Weird Insects in my flat..

Okay, I'm literally shuddering in disgust.

I live in a clean studio flat in Edinburgh with a separate kitchen. I haven't noticed any insects before except the odd beastie (2 or 3 times in the last 6 months) in a cupboard.

On Sunday afternoon, a friend and I had pizza hut and we left the box in the kitchen - we ended up staying out at another friends. On Monday evening, we came back and unfortunately found that upstairs washing machine had broken and left a pool of water in our kitchen floor. I lifted up the soggy pizza hut box (which had been on the floor next to the empty bin) and found about 4 very odd looking insects under it. They wriggled like maggots but were smaller and skinnier and could also walk. They were black/brown with white bellies. They had weird 'spines' (like a pineapple) and curled up when caught. They were about 3/4 inch long.

I didn't see any more after cleaning that out but later that day I decided to look at the corners of the room and found a family of about 6 of the things between the skirting board and the carpet.

I found one in the kitchen cupboard. That's all. I thought they might be silverfish, but silverfish don't have that weird pine cone spiny thing going on.

I'm so freaked out!!! Any one know what they are? Thanks.

pic please :biggrin:

woodlouse?

Ew, they sound awful. A pic would help, but I'd suggest you really clean and try and get rid of them!

Reply 4

ياسمين

.pushing.charlotte.

woodlouse?

They are quite similar except these things are somehow 'softer', they're much more narrow and they don't have that 'armour' that woodlouse have. They have spikes all over their body except from their white bellies.

They are horrible, I'll take a pic if I see another one which hopefully I won't.

Does anyone know what kind of insect spray tackles this type of thing?

Reply 5

ياسمين

Ew actually it might be larvae. Caterpillar are larvae and they have spikes. I bet a fly came when it smelled that soggy pizza hut and laid it's eggs all over the joint.

Reply 6

Antitype Chi

Hide beetle (Dermestes maculatus) larva.

I had them in my old flat. The larva are attracted to foodstuffs/crumbs on the floor and pupate underneath furniture and carpets....they're bloody difficult to get rid of. I tried to wage war on them but gave up eventually (I had pet gerbils and it would probably have damaged their health to spray insecticide everywhere).

goodluck!

Reply 7

ياسمين

Antitype Chi

Omg this is what they are. Thanks for the help! I'm worried about them being hard to get rid of though. I have no pets so I'm just going to attack them with whatever I can.

Reply 8

Sprockette

Omg, I'm living in Edinburgh and have noticed those things in the last week :frown:

I've been looking for online for something to kill them but can't see anything yet. I'm so stressed about them, really freaked out!? I washed the kitchen + bathroom floors with bleach 2 nights ago and they seem to be less now, I've just seen 1 today so it lasted 2 days! I saw something on using borac (so?) acid on carpets but there seems to be debate on the safety of it, esp with pets, children, and somewhere mentioned it may lighten carpet colour/bleach it so maybe not. Hope you find a solution, I know the feeling, they're disgusting and make my skin crawl :frown:

Any idea on where they come from? Somewhere said it might be caused by a damp environment, I first saw them in the bathroom so I thought maybe, but now they're all over the house. Another said (which seems more likely as they seem to come up from the floor) that it could be an investation from a flat underneath or the floorboards. I'm just going to be a clean freak from now on, hoovering and washing the carpet every few days and using looooooads of bleach!