Some insects can only be identified by the damage or stings that they leave behind. The table below should help you in separating out the possible culprits.
| Insect Characteristics | Possible Suspects |
|---|---|
| Damage to Fabric |
Clothes Moth Carpet Beetles |
| Damage to Wood |
Flatheaded Borers Roundheaded Borers Powderpost Beetle Old House Borer Termites |
| Bite or Sting |
Honey Bee Yellowjacket Baldfaced Hornet Paper Wasp Sweat Bee Mosquito Flea Velvet Ant Stinging Caterpillars: Buck Moth Caterpillar, Hackberry Leaf Slug, Hagmoth, Hickory Horned Devil, Io Moth, Saddleback Caterpillar. |
| Found on Stored Food |
Carpet Beetle Cigarette Beetle Drugstore Beetle Sawtoothed Grain Beetle Mealworm Larder Beetle American Cockroach Brown Banded Cockroach German Cockroach Oriental Cockroach Indianmeal Moth Booklice |
Revised 2/5/99
If you have questions or comments about this page, or notice errors,
please contact my office at:
Insect Identification Lab
Department of Entomology
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0319
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