# What might these bugs in my house be?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-these-bugs-in-my-house-be/542779>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 11, 2010, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-these-bugs-in-my-house-be/542779 "2010-06-11T09:51:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-these-bugs-in-my-house-be/542779/1 "2010-06-11T09:51:51Z")

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I’m being invaded by a bunch of very tiny bugs. I first noticed them the other night crawling on the bathroom linoleum. They’re teeny - maybe 1/16" at the biggest, most smaller, so I can’t get a good look at them or photograph them. I tried catching one on some scotch tape, and it just went smoosh. They’re grey, oblong, very fast, and don’t seem to have any wings. If I can see them on the linoleum, I’m a little nervous about how many thousands must be in the carpet. It’s not a lot, but any ideas? Never seen them before.

Maybe newborn silverfish? 😕

Yeah, I know it’s not much to go on, but I’m used to things like ant invasions where the solution is obvious. This one has me flummoxed.

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**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-these-bugs-in-my-house-be/542779/2 "2010-06-11T15:32:24Z")

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Springtails? There was an article in the local paper the other day [http://themonitor.com/articles/home-39433-invader-sneeze.html](http://themonitor.com/articles/home-39433-invader-sneeze.html)  
Here’s more info on the little buggers----[http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/aimg1.html](http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/aimg1.html)

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**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-these-bugs-in-my-house-be/542779/3 "2010-06-11T16:08:24Z")

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Do you have a pet? Fleas?

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**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-these-bugs-in-my-house-be/542779/4 "2010-06-11T17:31:51Z")

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> [@Baracus](#):
>
> Do you have a pet? Fleas?

No pets. Fleas were the first thing I thought of, but these little guys don’t jump. They sprint in a straight line for a few inches and are really quick. Don’t think they’re springtails either for that reason.

ETA: Location-wise, I’m in California’s central valley.