Insect ID: Found on a Pet or Other Animal (or associated with them) - Home and Garden IPM from Cooperative Extension - University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Insect ID: Found on a Pet or Other Animal (or associated with them; e.g. bedding and feeding areas)

: Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis) (resting on a bathroom wall with its abdomen curved up and out for more effective pheromone dispersal; central Maine; 5/10/2021)

: Pantry Moth / Flour Moth (Plodia interpunctella) (newly-emerged; 4/23/2021)

: Mealworms (larvae and adults) (Found commonly in areas with dry pet food) (Tenebrio molitor, the Yellow Mealworm, is the most common and widely encountered mealworm species in New England and throughout the world.)

Black Flies
Carpet Beetles (including Larder Beetles and their larvae which are often found in or near a pet’s food and water dishes feeding on any tiny crumbs that are left behind)
Chiggers (Family of mites: Trombiculidae) (In the U.S. they are found mostly in hot and humid areas in the Southeast, the South, and the Midwest; they are very rare to absent in far northern areas) (University of Kentucky)
Deer Flies
Firebrats (in warm places where dog or cat food is stored)
Fleas
Horse Flies
House Flies— see also our page for Cluster Flies, because they look so similar.
Larder Beetles and their larvae (Found in or near a pet’s food or food dishes)
Meal Moths (their larvae will infest alfalfa, clover, and stored grains found in the cages of hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc.) (BugGuide.net)
Mealworms (often found in areas with dry dog or cat food)
Pantry Moth / Indian Meal Moth (their larvae often infest bird seed, hamster food, etc.)
Stable Flies (University of Florida)
Non-insect Possibilities:
- Spiders
- Ticks
- Mites:
  - Bird Mites [will bite people in the absence of their bird host(s)] (University of Minnesota Extension) See also: Bird Mites (NC State Univ.)
  - Straw Itch Mites (Can hitch a ride on a pet that has been outdoors) (NC State Univ.) | Straw Itch Mite photo (Bugwood.org – Univ. of Georgia)