Hey, Newt, any beetle knowledge?

HaphazardJoy · 03-31-2009, 08:12 PM

Somewhere along the way, probably from a used book I suppose, I picked up some guests in my room. I first noticed when I saw a few holes bored into a paperback novel, then by a few of the larvae hiding underneath my little waste bin under my desk. Every spring they seem to make another appearance, a couple of little larvae, a full grown beetle here and there, and all despite my efforts to clean throughly and exterminate them. I'm in the middle of moving so I have been moving everything around and not finding any, but I did find several more books with holes in them (mostly older books, they obviously don't care for the nicer treated papers). Now I just discovered one of my friends in full grown form, but I can't figure out what it is.

They're small black beetles with a thick brown stripe across their backs, with tiny black dots through the middle of the stripes, and their antennae are small and in a football goalpost kind of formation, each jutting directly out from the side of the head and then forward at a ninety-degree angle.

Oh, and to animal friendly folks, even though I'd feel just in doing so since these bastards ate my books, I didn't kill these things aside from the bug bomb attempts. Where I've found then, I simply tossed them in a garbage bag and sent them to the dump to live free. That's not guts, that's water from the bottle I caught it in.

Phatman · 03-31-2009, 08:31 PM

Newt knows nothing about beetles. He couldn't even identify this one for me:

Newt · 03-31-2009, 08:59 PM

It is a Larder Beetle, Dermestes lardarius, also known as the Bacon Beetle. They aren't known to feed on paper. I assume the larvae are burrowing into your books to pupate. They feed on raw and cured hides; check your shoes, book covers, and leather jackets!

A close cousin, D. maculatus, feeds on dry carcasses. It is used by forensics experts to estimate time of death, and by museum curators to clean skeletal material.

Lord Fejj · 04-01-2009, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newt

A close cousin, D. maculatus, feeds on dry carcasses. It is used by forensics experts to estimate time of death, and by museum curators to clean skeletal material.

God I love this man!

Wait...not in gay way...um...no really...

DemolitionSamurai · 04-01-2009, 02:22 AM

Tonight I was doing laundry and I was pulling some clothes out of the washer to throw into a dryer. When I got near the bottom I noticed a giant spider which had crawled into my laundry since I took my sweet time switching it over. I have some pretty crippling arachnophobia (my wife kills spiders for me

) and so I thought about going upstairs to find something to pick my remaining clothes out of the washer. But I couldn't think of anything so I apologized to the spider and covered him with more clothes needing washing. What kind of spider lives in Maine and dies in a washing machine so I can know if my life was in peril or not?

HaphazardJoy · 04-01-2009, 03:24 AM

A beetle that loves bacon... my kind of beetle!

Well, all the books with holes that I noticed I opened them up, and indeed, found a few larva husks in them occasionally. At least that sets my mind at ease that they probably aren't living IN the books I just moved to a new location, and considering where I found this fellow, I betcha they're more hiding in the walls that is open to the attic and plumbing spaces. I'll have to bomb again once I'm moved out and this time open up the doorways to the crawl spaces.

You are the man Newt.

Knuckles · 04-01-2009, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DemolitionSamurai

Tonight I was doing laundry and I was pulling some clothes out of the washer to throw into a dryer. When I got near the bottom I noticed a giant spider which had crawled into my laundry since I took my sweet time switching it over. I have some pretty crippling arachnophobia (my wife kills spiders for me

) and so I thought about going upstairs to find something to pick my remaining clothes out of the washer. But I couldn't think of anything so I apologized to the spider and covered him with more clothes needing washing. What kind of spider lives in Maine and dies in a washing machine so I can know if my life was in peril or not?

I believe there are only two spider in the US that can kill us and that would be the fiddleback and the black widow. So if it was brown with a darker violin shape on its back (hence the name) or black with a red hourglass shape, you would have been fine. All spiders will bite us, but the above two will kill you.

dano · 04-01-2009, 08:59 AM

heh! Did that beetle pee?!

DemolitionSamurai · 04-01-2009, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knuckles

All spiders will bite us, but [...] will kill you.

All I needed to know.

dano · 04-01-2009, 11:52 AM

which ones burrow under your skin and lay eggs? Is it the same ones that crawl into your ear canal at night?

MattWaterman · 04-01-2009, 12:05 PM

The Bot Fly!!!!!!

Newt · 04-01-2009, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DemolitionSamurai

Tonight I was doing laundry and I was pulling some clothes out of the washer to throw into a dryer. When I got near the bottom I noticed a giant spider which had crawled into my laundry since I took my sweet time switching it over. I have some pretty crippling arachnophobia (my wife kills spiders for me

) and so I thought about going upstairs to find something to pick my remaining clothes out of the washer. But I couldn't think of anything so I apologized to the spider and covered him with more clothes needing washing. What kind of spider lives in Maine and dies in a washing machine so I can know if my life was in peril or not?

No deadly spiders occur in Maine. It's just too fucking cold and rustic for them.

DemolitionSamurai · 04-01-2009, 12:33 PM

Yeah, I was being facetious. But I still sent that little bastard through the wash because man, I hate those guys!

MattWaterman · 04-01-2009, 12:35 PM

Don't you now have spider guts all over you, obstensibly, "clean" clothes though...?

DemolitionSamurai · 04-01-2009, 12:37 PM

No one ever said justice was clean.

03-31-2009, 08:12 PM	#1
HaphazardJoy BANGARANG! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Worcester, Massachusetts Posts: 5,878	Hey, Newt, any beetle knowledge? Somewhere along the way, probably from a used book I suppose, I picked up some guests in my room. I first noticed when I saw a few holes bored into a paperback novel, then by a few of the larvae hiding underneath my little waste bin under my desk. Every spring they seem to make another appearance, a couple of little larvae, a full grown beetle here and there, and all despite my efforts to clean throughly and exterminate them. I'm in the middle of moving so I have been moving everything around and not finding any, but I did find several more books with holes in them (mostly older books, they obviously don't care for the nicer treated papers). Now I just discovered one of my friends in full grown form, but I can't figure out what it is. They're small black beetles with a thick brown stripe across their backs, with tiny black dots through the middle of the stripes, and their antennae are small and in a football goalpost kind of formation, each jutting directly out from the side of the head and then forward at a ninety-degree angle. Oh, and to animal friendly folks, even though I'd feel just in doing so since these bastards ate my books, I didn't kill these things aside from the bug bomb attempts. Where I've found then, I simply tossed them in a garbage bag and sent them to the dump to live free. That's not guts, that's water from the bottle I caught it in.

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03-31-2009, 08:31 PM	#2
Phatman Midi-chlorians are a lie! Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 4,443	Newt knows nothing about beetles. He couldn't even identify this one for me:

03-31-2009, 08:59 PM	#3
Newt Common cold fusion Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: On the mighty Cumberland Posts: 5,136	It is a Larder Beetle, Dermestes lardarius, also known as the Bacon Beetle. They aren't known to feed on paper. I assume the larvae are burrowing into your books to pupate. They feed on raw and cured hides; check your shoes, book covers, and leather jackets! A close cousin, D. maculatus, feeds on dry carcasses. It is used by forensics experts to estimate time of death, and by museum curators to clean skeletal material.

04-01-2009, 02:22 AM	#5
DemolitionSamurai Can derail any thread Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Portland, ME Posts: 1,932	Tonight I was doing laundry and I was pulling some clothes out of the washer to throw into a dryer. When I got near the bottom I noticed a giant spider which had crawled into my laundry since I took my sweet time switching it over. I have some pretty crippling arachnophobia (my wife kills spiders for me ) and so I thought about going upstairs to find something to pick my remaining clothes out of the washer. But I couldn't think of anything so I apologized to the spider and covered him with more clothes needing washing. What kind of spider lives in Maine and dies in a washing machine so I can know if my life was in peril or not?

04-01-2009, 03:24 AM	#6
HaphazardJoy BANGARANG! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Worcester, Massachusetts Posts: 5,878	A beetle that loves bacon... my kind of beetle! Well, all the books with holes that I noticed I opened them up, and indeed, found a few larva husks in them occasionally. At least that sets my mind at ease that they probably aren't living IN the books I just moved to a new location, and considering where I found this fellow, I betcha they're more hiding in the walls that is open to the attic and plumbing spaces. I'll have to bomb again once I'm moved out and this time open up the doorways to the crawl spaces. You are the man Newt.

04-01-2009, 08:59 AM	#8
dano . Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Penna Posts: 923	heh! Did that beetle pee?!

04-01-2009, 11:52 AM	#10
dano . Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Penna Posts: 923	which ones burrow under your skin and lay eggs? Is it the same ones that crawl into your ear canal at night?

04-01-2009, 12:05 PM	#11
MattWaterman Has always adored Chad K. Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: up my ass Posts: 4,911	The Bot Fly!!!!!!

04-01-2009, 12:33 PM	#13
DemolitionSamurai Can derail any thread Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Portland, ME Posts: 1,932	Yeah, I was being facetious. But I still sent that little bastard through the wash because man, I hate those guys!

04-01-2009, 12:35 PM	#14
MattWaterman Has always adored Chad K. Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: up my ass Posts: 4,911	Don't you now have spider guts all over you, obstensibly, "clean" clothes though...?

04-01-2009, 12:37 PM	#15
DemolitionSamurai Can derail any thread Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Portland, ME Posts: 1,932	No one ever said justice was clean.