Question
QUESTION: Jack,

I live in Lagos (Nigeria) and have a growing insect problem. I see small black insects crawling on the walls of my living room and bedrooms. They are about 1mm long. They have antennae and six legs. I caught some in a transparent jar where they seem to hop or jump a lot (although I never saw them hoping on the wall). Please can you classify the type of insect and what can be done to get rid of them. Also I have small seed like bumps on my body? are these bits from these bugs or another?

ANSWER: Haresh,

Your description fits many different insects but one that commonly occurs in homes is the dermestid beetle, or carpet beetle. Carpet beetles don't bite so they are not the cause of your skin problem. Here's an article about carpet beetles http://www.livingwithbugs.com/carpet_beetle.html with pictures for comparison. There are several species of carpet beetles so your's may look slightly different. The page cited above also has information about getting rid of these critters.

Jack DeAngelis
http://www.livingwithbugs.com



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QUESTION: Jack,

I don't think they are carpet beatles. Althoug very small i don't think they bear much resemblance to pictures i saw on the internet. These bugs have wings - although they are unable to fly (they jump 3 to 4 cm). There antenna are as long as there longest pair of legs. Is there any other information that may aid you in identifying them? Thank you.

Haresh

ANSWER: Haresh,

I have to apologize, I completely missed the part of your question about how these critters jump or hop. Of course dermestid beetles don't move this way. In fact the insect that jumps and otherwise fits this description, except for wings, is a springtail or collembola. Are you certain they have wings? Here's an article about springtails http://www.livingwithbugs.com/springtails.html with a picture for comparison. Post a follow if this does not seem to fit either.

Jack DeAngelis



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QUESTION: Jack,

I am afraid spring tails do not fit either. I am sure about the wings - if I blow gently on the insect as it sits on the wall I can see its transparent wings raised - other wise they are difficult to see. The body seems to be divided into two segments.

Haresh

Answer
Another possibility would be drain flies or fungus gnats. Both insects are tiny, dark flies. Fungus gnats develop in damp, highly organic soils so can often be a nuisance around house plants and indoor plantscapes. Drain flies develop in the "gunk" that forms in household drains over time. Here's an article about fungus gnats http://www.livingwithbugs.com/fungus_gnat.html with a drawing and here's an article about drain flies http://www.livingwithbugs.com/drain_fly.html with a photo for comparison. Neither of these has transparent wings however. Your best bet may be to take them somewhere local such as the Zoology Department at the University of Lagos where they can be examined under a microscope.

Jack DeAngelis