How to Identify Insects I Keep Finding in My Clothes

Creeping, crawling and flying into your dreams at night, insects can be the center of nightmares for many people. When the bugs invade our homes and set up residence in our possessions, many people are quick to buy up all the pesticides available or resort to calling in the exterminator. Unknowingly, there are some insects that are beneficial to our homes and gardens that many people mistakenly would dispose of without proper identification. Bugs that you find lingering in your clothing can be simple to identify with the right tools and techniques.

Things You'll Need

  • Camera
  • Computer with Internet access, or a local insect identification field guide book
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove garment from the closet or clothes chest carefully so as not to disturb the insect. Place the garment in a well lit environment.

    • 2

      Set camera up to take photographs that get up close and personal with the insect without becoming blurry or obscuring the insect too much that identification cannot be possible.

    • 3

      Snap a couple of pictures of the insect. Make sure to get the bug at every possible angle for the best chance of a correct identification. Take note of any special markings that would set the insect apart from similar-colored bugs.

    • 4

      Dispose of bug how you deem fit. You can release the bug outside if killing seems unnecessary.

    • 5

      Upload your photos to a computer if you used a digital camera, or get the photos developed. Log online and search for a bug identification website such as BugGuide.net, InsectIdentification.org or WhatsThatBug.com, all of which have extensive photograph galleries to search.

    • 6

      Keep the photos of your insect close and refer to them often to keep the appearance of the bug fresh in your mind as you search insect databases. Search databases by the color of the bug and whether it has wings or any other distinctive characteristic or markings.

    • 7

      Submit the photographs of your insect to the appropriate webmasters, especially if you cannot definitively identify the bug. The webmaster can provide answers to your questions if he has knowledge on the bug you found in your clothing.