99% of people have seen this little bug, but can't name it.

Our traditional art of "Bowu" is to answer various questions raised by netizens on the Internet. Among these questions, what do you think is the most frequently asked category?

It's bugs. To be more specific, it's the bugs that appear in our homes. What are these familiar looking but unnamed bugs that live with us? Are they poisonous or harmful to humans?

We have sorted out the questions from netizens and are ready to give you an inventory. Today we will talk about the first part - the most common insects in the bathroom of each household. These insects like warm and humid environments, so the bathroom is a good choice. (Don't run! There are no cockroaches)

01

Some mosquitoes don't bite people

When it comes to bugs in the bathroom, the most annoying one is definitely the mosquito.

The mosquitoes we are talking about belong to the Culicidae family in the suborder Longicornis of the order Diptera. The larvae are called mosquito larvae (jié jué), and there are many of them in small ditches in summer.

Mosquito larvae

Image from: wiki

I guess everyone has (forced) observed the mosquito's mouthparts (mosquito mouth). It is a piercing and sucking type. The mouthparts that look like straws contain 6 stylets. In addition, the mosquito's upper jaws have small serrations, which are mainly used to pierce your flesh...

Is it starting to itch?

Image credit: Lizzie Harper

There are nearly 400 species of mosquitoes, but blood-sucking mosquitoes (female) are actually a minority. The three most common types are Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex. Among them, Aedes is the flower mosquito that bites people fiercely, and the most common ones are Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti.

Different mosquitoes have different resting postures - Culex and Aedes stay parallel to the surface, while Anopheles raises its belly at an angle of 30-40 degrees to the surface. Next time it bites you, remember to observe it first, then slap it hard to death.

Anopheles (left), Culex pipiens (right)

Image source: onlinesciencenotes.com

Anopheles, Culex, Aedes Most have stripes on their wings Most do not have stripes All have no stripes Color Most are gray Most are yellow-brown with black spots Activity time Nighttime Daytime

Some people say they have seen a super-large mosquito. Let's see if it is the one below:

Crane mosquitoes are mating, please do not disturb them

This is not a mutated flower mosquito, it belongs to the family Tipulidae, and is very large. However, its mouthparts are degenerate, so it will not suck your blood. The only bad thing about this thing is that it is too noisy. When it flies, it feels like there is a small plane above your head...

02

Small flying insects, furry

The next type of small insect, I dare say everyone has seen it, sometimes after washing your face, you look up in the mirror and you can see one or two of them lying on the mirror. But because we don't know its full name, we always affectionately call it "little flying insect".

You must have seen the little flying insect.

In fact, this kind of small flying insect is called "moth midge".

Although the word "moth" is in its name, moth midges have nothing to do with moths. Instead, they are relatives of mosquitoes. They belong to the family Ceratidae under the suborder Longicornis of the order Diptera. The most common ones are the white-spotted moth midges and the star-spotted moth midges.

The star-spotted moth midge looks so unique!

Midges live in dark and damp corners, and sometimes even damp cups can be their homes. So...if I drink one, I won't get sick, right?

Don't worry, this little bug is basically harmless to humans, and it won't parasitize in the human body. If it appears in the cup, it means you should clean the cup, my friend.

However... another subfamily under the family Phlebotomidae, the subfamily Phlebotominae (some also advocate that it should be an independent family Phlebotomidae) is not so gentle. They are basically blood suckers and can spread a variety of diseases.

Fortunately, hygiene conditions have improved and it is difficult to see this bug at home unless you sleep in a bushi every day.

Sandflies

Image from: www.dpd.cdc.gov

03

Rove beetles aren't that scary

I guess everyone has heard of the rove beetle, because there are so many rumors about it in the world, and every one of them is telling you: Don't get close to this thing, it's dangerous, dangerous, dangerous!

So are rove beetles really that dangerous?

In fact, the statements such as "the skin will ulcerate if touched" and "killing the rove beetle will be fatal" are a bit exaggerated. I want to clarify it today!

Found it on the Internet

First of all, not all rove beetles are poisonous, only a few are poisonous - there are more than 6,000 species of rove beetles in China, and only about one-tenth of them are poisonous.

The rove beetle belongs to the order Coleoptera, which is also known as the beetle family. However, it does not look like a beetle at all, because its elytra are very small, while the hind wings are very large and folded under the small elytra, which is also the origin of its name. Image from: www.zin.ru

So how do you tell if the rove beetle that appears in your home is poisonous?

There are more than 50 genera and 800 species of this kind of insects, and they all look different, but if you see one that is black and red, you can basically assume it is poisonous. Of course, it is not absolute, after all, there are too many species, but if you see a red one, stay away from it.

Run

Image source see watermark

As for the saying on the Internet that "the skin will be poisoned if it comes into contact with the rove beetle", I must explain that it is not that weird. The surface of the poisonous rove beetle is non-toxic, and only its body fluids contain toxins. If you slap it to death, and it happens to be poisonous, then its body fluids will flow onto the skin and cause symptoms.

A small amount of contact with the toxic fluid of rove beetles can cause dermatitis, redness and swelling of the skin, and a burning sensation. If a large area is exposed, severe blisters and scars may occur. However, you can rest assured that this amount of toxicity is not fatal and it is not arsenic.

So if a rove beetle lands on your skin, don't panic, just blow it away and wash it off. If you do experience any symptoms after contact, go to the hospital immediately.

04

Fire clamp, protect the cub

Not only are there pests that spread diseases in our homes, but there are also corresponding predators!

For example, the one I’m going to talk about below is called earwig (qú sōu), and we call it fire clamp here. It likes to hide in dark corners, and sometimes you can see it by turning over the basin.

Earwig, today's pictures are all blank at first glance, which makes me feel empty

Image from: wiki

Earwigs look very similar to rove beetles, but they belong to the order Dermaptera. The biggest difference between the two is that earwigs have tail clips (large clips on their tails) that can quickly catch prey. The male tail clips are larger and more prominent. So you are so big that you are not its prey... Earwigs are harmless to humans. They usually eat some plants and can help people catch other pests.

The hind wings of an earwig are much larger than its front wings, and are usually folded inside the front wings like a fan. The solar panels on some satellites now use this structure.

Earwig's hind wings spread out

Image credit: Gil wizen

Female earwigs are very protective of their calves. After laying eggs, they will look at their eggs like a hen sitting on a nest, and even raise the hatched nymphs. This is quite rare in the insect world. You can't judge an insect by its appearance. The big black insect also has a tender side. (I won't post the picture because I'm afraid you will report me)

There are many types of earwigs, and the shapes of the tail clips are also unique. The ones we usually see are fat earwigs and ball earwigs.

The name of this earwig reveals its body shape. The front half of the body of this type of earwig is thinner, and it becomes wider towards the tail. The tail is relatively short and thick, which does make it look a bit bloated.

Fat caterpillar

Image from: marylandbiodiversity.com

What about the ball caterpillar? Is it fat like a ball?

This is not the case. The body of the ball catfish is very uniform, and is basically the same width from head to tail. In addition, the tail of the ball catfish varies greatly, and most of them are very wide and have a large curvature.

Ball

Image from: bugguide.net

It is difficult for us to change the humid environment of the bathroom, but after understanding the habits of these guys, we can try to reduce the living places suitable for them at home. Keep it clean at ordinary times, clean up stagnant water and garbage in time, and open windows for ventilation frequently, so that these insects are difficult to breed.

As for how you want to deal with these insects next time you see them at home, it’s up to you. After all, not all of them are pests.

That’s all about common insects in the bathroom. Why didn’t I talk about cockroaches and ants? I’ve put them in other places in the house. Stay tuned! Ha!

Written by | Xiao Yang

WeChat Editor | Happy

Source | Museum