# Help me ID and kill this bug **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117 "2007-05-22T19:24:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/1 "2007-05-22T19:24:48Z")
Here is the situation. My bathroom has been invaded by bugs that I do not recognize. I know that they are not ants, cockroaches, or ladybugs. I don’t really know other bugs (because I failed 7th grade insect collecting/identification which was the only F I ever received and totally traumatized me because I was convinced it would ruin my life and I’d never get into medical school etc…but that’s another story). Anyway, these bugs are dark gray, comma-shaped, about 4-8mm long, sluglike and live behind the tile in my bathroom. They don’t seem to mind the light. I only see one or two at a time. If you try to catch them they scurry back through the cracks in the tile. If you squish them, they leave a gray smear. Anybody know what they are? More important, anybody know how to kill them? ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/2 "2007-05-22T19:26:34Z")
[QUOTE=psychobunny] Here is the situation. My bathroom has been invaded by bugs that I do not recognize. I know that they are not ants, cockroaches, or ladybugs. I don’t really know other bugs (because I failed 7th grade insect collecting/identification which was the only F I ever received and totally traumatized me because I was convinced it would ruin my life and I’d never get into medical school etc…but that’s another story). Anyway, these bugs are dark gray, comma-shaped, about 4-8mm long, sluglike and live behind the tile in my bathroom. They don’t seem to mind the light. I only see one or two at a time. If you try to catch them they scurry back through the cracks in the tile. If you squish them, they leave a gray smear. Anybody know what they are? More important, anybody know how to kill them? [/QUOTE] Silverfish? ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/3 "2007-05-22T19:39:48Z")
Boy would a picture really come in handy right about now. Are they insects (segmented bodies, antennae, hard outsides) or slugs (ummm, soft and sluggy)? Try the [Bug Guide](http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/4 "2007-05-22T19:41:57Z")
Sounds like silverfish or firebrats ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/5 "2007-05-22T19:45:23Z")
[QUOTE=psychobunny] Anyway, these bugs are dark gray, comma-shaped, about 4-8mm long, sluglike and live behind the tile in my bathroom. They don’t seem to mind the light. I only see one or two at a time. If you try to catch them they scurry back through the cracks in the tile. If you squish them, they leave a gray smear. Anybody know what they are? More important, anybody know how to kill them? [/QUOTE] I think I still need more details, or perhaps a picture. Do they have visible antennae? Filaments at the back end? Visible wings? I assume from your term “sluglike” that their legs are relatively inconspicuous. Do they run or jump? **DudleyGarrett** ’s suggestion of silverfish is a reasonable one. There are a number of different species of silverfish, as well as similar-appearing relatives such as jumping bristletails. Try [this link](http://www.whatsthatbug.com/silver.html) and see if any of the images look right to you. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/6 "2007-05-22T21:13:55Z")
When I say sluglike, I mean no visible exoskeleton. No visible antennae, no visible legs. Just a soft, squishy dark gray comma. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/7 "2007-05-22T21:29:39Z")
[QUOTE=psychobunny] When I say sluglike, I mean no visible exoskeleton. No visible antennae, no visible legs. Just a soft, squishy dark gray comma. [/QUOTE] …but they have significant speed? And their definately in the bathroom…? I know this isn’t funny, but my best guess is either Steve McQueen’s Blob or the aliens in [‘Slither’](http://www.filmsy.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/Slither1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/8 "2007-05-22T21:33:16Z")
[QUOTE=psychobunny] When I say sluglike, I mean no visible exoskeleton. No visible antennae, no visible legs. Just a soft, squishy dark gray comma. [/QUOTE] So they’re worm-like? Skinny? Do they curl up when you touch them? Sorta making a circle? I see a few of those in my basement, usually around the drain. I just pick them up with a tissue and flush them. I refuse to believe that there’s a colony of them hiding somewhere. ::shudder:: ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/9 "2007-05-22T21:41:13Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] So they’re worm-like? Skinny? Do they curl up when you touch them? Sorta making a circle? I see a few of those in my basement, usually around the drain. I just pick them up with a tissue and flush them. I refuse to believe that there’s a colony of them hiding somewhere. ::shudder:: [/QUOTE] I call those ‘pill bugs’ and I almost thought that’s what she meant…but they do have an exoskeleton and it has very clear segmented plates. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/10 "2007-05-22T21:41:06Z")
That bug is Howard J. Smeatherston, and you may send next-of-kin notification (I assume that’s why you want its ID) to its family at: 486 Third Tile In, Second One Up, Your Bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/11 "2007-05-22T23:36:27Z")
[QUOTE=psychobunny] When I say sluglike, I mean no visible exoskeleton. No visible antennae, no visible legs. Just a soft, squishy dark gray comma. [/QUOTE] Do they move quickly? From your description, I wonder if they’re larvae of some sort. You could be describing any number of fly maggots, beetle grubs, or sawfly larvae. For instance, they might be fungus gnat maggots feeding on organic material under your tile. Does the image posted with question #251 on [this site](http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/Questions/pest_photos_201.htm) look like your critter? ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/12 "2007-05-23T00:28:27Z")
By “gray smear,” do you mean something gooey? If so, I don’t know what the bugs are. But if you mean something more like gray dust, then I definitely think they’re silverfish. I get them in my bathroom, too. Look a little closer, though - they have antennae, I’m pretty sure. ---
**Author:** ![ForumBot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/13 "2007-05-23T01:45:28Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] So they’re worm-like? Skinny? Do they curl up when you touch them? Sorta making a circle? [/QUOTE] Rolly-pollys? I used to play with those when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/14 "2007-05-23T02:10:31Z")
You could also check [What’s that Bug?](http://www.whatsthatbug.com/) It’s a great insect identification site (which I learned about here on the SDMB). Have we definitively concluded that they are not some form of [silverfish?](http://www.whatsthatbug.com/silver.html) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/15 "2007-05-23T02:37:16Z")
Another vote for silverfish… ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/16 "2007-05-23T02:39:30Z")
The zoombie goo slug? ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/17 "2007-05-23T06:19:11Z")
I don’t know what they are but I believe I’ve seen the same thing in my bathroom a couple of times. I would describe them as teardrop shaped, with the larger end being the head. There are no feelers or protuberances at all, which rules out silverfish, but they do seem to have feathery scales like silverfish, which do leave a smear if squished. The ones I’ve seen are only an eighth of an inch or so long. The body is very flexible, curving as the bug turns. What legs they have are short and not visible from above, yet they are pretty quick on their feet. Not cockroach quick but quick nonetheless. Their shape and the way they curve as they turn always makes me think of some kind of creature in a Sci-Fi movie. Usually nothing good happens when those kinds of creatures show up. Let’s hope these bugs don’t watch Sci-Fi and get ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/18 "2007-05-23T06:33:29Z")
Too late to edit my post (again) but I should have added that if they are segmented, it’s not visible to the naked eye. I’m checking out the What’s That Bug site but so far no luck. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/19 "2007-05-23T06:40:37Z")
[QUOTE=psychobunny] If you squish them, they leave a gray smear. Anybody know what they are? More important, anybody know how to kill them? [/QUOTE] You mean squishing them into a gray smear doesn’t kill them??? :eek: RUN AWAY! ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117/20 "2007-05-23T07:38:10Z")
**Psychobunny** , I hesitate to invade your privacy, but do you think you could narrow down your location at least to a general region of the world? Because I plan to avoid the continent where those bugs are living. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-and-kill-this-bug/405117.md?page=2)