No one wants to see any kind of bugs crawling or flying in and around their house. Pillbugs, fruit flies, and silverfish are some of the smaller insects that live in your house and are more of a bother than anything else. Mosquitos, ticks, bed bugs, drain flies, and common houseflies are some of the tiny black or brown insects that can sting, bite, or transmit diseases. Pantries and kitchen cabinets in the home can also be infested with tiny house bugs like beetles, weevils, and ants.
It is important to know what sort of house bugs you have so that you can get rid of them. Additionally, knowing the behaviors, features, and habitats of common house invaders can help you avoid becoming an inconvenience.
This is a guide to identifying house pests. Little brown creeping creatures, flying brown or black flies, and insects with long legs scurrying across floors in your home are examples of such tiny crawlies. In that scenario, you may read this page to learn more about the identifying features of creepy-crawly.
How to Identify House Bugs
The length and structure of a house bug’s body, as well as the number of legs, and whether it possesses wings, are all identifying traits. Cockroaches, beetles, and earwigs, for example, have six legs, two antennae, and a body shape that identifies them as pests. However, since they are so tiny, minute bugs like ticks, fleas, pantry pests, and bed bugs may be difficult to identify correctly.
Additionally, knowing what the bug is might help you identify it. Rotten foodstuffs, for example, attract black drain flies, fruit flies, and houseflies. However, in stored grains and other dried food items, you may find little black beetles. Bed bugs are often discovered in the folds of mattresses.
The Most Common Household Bugs
Ants are perhaps the most prevalent type of household insect you’ll discover in your house. Carpet beetles, spiders, and roaches are, nonetheless, common indoor pests. In kitchens and bathrooms, you’re most likely to encounter fruit flies and drain flies.
Types of House Bugs (With Pictures and Name) – Identification Guide
Imagine if you see crawlies scampering across a countertop, furniture, or carpet. You’ll want to know how to identify the bug in that case. You may be dealing with a severe bug infestation in your home if you see a lot of roaches, mites, or bugs. To determine the species, you may take a number of steps.
Cockroaches (Blattodea)
Cockroaches are little household invertebrates with a reddish-brown flattened oval body, six spiny legs, and a pair of characteristic feelers. The left cockroach (German roach/Blattella germanica) is on the left, while the right cockroach (American roach/Periplaneta americana) is on the right.
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is the most prevalent roach, with visible brown stripes on its back. Brown bug sizes vary from 0.6 to 1.4 inches (15 to 35 mm).
Droppings that resemble black pepper, a musty odor, and molted skins are all signs of a cockroach infestation. Because they spread disease and contaminate food, getting rid of cockroaches is vital.
House Bug Identification
Due to their flattened, oval brown bodies and long antennae, cockroaches are easy to spot.
Spiders (Araneae)
Brown recluse spiders are shown in the left image. Spiders are a prevalent species of bug that you may frequently come across in your home. The bulbous two-segmented black or brown bodies, four pairs of legs, and six to eight eyes of spiders distinguish them from other arthropods. Spiders are also divided into groups based on their form, habitat, or web-like traits. In the United States, there are around 1,000 different spider species.
Brown recluse spiders can deliver a poisonous, venomous bite, so it’s important to identify them. The venomous black widow, which injects poison when biting their victim, is also known as shiny black spiders with red violin stripes. Spiders are an arachnoid species; they are not considered insects.
House Bug Identification
The two body parts, eight legs, and a pair of jaws (chelicerae) are used to identify spiders.
Centipedes
Centipedes are elongated, thin creepy house bugs with two slender antennae and two small tails that are readily identified due to their length and slenderness. Antipedes are tiny house bugs with a length of less than 1 inch (25 mm) or big brown, slender insects with a length of more than 12 inches (300 mm).
In houses with moisture problems, centipedes are a problem. Bathtubs, kitchen sinks, and basements are all good places to look for multi-legged flattened worm-like bugs. Centipedes, on the other hand, deliver a venomous bite that may be excruciating.
House Bug Identification
The flattened bodies of centipedes are covered with legs, which are reddish-brown in color. Not all centipedes have over a hundred legs, despite their name.
Pillbugs (Armadillidiidae)
When they feel threatened, pillbugs may roll up their hard segmented body into a ball. The little, brown hard-shelled creatures have another unusual habit of rolling into a ball for protection. These little beetle-like insects have 14 legs and grow to be 0.25″ to 0.5″ (6 to 12 mm) in length.
Pillbugs are frequently found in large groups. As a result, catching sight of one of these spotted grayish spherical insects in the residence might indicate a massive problem. Pillbugs, sometimes known as sowbugs, slaters, roly-polies, and doodlebugs, are mainly attracted to moisture and dampness.
House Bug Identification
Pillbugs are brown or black insects with prominent plates that may be identified. The yellow spots on certain of these grayish insects
Earwigs or Pincher Bugs (Dermaptera)
Long thin brown bugs with pincers and antenna, earwigs (pincher bugs) are tiny skinny brown-black bugs. They have two antennae, a thin dark brown body that is flattened, and a pair of distinctive pinchers.
The little insects, known as pincher bugs, range in length from 0.4 to 0.55 inches (10 to 14 mm). A winged brown bug called earwigs may be found. They do, however, fly during the day and constantly scurry on the ground at night.
House Bug Identification
Earwigs have two rounded pincers, a lengthy extended brown body, and two feelers. They are simple to identify.
Weevils (Curculionoidea)
Weevils are tiny brownish beetles with a long snout that differentiate them from other beetle species. They are known as the rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae). Elbowed antennae are another characteristic of weevils, as are hairy tufts on their oval backs. Weevils are non-venomous and generally innocuous.
Pantry areas, on the other hand, may be infested with brown nuisance bugs. Weevils come in a variety of colors, from red to beige, green, or red. Weevils are small, measuring less than 6 mm in length.
House Bug Identification
Humped backs, oval bodies, and long rostrums (snouts) are all characteristics of Weevils.
Silverfish (Lepisma saccharinum)
Silverfish is a long, flattened, wingless insect that can be found scurrying across bathroom and kitchen floors. The insect’s smooth, fish-like, snakey motions earned it the moniker “silvery bug.” The little bug has long antennae, three bristles at the abdomen’s tip, and six legs. It is typically 0.5″ to 1″ (12 to 25 mm) long.
Silverfish are a kind of edible bug that prefers to live in dark, damp regions. Unfortunately, due to their nocturnal nature and propensity to emerge only at night, it’s difficult to find the silvery metallic insects.
House Bug Identification
Silverfish have silvery scales, an oval-shaped body with tapered ends, and swimming motions that are similar to those of a fish in water.
Flying House Bugs (With Pictures and Name) – Identification Guide
Injurious insects with loud buzzing noises are known as flying bugs in houses. Not only are flying insects bothersome, but gnats, flies, and other pests may transmit illness, bite you, sting you, or contaminate food. Let’s examine some of the most common house insects you might encounter.
Houseflies (Musca domestica)
Houseflies (Musca domestica) are annoying dark gray or black bugs with a yellow or gray abdomen and four black longitudinal stripes that may cause a large infestation in quantity. Houseflies have large reddish eyes, which is one of their identifying features. A pair of transparent wings are also present on the infectious flying bug.
The insects are 0.2 to 0.27 inches (6 to 7 mm) long when flying. Houseflies are one of the most identifiable insects in the home. They have exceptional eyesight and have a distinguishing erratic flying style, making it difficult to swat them. They also make annoyatg buzzing noises.
House Bug Identification
The thorax is striped gray and black, and the compound eyes are huge reddish-brown. The common housefly has a blackish to gray body.
Drain Flies (Psychodidae)
With a gray or brown-colored body and wings covered in long, thin hairs, drain flies are tiny flying house bugs. When drain flies are at rest, their wings fold over, forming a typical behavior. The drain fly is roughly 0.06 to 0.2 inches (1.5 to 5 mm) long.
Drain flies are a common sight around drains, where they live in developed slime in drains and breed in cesspools. Fuzzy flying bugs that love trash may be confused with fungus gnats or fruit flies.
House Bug Identification
The drain fly, a little gray moth-like insect that frequently visits kitchen and bathroom drains, is a common sight.
Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster)
A fruit fly has an oval body, red eyes, short legs, and small wings. It is a tiny yellowish-brown flying household bug that especially likes sweet rotting fruit. Little insects, which hover over rotting fruit, trash cans, and pet food, are only about 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) long. In the summer and through the fall, you may see light brown flies in your kitchen.
Removing all food from the countertops is the best way to eliminate fruit flies from your kitchen. Keep a tight lid on the garbage can and store fruit and vegetables in the fridge. It’s also a good idea to keep pets away from food for a while.
House Bug Identification
Fruit flies are little, oval-shaped winged insects that like fermented or rotting food, liquids, and trash.
Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella)
The clothes moth is a tiny golden yellow winged bug with a yellowish or reddish fuzzy head, two large black eyes, and extended wings with a slightly hairy coating. The larvae of this common household pest cause damage to natural textiles.
The yellowish moths are small, measuring 0.47 to 0.66 inch (12 to 17 mm) long and preferring dark places. Clothing moths larvae may cause a lot of harm in the home. Clothes, carpets, rugs, upholstery, and other fabrics are all eaten by the creamy-white worm-like maggots.
House Bug Identification
The golden yellowish color and enlarged wings with pointed ends of a clothes moth make it easy to detect.
Whiteflies (Aleyrodidae)
A whitefly in its natural habitat. If you have houseplants, you’ll most likely come across the tiny whitefly on the underside of their leaves. The fuzzy appearance of the plant-destroying white-colored flies. Four wings, a pair of tiny antennae, and crimson eyes are the identifying characteristics.
Whiteflies swarm around infected houseplants, measuring 0.08 inch (2 mm) in size. Whiteflies feed on the juice from leaves and stems by biting into plant tissue. A plant’s health can be harmed by a massive infestation of whiteflies, resulting in death. Whiteflies spread plant diseases, just like other kinds of aphids.
House Bug Identification
Little winged flying white bugs that infest houseplants are known as whiteflies.
Mosquitoes (Culicidae)
Mosquitoes are blood-sucking, flying bugs with three pairs of long legs and a slender body. Slim brown bodies, long legs, and tiny wings characterize them.
Mosquitoes pierce the skin to obtain a blood meal, which is a distinctive feature. Mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria, dengue fever, and Zika virus are all spread by flying insects that emerge at dusk. Mosquitoes are tiny, ranging in length from 0.1 to 0.7 inch (2 to 19 mm). Because they react quickly to changes in air pressure, they’re difficult to swat.
House Bug Identification
Mosquitoes are little brown flies with two wings and a long, pointed proboscis (proboscis) that the female uses to pierce human or animal skin.
Small House Bugs (With Pictures and Name) – Identification Guide
Certain small house bugs bite people, spread illness, or contaminate food items, making them pests that are difficult to deal with. Knowing the best ways to get rid of the kinds of bugs you find in your house is critical.
Fleas (Siphonaptera)
Fleas are tiny, brownish insects that transmit illness and infections by hopping from host to host. Fleas are difficult to see and catch due to their small size. The jumping bug is the size of a pinhead, between 0.04″ and 0.13″ (0.1 – 0.3 mm), and has an oval body with long legs.
House Bug Identification
Leeches are little black dots that hop about quickly and have the appearance of fleas.
Bed Bugs (Cimex)
Bed bugs are reddish-brown insects that measure about the size of an apple seed and have a flat body. Because they live in dark nooks of bed frames, box springs, mattress seams, and behind baseboards, these little flat parasitic insects are difficult to spot in homes. The tiny brown insects range in length from 0.2 to 0.27 inch (5 to 7 mm).
House Bug Identification
Signs of bed bug activity are the simplest way to determine if you have them. Itchy skin patches, rusty or reddish stains on bedding and mattresses, as well as musty-smelling bed bug poop that look like little black dots are all symptoms.
Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci)
The varied carpet beetle has a brown, yellowish, and white pattern on its oval body with six legs and short antennae. It feeds on natural fibers. Adults of the flying insects are likewise winged, and they are inoffensive. The creatures measure between 0.7 and 0.14 inches (1.7 and 3.5 mm) when flattened and rounded out.
The black carpet beetle (Attagenus unicolor) is another kind of carpet beetle. There is no harm to humans or animals when adult beetles are present. Instead, holes in soft upholstery, carpets, and fabric can be eaten by the pesky white larvae.
Carpets and fabrics in the home are infested with the black carpet beetle.
House Bug Identification
Little carpet beetles with mottled yellowish and white markings on their wing coverings are recognized as tiny house bugs.
Ants (Formicidae)
Many types of food remnants in the kitchen attract pantry ants. The three slender body sections, a narrow waist, two antennae, and bulbous abdomen, make ants easier to identify. Ants come in a variety of colors, including red, dark brown, and light brown. Ants range in size from 0.03 to 2 inches (0.75 to 20 mm) on average.
Fire ants, for example, bite and generate a powerful stinging response. Carpenter ants, for example, damage wooden buildings by burrowing into dead wood and other forms of black ants. When it is cold and wet outside, the six-legged crimson or brown pests tend to enter homes.
House Bug Identification
Because of their slender bodies, rounded abdomens, and six legs, ants are an easily identifiable bug in the house.
Ticks (Ixodida)
Ticks are tiny insects that can be found on animals, human skin, or clothes. A closeup photograph of a tick (left) and a tick on human skin (right) These little pear-shaped oval arachnids have eight legs and a reddish-brown color. They are 0.1″ (3 mm) long.
Bugs that transmit illnesses burrow into the skin to feed on blood. When a tick is half-buried in the skin and appears rounded, crimson, and bloated, you may only detect it. To minimize the danger of illness, however, it’s crucial to find ticks after you or your animal have been outside.
House Bug Identification
Ticks have a tear-shaped body that is roughly the size of a sesame seed and are dark brown to reddish-brown.
Termites (Isoptera)
Termites are destructive creamy-colored or brown insects around the size of tiny ants. They may infest homes and cause severe damage to wood. The tiny bug has six legs and two straight antennae and has an elongated oval to tube-shaped body. The average size of termites is between 0.15 and 0.6 inches (4 to 15 mm). Termite damage is commonly undetectable until significant structural damage occurs.
It’s critical to know the distinctions between termites and ants. Termites don’t have a slender waist and three separate body components, unlike ants. In addition, unlike ants, they have straight beaded antennae.
House Bug Identification
The pale-colored cylindrical bodies, bulbous heads, and straight antennae of termites distinguish them.
Pantry Bugs
Pantry bugs are tiny house beetles or weevils that can be found in a variety of species. The pests are between 0.78 and 0.18 inches (2 to 4.7 mm) long, depending on the type. Oval bodies, six legs, and stumpy antennae characterize the little kitchen bugs. They’re also reddish-brown in color. Pantry pests come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
- Flour beetles,
- Sawtoothed grain beetles
- Rice weevils
- Drugstore beetles
- Granary weevils