Pink Bugs with Six Legs and Spiky Rear are Scarlet Malachite Beetle Larvae

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“Since we moved in, I’ve been seeing these bugs on walls that look like red worms with a black head”, states this reader in her submission. “Please help me identify the bug if you can, it would mean a lot. We just recently moved into a new house that we completely renovated before that, down to the brick and complete installations. Knocked down most walls and put up new drywall. We hardly have any furniture besides a bed, a sofa and a table with chairs (all new). We don’t even have a kitchen yet.”

She then goes on to say that the bugs “are very small, about half a cm. They have a straight body and don’t fly. They move at medium speed, not too slow but now fast. So far, I’ve seen six in the span of one month, all on walls. At first I thought they came with the new bed because the first one I saw was on the headboard, and the second on the wall of the bedroom. Then I didn’t see them for a while and saw one again on the wall on the first floor of the house, far away from the bedroom. The other three were also on the walls on the first floor. I always see just one, they aren’t together. I can’t find anything online that looks similar to them. They are easy to squish and leave a red mark when squished.”

“We live in continental Europe (temp. has been between -8 and 8°C lately)”, which is between 17.6 and 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit, “and the humidity in the house was high while all the work was being done, but now with the heating it’s been 30%. I am terrified of bugs inside houses and I always do my best to keep things clean, but now I am worried that we already have some sort of an infestation in a new house that we invested a lot of money in. I am also pregnant and very stressed about it! Also, if you know what it is, is it dangerous and should I be this worried?”

Based on the photos, we think the bugs our reader found are scarlet malachite beetle larvae. Their light pink coloration, darker pink markings, and six little legs jutting out from the sides of their bodies indicate this. Both the adult beetles and larvae are completely harmless to humans and pets, so our reader does not need to be worried. Although it is native to the UK, the scarlet malachite beetle has also been found across mainland Europe. These beetles prefer thatch as their habitat, which is the roof made of straw, and that is also where they tend to lay their eggs. We do not know if our reader’s house has a thatch roof, but even so, it is possible that the eggs were laid on the roof and the larvae have started entering the home from there. If these larvae did indeed come from the roof, it may indicate that there is an opening somewhere along the roof for bugs to crawl through, which our reader may want to investigate.

Otherwise, we suggest that she just move every larva she finds outside. They have no reason to purposefully infest her home, as they prefer large, sunny, outdoor spaces. As such, if she keeps moving them outdoors, she will eventually run out of larvae to move. Additionally, we do not recommend squishing them. Not only do we never condone killing organisms, unless they are an immediate and serious threat, but the scarlet malachite beetle is an endangered species, so it is vital that she spares their lives.

To conclude, the small, pink bugs our reader has been finding in her home are scarlet malachite beetle larvae. They are harmless, endangered creatures that need to be protected at all costs. We hope this article helps and we wish our reader the very best.

 

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Summary
Pink Bugs with Six Legs and Spiky Rear are Scarlet Malachite Beetle Larvae
Article Name
Pink Bugs with Six Legs and Spiky Rear are Scarlet Malachite Beetle Larvae
Description
"Since we moved in, I've been seeing these bugs on walls that look like red worms with a black head", states this reader in her submission. "Please help me identify the bug if you can, it would mean a lot. We just recently moved into a new house that we completely renovated before that, down to the brick and complete installations."
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Author: Worm Researcher Anton

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