'Tis the Season, for Bugs That Is
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Because they are sometimes found among books, pseudoscorpions are also known as "book scorpions."
With every season, different insects appear, and occasionally we see those that might inspire a comment like "What in tarnation is this devil bug?!" When that happens, there's an app for that. However, the curious individual in Blaine County can always take insects to the Extension Office to have them identified.
That was the word last week from Julianne Snedigar, MSU Blaine County Ag, Natural Resources, and 4-H Extension Agent. After a Chinook resident encountered a pseudoscorpion-a tiny arachnid with large pincers-Snedigar quickly identified it.
So small they usually go unnoticed, pseudoscorpions are related to scorpions, mites, ticks, and spiders. One major difference between the groups is their size. Pseudoscorpions typically measure fewer than 5 mm long, which is approximately 3/16 of an inch. They also spend most of their lives in places where they will be difficult to see.
According to Donald Lewis, an entomologist with Iowa State University Extension, the natural habitats of pseudoscorpions include under leaf litter and mulch, in moss, under stones, and beneath tree bark. They have been reported in bird nests and between siding boards of buildings, as well. Because they are sometimes found among books, they are also known as "book scorpions."
Pseudoscorpions get noticed when they accidentally invade homes and wander into sight. Then, they attract attention because of the large pincers (called pedipalps) on the front of their bodies, causing their resemblance to true scorpions. Unlike scorpions, pseudoscorpions are not harmful and have no sting on the end of their flat, oval abdomens.
"They may be an annoying nuisance during the spring and summer as an occasional 'accidental invader,' but they're actually beneficial," Lewis reports.
"Pseudoscorpions are predacious. They feed on other arthropods, particularly small insects and mites. When capturing their prey, the pseudoscorpions use a poisonous gland inside the pincer-like claws to inject poison to subdue the prey. They also inject digestive fluids into the prey and later absorb the digested contents, a form of external digestion."
In the absence of a resourceful Extension Agent like Snedigar or Lewis, Google has a mobile phone application (app) that identifies insects. According to the Google Play Store, the Picture Insect Bug Identifier App enables subscribers to use the camera feature on their devices to explore "the marvelous world of insects in a snap." Described as "a mirror into the insect planet and the only nature id you will need on your mobile phone," Picture Insect has the capability to recognize and classify more than a thousand species of insects with an accuracy rate of 95.28%.
Whether individuals wish to identify an insect found in or outside their homes or campsites, learn the taxonomy of a spider, or discover additional details about a particular butterfly, the Picture Insect app provides resources for getting answers to questions that bug them.
Or a person can always take a picture of the mysterious or offending creature and carry that back for a no-cost assessment. An Extension Agent will identify it for free, and may even share details about habitats, diets, life spans, and its relationship to humans.
Although sometimes appearances can be deceptive, with pseudoscorpions, we have nothing to fear. These small creatures are ecologically beneficial for our homes and gardens. For those with a low tolerance for "creepy crawlers" or "devil bugs," Lewis states: "It would be difficult to prevent all invasions by pseudoscorpions, but sealing gaps, cracks, and other points of entry may help exclude them. A light application of a household residual insecticide such as ant and roach killer can be made as a last resort, if warranted."
