How to Identify Household Pests

Co-authored by Kevin Carrillo and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: January 23, 2022 References

Finding a random insect in your home is never a welcome surprise, especially if you aren’t quite sure what it is. Since a lot of pests can look similar (or almost identical), IDing the pest isn’t always easy. While pests can vary depending on which region you’re in, there are some common ones that most of us will deal with at some point. To help you out, we've put together a list of common household pests so you can figure out what exactly you're dealing with and how to get rid of it.

1

Silverfish

Silverfish love to chew papery items, like books and magazines. These tiny pests are about ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) long and are normally silver or pearl gray. They have no wings, and they are soft-bodied with 2 antennae sticking out of the top of their heads. Most adult silverfish have 3 long, tail-like appendages sticking out of the back of their bodies.^{[1]
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- Silverfish are nocturnal, meaning they’re only active at night.
- To trap silverfish, set out sticky traps near your bookshelves or filing cabinets. The traps will stick the silverfish in place, and they’ll die within a day or so.

2

Bed bugs

These biting bugs are small and not easy to see. If you have bed bugs, your first clue will be their bite: you’ll probably wake up with small, itchy red bumps on your legs or arms. Adult bed bugs are flat, oval-shaped, and about 1/4" to 3/8" long (5-9 mm). They usually live in box springs, in furniture, behind wallpaper, or in cracks in your floor.^{[2]
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- Bed bugs are often confused with fleas, because fleas can also bite humans and leave small, itchy red bumps. However, bed bugs do not congregate near your pets like fleas do. If you have fleas in your home, you’ll find them in your pets’ bedding, not just yours.
- If you have bed bugs in your home, call a professional exterminator right away. It can take months to get rid of bed bugs completely, so it’s important to catch them early.

3

Fleas

Fleas feed mostly on cats and dogs, but will also bite humans in a pinch. Usually, you’ll find fleas on your furry animals: you might see their small black bodies hopping around, or you could discover flea dirt (flea poop) on your pet. Adult fleas are almost microscopic and hard to see, so looking for their feces is a better way to ID them. Your pets will also probably be itchy and scratch themselves more often if they have fleas.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
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- To get rid of fleas, start by treating your pet for fleas with a topical flea treatment. Then, wash your pets’ bedding and your bedding in hot water to kill any remaining fleas.
- Vacuum your carpets and soft furniture and immediately empty the vacuum in the garbage outside to dispose of any fleas and their eggs.
- It can take up to 4 months to get rid of a flea infestation completely.

4

Moths

Moths usually hide in your pantry to eat flour and cereal. Most moths are less than 1/16th of an inch long, which means they’re pretty hard to spot. However, if you go to grab a package from your pantry and notice a small insect with wings inside, you’ve probably found a moth.^{[4]
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Penn State Extension
Educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities
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- If you’re dealing with moths, make sure all of your food is stored in airtight plastic containers. Moths are attracted to food, so they’ll try to find their way into your pantry at any cost.^{[5]
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5

Beetles

Beetles tend to lay their eggs in dry foods. You’ll probably notice a beetle inside of your pantry feasting on flour, cereal, corn meal, or animal products. You might also see them going after dead insects. Beetles are usually around ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) long with 2 long antennae and a round, hard shell. They come in many different colors, but most household beetles are black or brown.^{[6]
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Trustworthy Source
Penn State Extension
Educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities
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- Keep your food safe from beetles by storing it in airtight containers.
- Get rid of beetles by setting out beetle traps from your local hardware or garden supply store.

6

Cockroaches

You might see cockroaches in wet, dark places. Cockroaches are usually reddish-brown, and they can get up to 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in length. They have 6 legs and 2 long antennae sticking out of their heads with a hard shell body.^{[7]
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Trustworthy Source
Penn State Extension
Educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities
Go to source} You’ll probably see cockroaches in your pantry, your kitchen, or your bathroom.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Kevin Carrillo
MMPC, Pest Control Specialist
Expert Interview. 22 October 2019.}
- Getting rid of cockroaches can be tough, and you may need help from a professional pest control company. In the meantime, you can set out sticky traps to trap and kill the insects as they roam around your home.

7

Termites

There are 2 main types of termites: drywood and dampwood. Drywood termites infest dead wood, and they’re usually a little smaller than typical termites. They produce long, round fecal pellets that look like petrified wood.^{[9]
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Research source} Dampwood termites are more common. You can usually find them in damp, dark spaces, like your basement or crawl space. They’re reddish-brown with 6 legs and 2 mandibles on the front of their bodies.^{[10]
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- You might see small tunnels or tubes in your wooden structure. Those are termite tunnels, and they create them by boring into your home.
- Termites can cause a lot of damage in your home very quickly. If you think you have termites, call an exterminator right away.

8

Carpenter bees

Also called wood bees, these pests can damage your wooden structures. These bees look almost like bumble bees, and they’re anywhere from ⁵⁄₈ to 1 in (1.6 to 2.5 cm) long. You can usually spot them flying in and out of the holes they’ve made in a wooden structure, like wall beams or a shed. The male bees can’t sting, and the females only sting when they feel threatened.^{[11]
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- Carpenter bees are valuable pollinators, so killing them isn’t a great option. You can deter them from your wooden structure by filling the holes they’ve made with steel wool.
- You can also use pre-treated lumber or stain your wood to make it harder for them to bore into your structure.

9

Wasps

Wasps are usually black and yellow with long, slender bodies. Although they are similar to bees, wasps are usually larger and can be more aggressive. There are a few different types of wasps you might see around your home, but the most common ones are yellow jackets. They range from ³⁄₈ to ⁵⁄₈ in (0.95 to 1.59 cm) long, and their wings extend the entire length of their bodies.^{[12]
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- Wasp nests are brown, and they often look like they’re made of wet paper.
- Wasps tend to make their nests in trees, patios, or attics. If you see a wasp nest on your property, it’s a good idea to call a professional to avoid getting stung.
- Or, hang up wasp traps near their nest to trap and kill them.

10

Rodents

Mice and rats are fairly common in any household. You may never see a mouse or a rat directly, but you’ll probably notice their droppings in your home or near your food. Rodent poop is small and oval-shaped, and you might also smell urine nearby. You can also look for nesting materials, like wood or paper shavings, in your attic or your basement.^{[13]
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Trustworthy Source
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practices
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- If you think you have rodents in your home, set up snap traps to kill them as they venture out at night.^{[14]
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  Expert Source
  
  Kevin Carrillo
  MMPC, Pest Control Specialist
  Expert Interview. 22 October 2019.}
- You can also close off entry points into your home with silicone caulk to keep rodents from coming back.

11

Flies

House flies and fruit flies are usually the pests invading your home. House flies are normally black, and can get up to ¹⁄₆ to ¹⁄₄ in (0.42 to 0.64 cm) long. They don’t bite, and they usually congregate around food or garbage.^{[15]
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Research source} Fruit flies are much smaller, only about ¹⁄₈ in (0.32 cm) long, with bright red eyes and pale bodies. As their name suggests, they tend to congregate around rotting fruit, but they will also land on food scraps and in your kitchen sink.^{[16]
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- To control flies in your home, put up sticky paper to trap and kill the flies.
- You can also put mesh or wire screens on your windows to keep flies outside where they belong.

12

Spiders

Most spiders in your home are nothing to worry about. House spiders are large, brown, and have a tan-colored abdomen with a herringbone pattern. These spiders are actually good for your house, since they make webs to eat common pests.^{[17]
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Research source} Brown recluse spiders are poisonous, and can harm humans. They’re brown-colored and are usually identified by the violin shape on their back. Black widows are also poisonous, and they’re usually all black with a red hourglass shape on their abdomen.^{[18]
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Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}
- Most spider bites are harmless, and will cause some itching for a few days before going away on their own. However, if you’ve been bitten by a brown recluse or black widow, seek medical treatment right away.
- You can use sticky traps to kill spiders in your home. Try putting them in dark, quiet spaces, like the basement or the attic, where spiders like to hang out.

13

Ants

You can usually find ants in your kitchen feasting on your snacks. Identifying the exact species of ants can be tough, but all ants have 6 legs, 2 antennas on their head, and a pinched area between their thorax and abdomen (the 2 parts of their body).^{[19]
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Expert Source

Kevin Carrillo
MMPC, Pest Control Specialist
Expert Interview. 22 October 2019.} Most ants you see are workers and don’t have wings, but if you find a swarm, you may see the queen ant (who does have wings).^{[20]
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- Some ants build nests in the soil outside, but others will nest in your walls or under the floor.
- If you have ants in your home, you can kill them by setting out poison ant traps. The worker ants will eat the poison and bring it back to the colony, killing most of the ants in just a few days.

14

Stink bugs

These small pests produce an unpleasant odor when threatened. They have a small, shield-shaped body, and are usually around ⁵⁄₈ in (1.6 cm) long. They have 6 legs and 2 long antennae that stick out of the front of their heads. They will often lay eggs in a cluster on the underside of leaves.^{[21]
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- You can make a simple trap out of hot water, dish soap, and vinegar to drown stink bugs in your home.

Expert Q&A

Question

Usually, where do cockroaches hide?

Kevin Carrillo
MMPC, Pest Control Specialist
Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) based in the New York City area. MMPC is certified by the industry’s leading codes and practices, including the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), QualityPro, GreenPro, and The New York Pest Management Association (NYPMA). MMPC's work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News.

Kevin Carrillo

MMPC, Pest Control Specialist

Expert Answer

Usually, cockroaches hide in the cabinets under your kitchen and bathroom sink. They also hide behind the shelves.
Question

How can I get rid of bed bugs?

Kevin Carrillo
MMPC, Pest Control Specialist
Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) based in the New York City area. MMPC is certified by the industry’s leading codes and practices, including the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), QualityPro, GreenPro, and The New York Pest Management Association (NYPMA). MMPC's work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News.

Kevin Carrillo

MMPC, Pest Control Specialist

Expert Answer

You can vacuum the bugs and dispose of the vacuum bag. Or you can kill them using at least 80% isopropyl rubbing alcohol or steam.