# What kind of bug is this?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/536950
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 22, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/536950 "2010-04-22T01:49:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/536950/1 "2010-04-22T01:49:38Z")
I found a gaggle of [these](http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab4/504w157thG/DSC00399.jpg) [tiny](http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab4/504w157thG/DSC00398.jpg) [fellas](http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab4/504w157thG/DSC00400.jpg) in our bathroom. My cat kicked a bit of poo out of his litterbox while we were at the store and when I went to clean it up they were all huddled around the misplaced poo like they were making a game plan. I have on occasion seen a single one on a wall or in the tub but I’ve never seen them in such big numbers before. I caught one in a ziploc and took pictures in hopes that someone here could tell me what it is and whether or not we should nuke the bathroom from orbit.
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### Author:  [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/536950/2 "2010-04-22T02:19:39Z")
[Spider Beetle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_beetle)
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### Author:  [@arachnologus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arachnologus)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2010, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/536950/3 "2010-04-22T06:50:54Z")
Yes, Stan Doubt has nailed it. You have spider beetles. But since the Wiki article doesn’t really tell you everything you want to know, I thought I’d add a bit.
Most spider beetles found indoors are stored product pests. The Hump Spider Beetle (I swear I didn’t make that name up), which yours resembles, eats stored grains and many other animal and vegetable products, also decaying refuse and animal droppings. It can infest rubber, wool, and leather. It has been found in houses, hotels, warehouses, mills, granaries, bakeries, and latrines. Some authors refer to it as the Bathroom Beetle because of its prevalence in bathrooms.
Although they will eat such a variety of substances, apparently it’s not common for them to cause massive destruction. It would seem that use of sticky traps can help control them, plus seeking out and eliminating any infested packaged human or pet foods. The scientific name of the hump (or bathroom) spider beetle is _Gibbium psylloides_.[Here’s an image.](http://aramel.free.fr/Gibbium-psylloides-6.jpg)
Several other species of spider beetles are household pests occasionally. Most have similar food habits. Spider beetles are not directly harmful to you or your pets.
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### Author:  [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/536950/4 "2010-04-22T13:37:28Z")
> [@arachnologus](#):
>
> Several other species of spider beetles are household pests occasionally. Most have similar food habits. Spider beetles are not directly harmful to you or your pets.
Thanks! I am glad to hear that they aren’t harmful bugs. I’d been doing research and I thought they might be spider beetles but I didn’t want to assume that and then find out later that they are a super poisonous Bolivian Feces Spider that is going to kill everything in the apartment. It is good to know that they are more annoying than harmful.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/536950/5 "2010-04-22T13:48:22Z")
_What kind of bug is this?
An empty shell
A lonely carapace in which
fused ganglia must dwell_
☹
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### Author:  [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bug-is-this/536950/6 "2010-04-23T03:28:03Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> _What kind of bug is this?
> An empty shell
> A lonely carapace in which
> fused ganglia must dwell_
>
> ☹
That’s awesome. Did you make it up, or is it a parody of something?