Answer:

Imagine this. You step up to the sink, wet

your toothbrush, and begin cleaning your

pearly whites. Out of the corner of your eye,

you see something moving on the wall.

Suddenly, you realize you’re not alone in the

bathroom. Your heart pounding, you turn

toward the tiny intruder to get a better look.

You’re horrified to see that it has eight legs,

and a pair of oversized pincers on its front

end. Is it some kind of miniature octopus, or

a bizarre crab? Is it going to sting you?

Actually, it’s a bug, and it’s no more harmful

to you than a housefly. This tiny bathroom

bug is called a pseudoscorpion (SOO-doh-

SCOR-pee-uhn). But don’t be fooled by its

name. It’s not really a scorpion; it’s just a

relative. The pseudoscorpion is a kind of

arachnid (uh-RAK-nid), which means it is

closely related to spiders, scorpions, and

mites. Like scorpions, pseudoscorpions have

a segmented body and two enormous

pincers. But pseudoscorpions lack the

curved stinger that all true scorpions have.

Pseudoscorpions

usually live outside in

mulch, under tree

bark, and in leaf litter.

So how do they end

up in the bathroom?

They use those pincer-

like claws to hitch a

ride on other bugs,

such as flies and

beetles. When these insects come in, so do

the pseudoscorpions - attached to their legs!

These tiny arachnids prefer moist places.

Since the bathroom tends to be humid after

bathing and showering, it’s a likely place to

find them. But they are easily overlooked.

Most pseudoscorpions are only about two to

eight millimeters long.

Pseudoscorpions don’t bite or sting humans,

and they can even be helpful. These bugs

feed on common household pests, such as

carpet beetle larvae, ants, mites, and small

flies. Welcoming this hitchhiker into your

home may mean there are fewer household

pests to “bug” you.