To be paranoid about a bug I’ve seen on my wall?

[TurkishDelight57]

I hate bugs and pests. I loathe them. They give me anxiety. Usually my flat is free of all pests because I’m painstakingly meticulous about cleaning every nook and cranny.

However today I spotted this creature and I have gone into full panic mode. I spotted a different kind of bug in my bathroom yesterday and that’s two bugs in 24 hours. That’s way too many bugs for me.

Please help me- what do you think this is??? Do I need to call a pest control professional? Don’t tell me it’s silverfish. Ugh.

Shuddering at “dead skin” Ewwww

That’s a woolly bear or Capet beetle larvae. They fly in from outside and lay eggs in your carpets or on clothes. You need to clean and dust and spray

I would have said carpet beetle too.
They don't necessarily need carpet. They like materials but more likely you'll find them near bins or under ovens (Food crumbs)

I found a single one in my flat once, it turned out my Grandmother had them and I’d brought one home with me.

Hugs I start to hyperventilate. I know that I’ll spend the rest of the day obsessing over this now until I’ve done a clean myself and sprayed some pest killer. I don’t know WHY this is a trigger for me, but it really is.

I had a huge infestation in a rental accommodation once due to the neighbours being pigs (sorry, but they were), and I ended up having to empty out the flat to get pest control done and had to spend days washing all my clothes and belongings. Needless to say. I don’t fancy going through that again.

My
Cleaner just did all that on Friday and then I did again on Monday I’ll do it again. I didn’t even open the window since yesterday not sure how this disgusting creature came in.

Oh yuck. So it just clung to you? That is .... gross.

Does bleach repel these things? I’m thinking I could spray bleach all round the corners of the flat

You could try an insect killer bomb you can buy at pets at home, (it’s sold for fleas but kills all insects)just to put your mind at rest, it will kill things you didn’t know you had, you will have to go out for a few hours while it works.
This is what I did, found no dead carpet beetles afterwards but I did find dead silver fish in kitchen that I hadn’t noticed before and dead moths in bedroom, I hope this doesn’t make you feel worse, I have the same anxiety around pests.

Yes I agree carpet beetle larvae

Will I need to empty out my closets etc before I use the killer bomb?

For example if there are any inside my closets or cabinets? Does the bomb thingy harm belongings?

I’ve never used a bomb.Lakeland do a carpet beetle spray.

its cute whatever it is.

dont be mean to the bugs they do you no harm, I cant stand dead bugs so all mine are very much alive, if they are too big they just get evicted.

they are self regulating anyway as spiders eat everything including other spiders. I have about 5 resident spiders that I know about.

@TurkishDelight57

Does bleach repel these things? I’m thinking I could spray bleach all round the corners of the flat

bleach is horrible stuff that'll do you harm dont throw horrible chemicals around just because of a bit of nature, learn to accept them they are just getting on with their lives.

It's a carpet beetle larvae. It's completely harmless. Get a grip. You are more likely to poison yourself with insecticides and bleach

This fanatical anti-bug crusade is the reason why we are facing insect collapse which is having a huge environmental impact. Maybe get some therapy and put down the poison. Learn to live with nature instead of fighting it.

@Zwellers

It's a carpet beetle larvae. It's completely harmless. Get a grip. You are more likely to poison yourself with insecticides and bleach

Ah, 'get a grip'. I'm sure the OP will be grateful for your advice. She had probably forgotten that was an option...

It won't hurt you op but it might chew on clothes you leave strewn about.
But I bet you don't do that anyway!

I had a mini clothes moth infestation in the carpet under my wash basket a while back.
I got a grip of it with repetitive vacuuming. As well as replacing my decades old (broken) basket. Moving the new one onto hard flooring. And the most important thing really: getting the teens to stop leaving dirty clothes lying about.
No chemicals needed.
Good luck it's horrible worrying about such things. But they really aren't out to get us. Just our textiles.

I fully appreciate those who are saying that it’s ok to live with a bit of nature and insects aren’t necessarily doing us harm. I agree, and I get it. But somehow that’s not how anxiety works Trust me, I’ve tried- I’m currently on anti anxiety meds and therapy, but it’s a long process. I’ve gotten less hyper about a lot of things, hopefully pests will eventually be one of them
But believe me, I don’t enjoy stressing about these things! If I could just leave it alone, I would and life would be so much happier!

I am definitely worried about these things eating textiles because if they’re on my wall they could get into my closet potentially. I don’t leave clothes strewn about and there are no teenagers in this house so that’s a plus

And I agree with all of you saying stay away from the bleach! In my panic mode, I made the mistake of spraying bleach around the skirting and I’m regretting it.

I’ve ventilated the flat so the smell is gone at least, but I’ve realised belatedly that the bleach might get in through the cracks in the skirting and that could damage the electrical wiring - so now I’ve given myself another thing to worry about. Lovely.

get a pet bug like a ant farm or one of them caterpillar things for kids, or a snail.

VelvetChairGirl- how would that help through?

I don’t think I could do it, my ick factor is too high!

Might be over the top, but I’ve booked pest control, even though I moved everything around and couldn’t see any more bugs, they might be hiding in the cracks etc

Well it’s your money OP, but that seems totally over the top.

@TurkishDelight57

VelvetChairGirl- how would that help through?

I don’t think I could do it, my ick factor is too high!

because it will get you used to bugs.