We just got a photo from a reader with the following description, “it seems to be microscopic, eats wood like a termite, and the needle nose a the from is some type of saw. It presents itself in the shower/laundry/kitchen areas, and at first I thought it was mold. It is very irritating to the skin and hair. Please identify this.”

As you can see, the photo is very interesting and only captures the silhouette of the specimen against a circular light background. The creature is rectangular, with a string-like appendage coming off of either end. It appears to have fuzzy legs, but it is difficult to be sure due to the silhouette. We also do not know the color, and although she said it is microscopic, we aren’t clear on the size.

Going off the description and the fact that the creature in question eats wood, we believe this is a ‘woodboring beetle’. This general term describes many families and species of beetles whose larval and adult forms eat and destroy wood.

Unfortunately, we cannot determine what species of beetle our reader might have found. The photo doesn’t provide enough evidence to deduce the beetle’s appearance. If our reader has the opportunity to take another photo that encompasses some identifying features of the critter, we encourage her to send it in.

In summary, a reader sent us in a photograph of a specimen she found. The picture is a bit confusing, but we think this could be a species of woodboring beetle

Summary

Article Name

Microscopic Creature Could be a Woodboring Beetle

Description

We just got a photo from a reader with the following description, “it seems to be microscopic, eats wood like a termite, and the needle nose a the from is some type of saw. It presents itself in the shower/laundry/kitchen areas, and at first I thought it was mold. It is very irritating to the skin and hair. Please identify this.”

Author

Dori Franklin