Photo: Angel-Wendy Ladouceur
Today’s Bug of the Week is a European import that can be found around the world.
And this little critter packs a nasty bite.
Angel-Wendy Ladouceur sent in a picture of the rather odd-looking insect with six legs which appears to be covered in dust.
The crawly in question is a young Masked Hunter.
According to Orkin Canada, nymphs of masked hunters are covered with a sticky substance that collects dust and debris which masks them and makes them difficult to spot, hence the name masked hunter. The adults have short beaks, protruding heads and leathery wings. Typically, adult masked hunters are dark brown or black in colour and can grown to two cm in length.
They eat bed bugs, carpet beetles, and other insects and mites, ambushing their prey, using their unique mouthparts to suck out their victims’ body fluids.
The best places to check for masked hunters are in crawlspaces, under heat registers, in cabinets, and other places where there might be large numbers of insects.
Masked hunters prefer dry locations like barns and sheds. If they make their way into homes, they like to hunt for food in attics, crawl spaces, under heat registers and in cabinets.
But be warned, adult bugs have a bite that is compared to a bee sting.
They are known to be on Canada and the US, but there are also reports they have been spotted as far away as Australia.
Have you come across a mystery bug, or just an unusually icky one? Send us a picture to [email protected], and we’ll try to identify it.
