Masked Hunter (Nymph Stage)

Natural Habitat

Commonly found indoors in dry, dusty areas such as attics, garages, and basements as well as outdoors in woodpiles and hollow trees.

Diet & Feeding

Strictly predaceous, feeding on other small arthropods including bed bugs, silverfish, lacewings, earwigs, and flies.

Behavior Patterns

The nymph stage is known for camouflaging itself by covering its body with sticky secretions and adhering sand, dust, and lint (a behavior called 'masking'). It is primarily nocturnal and an ambush predator.

Risks & Benefits

Beneficial to the ecosystem and homeowners as an efficient hunter of indoor pests like bed bugs. However, it can deliver a very painful bite to humans if handled or agitated, though the bite contains no venom of significant medical concern.

Identified on: 1/10/2026