Black spots in loft insulation - is it a pest and should I be worried?

[glaze-lanolin]

I've just popped into the loft to get something out, and found little black dots covering pretty much the entire space. They're not evenly distributed, and are relatively new (last couple of months - we had a hot water cylinder installed at that time, and they 100% weren't there then). They're mostly in the insulation itself, but some are on top of the boxes we have stored up there. It's not that common black damp mould but looks organic. It's not mouse poo. For want of a better description, they 'squish' when you compress them. They don't move and they're not wriggling! The loft is bone dry and has been for the 13 years we've lived in the house. Google just comes up with lots of stuff about black damp mould. Any suggestions for other avenues of investigation gratefully received!

 

[Lower]

Looks like fly poo to me.

 

[glaze-lanolin]

Update: my partner, who has much better eyesight than me, says they're definitely insects of some description.

 

[Winglet]

Some sort of carpet bugs maybe?

 

[foxhole]

Have you stored any carpets in the loft?

 

[opps]

I agree that it is not mouse poo. I would guess some kind of insect egg.

You can use apps on your phone that claim to be able to identify the insect

insect egg identifier app - Google Search

I have never tried one though.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The photos are pretty useless tbh. Got a magnifying glass? This lot claim they'll do it for free: https://www.pestprofessionals.co.uk/free-advice/insect-identification-service/ I guess they might try to flog you their extermination service at the end of it.

 

[glaze-lanolin]

Yeah, already sent these to one company and waiting to hear back.