# Another "Insect ID, please, and hopefully no bedbugs" question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-insect-id-please-and-hopefully-no-bedbugs-question/971586>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 14, 2022, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-insect-id-please-and-hopefully-no-bedbugs-question/971586 "2022-09-14T21:28:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-insect-id-please-and-hopefully-no-bedbugs-question/971586/1 "2022-09-14T21:28:45Z")

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I often wake up with itchy red spots on my body these days, and am consequently developing a paranoia that there might be a bedbug infestation. I’ve searched my bedroom, and found, among other things, something that looks like a larva of some insect. I took photos of it against a scratched reflective background; unfortunately, the photos are not very focussed, but I hope they’re good enough to give some indication (JPEGs hosted on private webspace):

[![](http://andreaswitte.com/images/Larven/1.jpg) ](http://andreaswitte.com/images/Larven/1.jpg)

[![](http://andreaswitte.com/images/Larven/2.jpg) ](http://andreaswitte.com/images/Larven/2.jpg)

I also collected, in a transparent plasic bag, a few things which, to my layman’s eye, appear to be skin sheddings, and took a picture of that which is, I think, of much better quality:

[![](http://andreaswitte.com/images/Larven/3.jpg) ](http://andreaswitte.com/images/Larven/3.jpg)

My entomological knowledge is mostly limited to what I read, and the pictures I saw, on umpteen self-help websites, but to me this looks more like carpet beetles than bedbugs. What would knowledgeable dopers say?

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-insect-id-please-and-hopefully-no-bedbugs-question/971586/2 "2022-09-14T21:30:12Z")

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Dermestids.  
(Larder beetles. Annoying, but they only eat staples, not people.)

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**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-insect-id-please-and-hopefully-no-bedbugs-question/971586/3 "2022-09-15T07:13:17Z")

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Thank you!

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-insect-id-please-and-hopefully-no-bedbugs-question/971586/4 "2022-09-15T14:38:50Z")

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> [@beowulff](#):
>
> (Larder beetles. Annoying, but they only eat staples, not people.)

Some of them will also eat paper clips.