Question

Bathroom Bug   Dear Jack:

I have been having trouble with this insect seasonally for a few years in my Tampa Bay area.  I will return back from the north in the Fall, I will find them in the bathroom and in dark places like behind the couch.  I will suck them up with my vacuum and they are gone for the rest of year.  I will see them every once in a while after.  I have seen two two seperate bug guys and they couldn't indentify them.

The picture will help a lot, I think.  What you can't tell is that it has a black "tongue" that it appear to pull itself with.

Thank  you for your service and i look forward to your respone.

Daneil

Answer
Daniel,

This is called a plaster bagworm and it is a type of clothes moth. The "black tongue" is the caterpillar that lives inside the sac. The caterpillar eventually pupates into a small moth. See http://www.livingwithbugs.com/clothes_moth.html for a related species. Plaster bagworms are very common in the southeastern US because they need warm, semi-tropical climate. They can damage fabric but also feed on spider webs.

Jack DeAngelis