Tiny bugs, smaller than ants, in my bathroom: what are they?

[Anonymous]

Much smaller than the littlest form of ants - DD noticed them. They behave like ants, walking at the edge of my bathtub in a single file, and going aground in the corner of the door plinth. No wings. What on earth are they?

[Anonymous]

Baby spiders

[Anonymous]

OP here. I don't think so, their bodies aren't round, plus they congregate like ants, except their bodies are not split, as far as my eye can strain to see them. They really are minuscule.

I'm wondering if they eat wood, like termites. That's my concern.

[Anonymous]

Book lice. Don't worry, they aren't really lice. They are these tiny teardrop shaped bugs that like to eat mold and mildew so you'll find them in your bathroom and around your windows when it has been wet a lot. They won't bother you or your food (like ants do) but if you don't like them, you can just wipe down the bathroom and window sills with a diluted bleach solution or antibacterial product and they'll go away.

[Anonymous]

NP, I have them in my master bathroom. They’ve appeared in a corner of the bathroom every summer since we bought 4yrs ago. No amount of wiping down with cleaners etc. gets rid of them. They seem to be coming from the wals//floor. They also get into the tub and sink. Gross and annoying, but not sure how to get rid of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Book lice. Don't worry, they aren't really lice. They are these tiny teardrop shaped bugs that like to eat mold and mildew so you'll find them in your bathroom and around your windows when it has been wet a lot. They won't bother you or your food (like ants do) but if you don't like them, you can just wipe down the bathroom and window sills with a diluted bleach solution or antibacterial product and they'll go away.

If you google images of booklice they only show greatly enlarged photos. They are actually very small and like to hang out in bathrooms or anywhere it is very damp.

[Anonymous]

https://www.americanpest.net/blog/post/how-to-get-rid-of-booklice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Book lice. Don't worry, they aren't really lice. They are these tiny teardrop shaped bugs that like to eat mold and mildew so you'll find them in your bathroom and around your windows when it has been wet a lot. They won't bother you or your food (like ants do) but if you don't like them, you can just wipe down the bathroom and window sills with a diluted bleach solution or antibacterial product and they'll go away.

OP here. Thank you, PP. I hope they're what you say!

I dug out my Container Store de-humidifiers that I had forgotten I had, and placed one in that bathroom. I also squished as many as I could and will wipe down surfaces tomorrow after the kids have gone to school.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for posting. I’ve been going nuts trying to figure out what they are since there have been a lot that showed up after all this rain. Bathroom tile, windows, outside door stoop. They also fly or jump around a bit as I notice them getting out of the way when cleaning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Book lice. Don't worry, they aren't really lice. They are these tiny teardrop shaped bugs that like to eat mold and mildew so you'll find them in your bathroom and around your windows when it has been wet a lot. They won't bother you or your food (like ants do) but if you don't like them, you can just wipe down the bathroom and window sills with a diluted bleach solution or antibacterial product and they'll go away.

Thank you. I see these occasionally in bathrooms and thought they were an ant.

[Anonymous]

they like it moist.

[Anonymous]

I literally just googled this because I have them too. Mine seem to be springtails.

[Anonymous]

NP here. I'm renting a townhouse and just discovered some extremely tiny bugs on the mantle over the fireplace. I thought I was seeing discoloration on the paint until I got up really close and they moved. They're so small that I can't think of any item comparable in size to compare them to. I put a dime next to them in order to take a picture. A few crawled onto it. At least three or four of them fit on the "I" in "Liberty" written on the dime. I imagine that a thousand of them could easily fit on the surface of the dime without overlapping. Based on my google research, they're not springtails, booklice, fleas, or bedbugs. I sprayed some Raid on a paper towel and essentially wiped them off and into a trash can.

The next day, they were back. I can't figure out where they're coming from as they don't move in straight lines like ants. They're not on the walls and there are no visible holes near the fireplace. They're just sitting on the forward edge of the mantle.

[Anonymous]

They're studying you, waiting for the right moment.

[Anonymous]

Aphids