Little Brown Bugs - Ask Extension
Hello,
I recently noticed these little brown bugs in my home. They are never in a group-I only see one at a time. They are slow moving, have wings bu...
Knowledgebase
Little Brown Bugs #605309
Asked November 03, 2019, 8:06 PM EST
Hello,
I recently noticed these little brown bugs in my home. They are never in a group-I only see one at a time. They are slow moving, have wings but haven’t seen them fly (even when I pick them up), look like they might belong to the beetle family. I have pictures but they are so small it’s hard to get a good picture with them in focus. I also found a picture online that looks like them but did not identify the bugs. They are a solid brown with no other color markings. Thank you.
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
These are beetles. From the current photo quality, I can't identify the species
Where in the home did you find the beetles?
There are 3 possibilities.
1) If you found these beetles in carpet and also see a fuzzy larvae, it may be carpet beetles. (https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/carpet_beetles).
2) If you found these beetles near stored food, they could be drug store beetles (https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/drugstore-beetle)
3) It is also possible that it is beetle species that normally lives outside and made its way indoors due to the cooler weather.
If you have the specimen and want a positive identification, I advise calling the Oakland County extension office<personal data hidden>) to see if you can bring in the insect for identification. I manage the diagnostic lab in Macomb County in Clinton Twp and could also identify it in person if you call ahead<personal data hidden>).
Where in the home did you find the beetles?
There are 3 possibilities.
1) If you found these beetles in carpet and also see a fuzzy larvae, it may be carpet beetles. (https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/carpet_beetles).
2) If you found these beetles near stored food, they could be drug store beetles (https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/drugstore-beetle)
3) It is also possible that it is beetle species that normally lives outside and made its way indoors due to the cooler weather.
If you have the specimen and want a positive identification, I advise calling the Oakland County extension office<personal data hidden>) to see if you can bring in the insect for identification. I manage the diagnostic lab in Macomb County in Clinton Twp and could also identify it in person if you call ahead<personal data hidden>).
