“My daughter and I both have had a bunch of itchy bumps on our legs and I’ve had a couple on my arms that made me afraid they were bed bugs”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the black bug with a long tail pictured below. “I’ve been digging around nightly but haven’t found any signs of them. Then tonight I saw this tiny thing – maybe the size of two poppy seeds. I have a video too if it’s helpful. We are in New York City. Thanks so much!” To begin with, we want to thank our reader for the photo, which shows us a lot of identifying information about the creature, particularly this tail-like appendage on its rear. The coloration, shape, and this tail tells us that this is likely a carpet beetle larva.

Like bed bugs, carpet beetle larvae will often infest beds, but also other areas of the home, because unlike bed bugs, carpet beetle larvae do not bite people. Instead, they munch on the organic fibers in textile materials. Such materials include wool, silk, cotton, and leather. But they will also eat feathers and loose hair/fur. The items they tend to be found on/under/beneath include beds, wardrobes/closets/dressers (anywhere that clothing is stored), upholstery, carpets and rugs, and even in kitchens and bathrooms. Now, while carpet beetle larvae do not bite people, they do have bristles (which is what the ‘tail’ in the photo is) which secrete a toxin that many people are allergic to. It can cause what is commonly referred to as a ‘carpet beetle rash’, which is often itchy. This might be what our reader is experiencing. However, we cannot claim that this is the case, as this borders on being a medical situation, and only a medical professional can identify the cause of a rash.

What we recommend our reader do is vacuum her entire home, thoroughly. She might want to do this a couple of times a week over the next two weeks. On top of that, she should launder any of the items that were near where the larvae were found, at the highest temperature they can withstand. While cleaning, she will also want to check the rest of her home for more larvae, and employ the same cleaning methods in those areas. To prevent future infestations, we recommend sealing sizable cracks in walls and floors, mending/replacing torn window screens, and storing unused textile items in airtight containers. Now, if she is still worried about her and her daughter’s health, we recommend consulting a medical professional, which she might want to do either way to get treatment for her itchy bumps. Especially if she notices that, when and if the creatures do crawl on her arms again, they are actually biting her. In that case, they are not carpet beetle larvae, and she might want to consult a medical parasitologist: a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating ailments caused by organisms. To find one, our reader can do one or more of the following:

– Visit our parasite care resources page here: https://www.allaboutworms.com/get-medical-attention-and-tests-for-parasites

– Search for a medical parasitologist in New York City using this directory of medical parasitology consultants: https://www.astmh.org/for-astmh-members/clinical-consultants-directory.

– Search for a local parasitologist by doing a Google search for “medical parasitologist New York City” or “tropical medicine specialist New York City”.

To conclude, we think that our reader likely found carpet beetle larvae in her home. The bugs she found look exactly like them, and their presence can cause rashes to form. Unfortunately, we cannot say these are the cause of the rashes, as only a medical professional would be able to make that claim, so our reader will want to get this checked by a medical professional. We hope this helps, and we wish our reader and her daughter the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Black Bugs the Size of "Poppy Seeds" Could be Carpet Beetle Larvae

Description

"My daughter and I both have had a bunch of itchy bumps on our legs and I've had a couple on my arms that made me afraid they were bed bugs", writes this reader in her submission regarding the black bug with a long tail pictured below. "I’ve been digging around nightly but haven’t found any signs of them. Then tonight I saw this tiny thing - maybe the size of two poppy seeds. I have a video too if it’s helpful. We are in New York City. Thanks so much!" To begin with, we want to thank our reader for the photo, which shows us a lot of identifying information about the creature, particularly this tail-like appendage on its rear. The coloration, shape, and this tail tells us that this is likely a carpet beetle larva.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton