Someone from Texas posted an image similar to this one on BugGuide about the same time I did and wrote, “Everyone at my house is blaming spiders for their bites. This is what’s doing it though please help me identify these things!”
A BugGuide “contributing editor” commented: “They're known to ‘taste’ people now and again, but they are predators on small insects, and don’t suck blood. Also, they don’t live in houses. If you find one inside, it came in by accident. These insects shouldn't be the source of chronic bites.”
According to my National Wildlife Federation field guide, these guys eat aphids, so they’re *good* things to have around. Well, except in the kitchen, where we hope there are *no* aphids!
My visitor *was* inside — on a kitchen cabinet door — and Clare was not happy about it. Having learned my lesson on a Lady Beetle larva a couple summers ago, rather than making this guy “disappear,” I merely relocated him outside (after getting photos, of course!)
Retired economics professor (“dismal scientist”). Married 40+ years to the love of my life; we have two grown daughters, both married, two granddaughters and a...