Is This a Bed Bug ?!?!
October 9, 2016 1:22 PM Subscribe
I was cleaning my apartment this afternoon and I came across this bug. Doing a quick internet search it looks close to a bed bug, but doesn't quite match the pictures I came across.
What type of bug is this?
If it's a bed bug, how do I ensure my apartment stays bed bug free?
Should I just burn down my apartment and call it a day (I've never had bed bugs before)?
Best answer: That doesn't look much like a bedbug to me (I've had them before), agreed that the head to body ratio is way off. Probably some kind of beetle, not sure what from the photo. Where did you find it?
posted by advil at 1:32 PM on October 9, 2016
posted by advil at 1:32 PM on October 9, 2016
Best answer: I know more than I ever wanted to know about bedbugs and that isn't one.
posted by fingersandtoes at 1:34 PM on October 9, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by fingersandtoes at 1:34 PM on October 9, 2016 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: I found it in my dresser while I was taking out my drawers to dust. Bed bugs aren't too common where I am in TX; however, the size and color was enough to make me nervous.
posted by Shirley88 at 1:36 PM on October 9, 2016
posted by Shirley88 at 1:36 PM on October 9, 2016
Ant Queen?
posted by sparklemotion at 1:57 PM on October 9, 2016
posted by sparklemotion at 1:57 PM on October 9, 2016
I didn't think it was a bedbug at first- usually you see rounder bums in bedbug pictures- but then I found this image of a fed female bedbug and it does look pretty similar....
posted by pseudostrabismus at 3:05 PM on October 9, 2016
posted by pseudostrabismus at 3:05 PM on October 9, 2016
Best answer: it's the head and thorax that don't look bedbuggy to me. Can you get a better picture? Did you catch it? If you have non-acetone nail polish remover in the house you can make a quick kill jar by putting some on a cotton ball and putting it in a closed jar with your little suspect.
posted by fingersandtoes at 3:13 PM on October 9, 2016
posted by fingersandtoes at 3:13 PM on October 9, 2016
Best answer: Looks like some sort of grain beetle to me.
posted by hazel79 at 3:17 PM on October 9, 2016
posted by hazel79 at 3:17 PM on October 9, 2016
Response by poster: Unfortunately I don't have any more pics. I panicked and disposed of the bug immediately after taking a few pics.
So if I assume the worst and it's a bed bug like the one pseudostrabismus linked to, what's the best way to prevent any more from appearing? I went through my dresser with a flashlight and magnifying glass and didn't see anymore bugs fwiw.
posted by Shirley88 at 4:34 PM on October 9, 2016
So if I assume the worst and it's a bed bug like the one pseudostrabismus linked to, what's the best way to prevent any more from appearing? I went through my dresser with a flashlight and magnifying glass and didn't see anymore bugs fwiw.
posted by Shirley88 at 4:34 PM on October 9, 2016
Best answer: If you're in NY, you could contact your local Cornell Extension programs and they could guide you to an entomologist/specialist in your area. http://cce.cornell.edu/localoffices
They also have a good guide on what steps to take if you find a bedbug in your home. From personal experience when I had a bedbug scare, it involved a massive amount of laundry in hot water/high heat dryer, sealingclothes in ziploc bags, cleaning. Use a good flashlight and inspect all nooks and crannies in your bedframe, mattresses and boxsprings as well as surrounding furniture and objects (even back of picture frames, I've heard). I also bought bugproof mattress protectors for both mattresses and boxsprings. In my case, it turned out to be a hitchhiker, but I am of the school of better be prepared for the worst and it gave me more peace of mind to know I've done what I could to prevent or nip a budding infestation.
posted by theappleonatree at 4:57 PM on October 9, 2016
They also have a good guide on what steps to take if you find a bedbug in your home. From personal experience when I had a bedbug scare, it involved a massive amount of laundry in hot water/high heat dryer, sealingclothes in ziploc bags, cleaning. Use a good flashlight and inspect all nooks and crannies in your bedframe, mattresses and boxsprings as well as surrounding furniture and objects (even back of picture frames, I've heard). I also bought bugproof mattress protectors for both mattresses and boxsprings. In my case, it turned out to be a hitchhiker, but I am of the school of better be prepared for the worst and it gave me more peace of mind to know I've done what I could to prevent or nip a budding infestation.
posted by theappleonatree at 4:57 PM on October 9, 2016
Best answer: Maybe this thing?
http://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/household/food-fabric/
posted by namret at 5:16 PM on October 9, 2016
http://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/household/food-fabric/
posted by namret at 5:16 PM on October 9, 2016
Best answer: I'd bet money that it's not a bed bug.
posted by kinoeye at 6:54 PM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by kinoeye at 6:54 PM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm glad to see the consensus is Not A Bed Bug. Came to weigh in that the shape just looks an awful lot like some kind of beetle in the family Carabidae, ground beetles. I specialize in Bugs (Hemiptera), and that just isn't a bug-shaped body, or bug-like legs, at all.
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 2:10 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 2:10 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zokni at 1:26 PM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]