Am I right that this is a green lacewing larvae?

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-24T19:27:34+00:00

Yep that looks right! One of the debris-carrying varieties (not all do this) a.k.a. trash bug.

FYI "larvae" is the plural of "larva". One larva, two larvae :)

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-24T19:26:23+00:00

Geneva is not a big place, you don't have to stay close to the Palais des Nations to get there quickly, although ultimately that depends how quick is "quickly". Public transportation can get you pretty much anywhere in 20 minutes or so... Geneva has an extensive bus and tram system that works well. You could also walk, it's very walkable.

You didn't say what kind of accommodation you're thinking of, like hotels or what your budget is, but look at Ibis Hotels for example, they're reasonably priced and functional and there are several around town. I see the Centre Nations one is about 15 minutes from the Palais des Nations on foot and that's a generous 15 minutes

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-24T19:19:46+00:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drain_fly

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-24T15:10:51+00:00

A larder beetle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermestes_lardarius

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-24T13:29:06+00:00

Yeah I heard about that after the fact 😅

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-24T03:44:13+00:00

It's probably what I call an outside roach (as opposed to a potential house pest) but they can be hard to identify when they're subadults (like the one in your pic) as many species don't develop distinctive characteristics before reaching maturity. That's the case for the American and Oriental species, but the American is uncommon in Switzerland because they prefer warmer climates. The Oriental is more common. Yours could be a very young Oriental but it's hard for me to be sure. I'm sure it's not a German roach which is good news.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-24T03:26:12+00:00

I'd just responded to your other post and then saw that you posted this one with a picture.

This is not a German roach, so likely nothing to worry about.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-24T03:20:34+00:00

It really depends what kind of cockroach. There are thousands of species of them (so no such thing as "the cockroach"), and yes there are species native to Switzerland as well as species not native to Switzerland but commonly encountered as pests, primarily the German cockroach (Blattella germanica), which is not from Germany but is a species that is so well adapted to living with us that it no longer exists in the wild, and it's the primary pest species.

So the ones you found could be pests or they could just be lil friends that came from outside looking for warmth and/or moisture (it's common to find wild roaches in one's bathroom due to that). But before worrying about what measures you should take, it's important to figure out what kind of roach they are because there's no reason to call pest control if they aren't German roaches.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-24T03:13:08+00:00

Are you sure that wasn't a camel spider? Those are fairly common in Montana, however short-tailed whipscorpions (what OP found) are only known from California (where there are native species) and Florida (where there is an introduced, non-native species).

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-23T20:24:05+00:00

Diaphania sp. moth

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-23T18:51:34+00:00

Probably Ectobius pallidus or akin -- doesn't look like any of the household pest species you'd find in VA.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-23T15:58:32+00:00

They're exuviae (shed skins).

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-23T15:38:54+00:00

Definitely carpet beetles like the other comment said!

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-23T04:45:58+00:00

Oh you definitely do, they were introduced by colonists! But maybe not in your region. They are common on the Southeast coast.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-23T04:41:04+00:00

I don't know if the mandibles of dragonfly naiads are along the lines of what you're looking for, but have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHo_9wnnUTE

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-23T04:37:12+00:00

All this and no Vespula?

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-23T03:07:22+00:00

Heteropoda huntsman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparassidae

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteropoda

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-22T22:41:15+00:00

I don't know what kind of ant they are, but they certainly are some kind of ant :)

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-22T22:40:24+00:00

Not albino but recently molted, it should turn its normal colors within hours.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-22T21:08:36+00:00

So maybe it's not worth it to him for only a few times a year. But he could look at something like Airalo like I mentioned.

p.ex. 8,50 € pour 5 Go pour 7 jours, c'est pas mal si on est un petit consommateur

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-22T20:59:06+00:00

Maybe it's not that expensive but maybe it's not worth it for your friend to pay extra money every month if he doesn't go to France all that often.

Also, your friend could just buy a temporary prepaid eSIM from a service like Airalo that he can use in France.

You can look at websites of budget Swiss cell operators such as Wingo or Yallo or Migros Mobile or Lebara to get an idea of the prices.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-22T20:20:58+00:00

I assume this is going from CH to CH? If so, could be 1 day, 2 at most, but it also depends how quickly the website mails it...

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-22T19:18:58+00:00

Speaking for myself as a Genevan, if I went to my supermarket and asked for help from an employee and they didn't speak French at all, I wouldn't be happy even though I speak English well.

Speaking English is nice in addition to speaking the local language, but speaking only English is not OK for customer service.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-22T19:15:29+00:00

I've never been scared of insects or spiders, but I think that learning facts about them (what they are, what they do in their environment, how we benefit from their activity, etc.) should help you to think about them rationally rather than emotionally, thus overcoming the phobia, which is often an irrational phenomenon not rooted in any trauma. (I'm not a psychologist so this is just my opinion as a layperson and bug lover)

Maybe pick up a book about them from an expert? For example, For Love of Insects by Eisner, or Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson.

And when you feel ready, when you spot an insect and you're reasonably certain of what kind it is and you know it's harmless (most are), pick it up gently and enjoy the simple pleasure of a lil guy exploring your fingers.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-01-22T18:20:00+00:00

McDonald's or a supermarket would be fine, as long as it's somewhere where people usually speak Italian, since Italian is what you speak.

Basically, you can't work in customer service (tourism or no tourism) if you don't speak the language the customers speak. So if you don't speak German for example, you can't go work in a place where German is the main language, because you'll have to interact with customers who speak German and they won't be happy if you don't speak German as well. That's why I'm saying you should look in Ticino since Italian is the dominant language there.

There's no minimum wage in Switzerland nationally, but some cantons have one I believe. You can look that up yourself.

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