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So I found this bug crawling around near my kitchen sink. There were two others, but not any sort of swarm. I think they're some sort of insect larva, as they don't have a bunch of legs like a millipede or woodlouse, but I have no idea what kind. There also seem to be several shed shells nearby, if that helps.

As for location this is in the upper Midwest.

Here's the top of the thing, with screwdriver for scale

Top of bug

And here's the underside.

Bottom of bug

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marked as duplicate by theforestecologist♦, WYSIWYG Feb 5 at 14:12

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  • $\begingroup$ It looks a lot like a Dermestidae larva. But hard to tell which one based on the picture. Maybe Anthrenus (common in habitations). $\endgroup$ – Kjian Jan 31 at 10:10
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That is a larva of a dermestid beetle (Family, Dermestidae). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermestidae Dermestid beetle larvae feed on dried material, and are the last insects to clean up a carcass. They are the bane of insect collectors, as they will eat a collection right off the pins. They leave nothing but dust and their shed skins behind.

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  • $\begingroup$ Those do look quite a lot like it. Perhaps they were after the bread crumbs near the toaster, as I found a couple more shells under it. (They certainly do shed a lot.) How concerned should I be about these? $\endgroup$ – eyeballfrog Feb 1 at 1:08
  • $\begingroup$ Unless you have a precious insect collection, I would not worry too much. They really are specialists on dried materials, and don't generally go after food in my experience. $\endgroup$ – Karl Kjer Feb 1 at 3:30

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