Pseudoscorpion is a tiny bug with pincers in the bathroom. The pincers are in the front, and on a casual look, it resembles a scorpion or a tiny spider with pincers.
Pseudoscorpions are harmless. They do not bite humans or pets.
But how do pseudoscorpions get inside your bathroom? And should you be worried about their presence in your home?
Let’s find out more.
What Are Pseudoscorpions?
Pseudoscorpions are arachnids. They belong to the family of spiders, ticks, mites, and scorpions.
So, it’s common that pseudoscorpions can be in your yard or garden. And it’s from there they sneak inside your home.
Pseudoscorpions are active all around the year, except in the winter. These bugs overwinter inside a silken cocoon that they spin around them in the winters.
Pseudoscorpions have pincers in the front. Unlike scorpions, they don’t have a sting tail at their rear.
How To Identify Pseudoscorpions?
A pseudoscorpion has two physical traits that tell you that it isn’t a scorpion. It’s their shape and a missing rear tail.
Shape
Pseudoscorpions have flat, pear-shaped bodies. The shape resembles an overgrown tick than a scorpion.
Pseudoscorpions have eight legs, two pincers in the front, and four eyes. But there are some species of pseudoscorpions in the world that have no eyes.
Color
Pseudoscorpions come in two colors – yellowish-tan and dark brown. The pincers, technically known as pedipalps, are blackish.
These pincers have venom that they inject into their prey to subdue them. Pseudoscorpions also have mouth parts to chew their prey.
They also use these mouthparts to spin a silken cocoon around them to overwinter during the winter months.
Size
The length of pseudoscorpions, excluding the pincers, is from 2mm to 8mm. The female pseudoscorpions are bigger than the males.
Where Do Pseudoscorpions Live – Their Habitat
Pseudoscorpions are outdoor bugs. They live in damp organic debris like foliage underneath soil layers, tree barks and hollows, and stones.
Pseudoscorpion can live for 2-3 years.
How Pseudoscorpions Enter Your Home And Bathroom?
Pseudoscorpions have a strange way of entering homes. They latch onto the backs of flying bugs like carpet beetles, flies, and moths to feed on the parasites living on their bodies.
When these beetles and moths fly into your home, they bring the pseudoscorpions inside.
Inside your home, pseudoscorpions look for places high in wetness and moisture. These are damp bugs, and moisture is essential for them to be alive.
So, their go-to place inside your home is your bathroom. They can also be in places like laundry rooms, basements, and kitchens that are damp.
Inside your bathroom, pseudoscorpions will hide underneath bathtubs and sinks. You can also find them near the drains of the sinks.
However, pseudoscorpion can also be in your bookshelf, especially when there are old books in your home bugs in them. They hunt and eat the bugs that infest books.
Additionally, pseudoscorpions also eat tiny mites like dust mites, spider mites, and rat mites.
That’s why pseudoscorpions are also known as book scorpions. Another common name for pseudoscorpion is a false scorpion.
Pseudoscorpions are not good crawlers inside your home. That’s why if they fall on a smooth surface, like in a bathtub or sink, they can’t crawl out.
Sightings of pseudoscorpions in the bathroom and home are scarce. They’re accidental intruders to your home, and your bathroom isn’t an ideal habitat for them, like it is for many tiny bathroom bugs.
Are Pseudoscorpions Dangerous?
Pseudoscorpions are harmless, and they don’t bite humans. If they come across you, pseudoscorpions will raise their pincers to threaten you and crawl back.
Also, their venom is only strong enough to kill their tiny prey.
Pseudoscorpions are, in fact, helpful bugs. They’ll hunt and eat bugs like weevils, ants, silverfish, and flies in the bathroom. They can even eat bed bugs and fleas!
Are Pseudoscorpions Nocturnal?
Pseudoscorpions are nocturnal. During the day, they’ll hide in tight dark places of your bathroom and home.
Pseudoscorpions don’t bring any infestation risk. It means that they won’t breed or lay eggs inside your home.
Also, the chances of having multiple pseudoscorpions in your home are low. There won’t be more than two or three if there are any.
Where Are Pseudoscorpions Common?
Homes in the following states can get a few pseudoscorpions in the spring or summer months –
- California
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maine
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
How To Get Rid Of Pseudoscorpion In Bathrooms?
You don’t need any sprays to get rid of pseudoscorpion inside your bathroom.
On spotting one, use a broom to scoop the pseudoscorpion in a dust bag and dispose of it in your yard or garden. You don’t need to kill it.
If you find pseudoscorpions anywhere else in your home, do the same.
Pseudoscorpions are beneficial garden bugs. They’ll help you to eliminate garden pests by hunting and eating them.
Earwigs In Your Bathroom
Earwigs can also be in your bathroom. These bugs have pincers, too, but they’re not as tiny as the pseudoscorpions.
The size of earwigs is anywhere between 5 mm to 50 mm. But their pincers are at their abdomen, not on their heads.
Like the pseudoscorpions, earwigs are also damp bugs. And you can find them in your bathroom too.
Earwigs are also yard bugs. Outdoors, they’ll hide in decaying organic matter, mulch beds, and woodpiles.
Earwigs crawl into your home through the gaps and cracks on the home’s walls, doors, and windows during the dry season.
On entering your home, they’ll look out for damp places. So, places like the bathroom and basement are their prime real estate to hide.
Earwigs are also predators. Outdoors, earwigs hunt and eat insects infesting plants. Indoors, earwigs will feed on other bugs that are hiding in your home.
Earwigs can pinch you with the pincers at their rear if you try to pick it up with bare hands.
But do not worry. The pinch will be harmless. And there won’t be any bite marks on your skin.
Earwigs are harmless too. They don’t bring any infestation risk with themselves, nor are they venomous.
But if they’re in large numbers in your yard, then they’ll sneak inside your home during the summer months.
Seal the cracks and gaps on the walls, doors, and windows to stop them. Use weather strippings underneath the door and close the gaps in the windows.
There are essential oils that earwigs away. Mix a few drops of essential oils with water and spray it in your bathroom, basement, laundry room, and kitchen.
The smell of essential oils repels earwigs. You can also use a vacuum cleaner on them to remove them.
Summary
Pseudoscorpions are tiny bugs that look like scorpions. Inside your home, these bugs will hide in damp places like your bathroom.
This guide revealed how pseudoscorpions are different from scorpions and why you shouldn’t worry about their presence in your home and yard.
Sightings of pseudoscorpions in homes are rare. Pseudoscorpions are harmless, and they don’t bite humans and pets.
Earwigs are also one of the bugs with pincers that you’ll find in your bathroom. But their pincers are the back.
Dr. Thomas Orbert, the Microbial Maestro, dances with the tiniest of creatures as an entomologist extraordinaire! With a PhD in entomology, his passion lies in unraveling the secret symphonies of insect-microbe interactions. From minuscule marvels to captivating complexities, Dr. Orbert unveils the hidden world of bugs, igniting curiosity one buzz at a time!