this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2024
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What is this thing?

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I found these tiny little bugs on my kitchen counter. I thought they were breadcrumbs until I saw them moving. The photos not that great because they're really small.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Doesn't seem to have legs or a head, so I'm guessing it's a larval stage of a gnat or similar (aka "maggot"). Bonus protein in your bread, I suppose?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've seen these and they are not ants and I don't believe they're larvae.

They are not ants because their body shape and legs shape don't conform to typical ant morphology, and also they don't behave like ants. They resemble miniature termites and behave more like silverfish or cockroaches, although they are clearly neither of those.

They are not larvae because they do have legs and move (relatively ) quite fast. I've never seen other insects of a similar size and shape which could be the adult form nearby. I've no idea what kind of bug they are though, I'll be following this post in case someone has an answer.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Ya it sounds like what you're describing, and there's lots of them in certain groupings, many of them dead it seems, but they looked like dust or a bunch of breadcrumbs at first (they're around my toaster, so breadcrumbs made sense).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I'm going to guess ants. Some are incredibly small.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I have this too and wondering! Maybe springtails or mites?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I keep cleaning up but there's more each morning it seems

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

My best guess after a google search is psocids mites, AKA booklice. They're the last bug in the linked article.