Mysterious Gray Household Insect

San Francisco, CA

For the past 3 days, I've woken up to 2 or 3 of these critters on my bathroom floor. I first noticed them the morning after I had showered (I usually shower at the gym, not at home), but I haven't used the shower since, and they're still there, so I'm not sure if they're attracted by water. (Besides, they're not IN my shower - just randomly in the middle of the bathroom floor or near the washing machine, which also hasn't been used on in over a week.) There was one on my kitchen floor today, too.

More info about them:
- They're about the size of common household flies, maybe a tiny bit smaller
- They're light gray in color
- They seem to be nocturnal since I notice them first thing in the morning, but they're unresponsive to light.
- They're EXTREMELY slow and mostly don't move at all.
- I haven't seen them in my bathroom, living area, or kitchen cabinets, so I don't think they're attracted by food.

I'm not especially worried about getting attacked by these little guys, but my house was recently renovated, and for the past few days I'm suddenly noticing a ton of these things. Just worried about a potential infestation or trying to avoid something I'm doing that might be attracting them.

Thank you so much for your help! I would love to know what they are.

Thumbnail by goldenoldy
Minot, ND

This appears to be a small weevil of some kind; probably could tell you more if I could see an image of its upper side. Does not appear to anything of serious concern..

San Francisco, CA

Thanks so much for your reply, Flapdoodle!

I've posted 2 more pictures from this morning (sorry, the quality is still pretty weak). My first thought when you said weevil is that my little roommates don't have much of a snout on them, but when I looked this morning, I do see a short snout, I think.

I found one in my bedroom when I woke up this morning (and another one in the bathroom). I guess I spoke too soon.

When I saw your reply, I immediately scoured my cabinets again. No sign of my mystery guests. I've seen weevils in flour before, but I just moved into my new place a week ago and don't have any flour yet. I have sugar and some seeds, but the packaging is sealed, never been opened.

The only grain-like thing that's open at all is corn tortillas. Could this be the source of them? I checked the bag and don't see any tiny critters in there, but it's the only explanation - unless they could be coming from/for something non-food related?

Any tips for getting rid of them and/or any reason they're mostly in my bathroom?

Thumbnail by goldenoldy Thumbnail by goldenoldy
Minot, ND

This does not appear to be any of the commoner grain/seed-infesting species, nor does it appear to be in the subfamily (Entiminae), which includes species that often wander indoors in search of shelter. My best guess is that they are accidental visitors that need no control. However, if you later notice significant numbers of them, I suggest contacting your county Extension Service office for assistance...

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