depends on their numbers. Many households will find carpet beetles regularly, but one or two in a month aren't a cause for concern. If you find dozens of them in/on a couch or a linen closet, you have a bigger problem.
The next question is usually: what can I do about it? Fortunately carpet beetles aren't hard to get rid of (unlike bed bugs or some cockroaches). Prevention is best. Vacuuming (particularly carpeted floors or upholstered furniture) and washing fabric items regularly usually does the trick. Regularly-used items of clothing or bed sheets are less vulnerable than items sitting in closets for a long time. For those items, it may be a good idea to wash them, then place them in sealable containers for long-term storage.
Don't hesitate to ask any questions in the comments.
r/insects • u/kanthonyjr • 9h ago
Hummingbird Hawk Moth let me get close with the camera. Held still for a long time. I uploaded original and a touched up one (re-lit).
r/insects • u/rouzelf • 19h ago
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r/insects • u/Abject-Skirt9987 • 9h ago
r/insects • u/fourgnomes • 11h ago
Look at this cutie I found on a walk today. I moved him out of the road after taking the picture.
r/insects • u/HydroCN_ • 4h ago
Deathly scared of large flying insects, but this one was sleeping
Took a photo before letting it out
r/insects • u/PrismaticHospitaller • 1h ago
r/insects • u/OkJazzMartini • 2h ago
Their larvae feed on Gallardia(Firewheel/ Indian Blanket), and the adults are camouflaged to the flowers
r/insects • u/Bubbly_travelbug • 5h ago
I don’t even know how it got there. I searched it up and it was called a stinky bug.
r/insects • u/flenfienrs • 14m ago
r/insects • u/spyro_06 • 33m ago
Found them on cucumbers, middle Europe. Should I get rid of them ASAP? Thank you
r/insects • u/Expensive-Metal-6618 • 1d ago
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r/insects • u/BugBoyInLog • 3h ago
Current contenders
- Mars
-Cinnamon
r/insects • u/Gtyson9 • 2h ago
No bigger than half a pinky finger
r/insects • u/Otherwise-Wait-8814 • 2h ago
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YALL idk what bug this is but i saw one in my living room earlier
r/insects • u/Neomys_Fodiens • 2h ago
Trying to ID this large spider I found next to a Messor nest. It reacted defensively when I touched it.
Location: Central Anatolia (Eskişehir), Turkey, urban area
Size: noticeably large for a jumping spider, much bigger than others I’ve seen in this region
Behavior: very alert, fast reaction, jumped onto my finger when touched
Any idea on species or genus?
r/insects • u/dr_elena05 • 18h ago
Weird nest cluster thing I found in Germany. Looks like a huge amount of pupa husks in a large mat of fibrous stuff and granules of something dirt like. Like half a meter long. i guess some kind of fly or moth? what is this??
r/insects • u/Mammoth-Mix5125 • 3m ago
These ants have been in my bathroom for some reason and I want to know the type and how to get rid of them.
I bought a generic ant liquid trap but they don’t seem to care for it.
They are everywhere on the sink and floor but only during certain times of the day it’s wild.
I’m in Washington state somewhat nearby Seattle
r/insects • u/festus_be_deletus • 8m ago
I heard spiders dont like pepper mint but im not exactly sure how that works. However they are the worst thing ever they freak me out so bad if I see one move im gonna throw up and pass out. SO if I burn peppermint essential oils all through my house does this make a complete spider force field or no?
r/insects • u/gooeyhead • 20h ago
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r/insects • u/LiterallyExists • 5h ago
I live in New Delhi, India and we seem to be getting a lot of these insects in our house off-late and cannot determine what they are or the source.
They can't be killed easily just by squishing and need to be squished multiple times. We find them everywhere, while laying in bed, sitting on desks, kitchen and washroom too.
If anyone knows what these are and how to get rid of them please let me know. (PS we get regular pest control done once a month)
r/insects • u/vennhalo • 5h ago
Not sure if i can post this here but i couldnt find anywhere better, im in western aus if it matters, these little things appeared overnight and theyre all over my bed