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October 5, 2009
Unusual Bug Infestation
After having nearly any bug problems in the many, many years I've been in my home...new tenants who JUST moved in on the top floor alerted me last night to an infestation they seemed to have in their bedroom (top floor, rear window where there IS a good deal of ivy hanging).
I've never seen anything like this...brownish/black insects about 1/2 - 3/4 long with legs and wings. They seem to be coming in droves. They appear to me to be more of an "outdoor" bug...maybe in the beetle family, but I really don't know.
Our plan is to cut back the ivy today, but I wonder if anyone has had a similar problem, might know what this bug is, and most importantly....can anyone recommend a good exterminator???!!!
Many thanks.
Comments
Might be powder post beetles or related species-
Find that they try to come into our place around this time every year-
Posted by: Park Place at October 5, 2009 11:39 AM
those are termites, they come out in droves once a year or every two years. They are the young and they fly off to start new colonies. The Ivy has nothing to do with it. You need a termite exterminator asap.
Posted by: Minard Lafever at October 5, 2009 12:06 PM
Well, thank you....but, they look nothing like termites. They are coming in the window in one room that overlooks the garden and had a good deal of ivy around the window. I DO think they are in the beetle family. There was an air conditioner in that window which we have now removed and replaced the screen.
Is there an exterminator that anyone might be able to recommend?
Thank you.
Posted by: JudithH at October 5, 2009 12:24 PM
why don't they look like termintes? are they fatter like beetles? Beetles usually don't have legs. Winged and legged insects coming in droves sound to me like early-stage termites. I had a similar experience, they were coming out of the wood window frames. Hundreds of them. All at the same time. It was creepy. Maybe you have some other swarming insect. Good luck! Try to capture some in a bottle in case they disappear by the time the exterminator appears.
Posted by: Minard Lafever at October 5, 2009 12:33 PM
uh termites arent 3/4 of an inch long.. are they? i found a crusted up brown bug in a clean bag of laundry i just recently did. i screamed! it must have gotten in my clothes from the communal washing machine. does anyone know of a good way to fumigate washers and dryers before putting your clothes in them!?
*rob*
Posted by: Butterfly at October 5, 2009 12:36 PM
Here is a picture of swarming termites vs flying ants. Termites usually swarm in the spring.
http://www.duratechpestcontrol.com/images/termitevsant.jpg
Posted by: SenatorStreet at October 5, 2009 12:42 PM
Wood boring beetles- (powder post beetles and false powder post)- look like termite-ish beetles. They have wings and legs and long bodies-
they also eat old house wood just like termites, and they are active this time of year.
Posted by: Park Place at October 5, 2009 12:43 PM
Can you take a picture?
Beetles do have legs - 6, they're insects.
They have compound wings - a protective layer over more delicate flying pairs.
Posted by: Arkady at October 5, 2009 12:50 PM
Thanks for the photo... neither a termite or a swarming ant. It does have six legs and wings (though they don't seem to be flying)and, yes, they are fatter than a termine. And, since they are coming in ONLY from that one window where the AC was, I'm suspecting there was some sort of nest.
I do have some saved to show an exterminator.
The powder post and false powder post beetle sounds like a good lead.
Posted by: JudithH at October 5, 2009 12:56 PM
I know EXACTLY what you are talking about - I have the same ones and I was thinking about posting about it too. They look prehistoric, like horse shoe crabs, and are brown with loud wings, like moths. We don't have ivy, but I am pretty sure that they are slipping under a loose screen to get inside the house. I'm the sole tenant in an owner occupied brpwnstone...do I need to let the owner know? They're ugly but seem harmless.
I'm sure they aren't termites.
Posted by: I came I saw I rented at October 5, 2009 1:03 PM
I am a landlord. After years of using an exterminator who was reliable and moderately priced but ineffective, I have recently switched to a new guy who has provided phenomenal and totally effective service in two of my buildings which had roaches and a few mice. His name is Justice. He and his partner Walter are licensed and extremely knowledgeable. Their treatments have been highly effective. His mobile number is 347 423 1231. Please tell him Lauren suggested you call.
Posted by: billtubbyhouse at October 5, 2009 1:04 PM
I've done some beetle research and here are my thoughts. It is most likely - based on pictures - a deathwatch beetle, a leadcable borer beetle or a foreign grain beetle. The last one is totally harmless, peaks population in August and Sept, and almost completely dies out in October. THis is the one that most resembles my bugs, except that they only grow to about 1/12 of an inch. Too small. The first 2 kinds are infestations and do require an exterminator. These seem plausible too, although the ones I see are very squarish, not rectangular the way they appear in the pictures. Anyway, I'm going to bag the next one I see and get to the bottom of it.
Posted by: I came I saw I rented at October 5, 2009 1:16 PM
I'm so itchy now.
Posted by: townhouser at October 5, 2009 5:39 PM
Just a few words of clarification on insects;
-beetles always have legs, except in their larval stages, during which they look like short worms with big heads.They don't move very fast and die/dehydrate in open air if exposed as larvae.
-fully grown beetles have a hard, chitinous exoskeleton which protects two pairs of wings beneath.
-termites are insects too but are distinguished from beetles in that they do not have a hard shell covering.
They only have wings during the few days of the year in the spring when the colony sends off the specially bred winged offspring to colonize elsewhere. The rest of the year they are wingless and live in the soil, feeding on wood from your house.
-termites are not clearly segmented into head, thoroax and abdomen as are ants who can also have wings so that's how you can tell them apart.
-termites can be distinguished from beetles by their lack of the hard shell, size: termites are quite small (at least in New York) speed of movement as beetles can move fast on their six legs while termites are slow.
hope this clarifies things a bit
Posted by: Legion at October 5, 2009 9:06 PM
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