what bug is this

[kaitlin459]

My question is: what bug is this? found a few in my apartment last year and they returned this year they always seem to come around this time of year found a few outside my door. im in tucson arizona the exterminator that our apartment complex uses says that they are a palm tree budworm since i have a palm tree a few feet from my door

some info you might find useful i have seen them both inside my apt and outside near my door in that pinkish color as well as a yellow and yellowish brown color they dont seem to get much bigger than the one in the picture before i dispose of them

i have tried several different bug related forums and groups no one seems to know what this is and im desperate

 

[chanda]

That looks like it may be the caterpillar of the Palm Flower moth, Litoprosopus coachella.

Compare to this one: https://bugguide.net/node/view/294422 or this one: https://flic.kr/p/dmWxqP

 

[kaitlin459]

That looks like it may be the caterpillar of the Palm Flower moth, Litoprosopus coachella.

Compare to this one: https://bugguide.net/node/view/294422 or this one: https://flic.kr/p/dmWxqP

@chanda the pic you posted in your reply looks similar altho the ones i see in ym apt are yellowish in color deff not any bigger than in the pic you sent

 

[kaitlin459]

@chanda looks like you may be right they look like palm bud worms just wish i knew how ot get rid of them since they somehow seem to keep sneaking into my apt even tho my door is closed as tight as can be

 

[chanda]

@chanda the pic you posted in your reply looks similar altho the ones i see in ym apt are yellowish in color deff not any bigger than in the pic you sent

Yes, the color can range from whitish to tan to pink. They spend their larva-hood in palm trees, but when they're ready to pupate, they go wandering off in search of a suitable spot - which sometimes takes them indoors.

Compare to this one: http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2010/02/carpet-caterpillar.html or this one:

https://www.facebook.com/MaricopaCountyMasterGardeners/posts/3095156450556824

 

[kaitlin459]

@chanda thank you so much i will speak with the exterminator when he comes on friday and see how we can address these unwanted guests that sneak into my home thankfully i have laminate wood floor no carpet so they are easy to spot

 

[ColeopteraC]

@chanda thank you so much i will speak with the exterminator when he comes on friday and see how we can address these unwanted guests that sneak into my home thankfully i have laminate wood floor no carpet so they are easy to spot

There’s no need to exterminate them, unlikely anything can be done as they aren’t nesting in your home.

 

[kaitlin459]

@ColeopteraC thanks for your reply ill keep that in mind but it bothers me and sometimes freaks me out seeing these things in my apt