Masked Hunter (Nymph)

Natural Habitat

Commonly found indoors in basements, attics, and storage areas, as well as outdoors in woodpiles and mammal nests.

Diet & Feeding

Insects including bed bugs, carpet beetles, silverfish, earwigs, and flies. They are ambush predators.

Behavior Patterns

Nymphs cover their bodies with dust, lint, and sand (camouflaging) using specialized sticky hairs. They are nocturnal and move with a jerky, stop-and-start motion.

Risks & Benefits

Benefits: Helps control indoor pests like bed bugs and silverfish. Risks: If handled or harassed, they can deliver a very painful bite that causes temporary swelling and stinging, though they do not transmit diseases.

Identified on: 3/25/2026