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Pest Library
Find out what’s bugging you.
Finding unidentified insects in your home is stressful. Before you can begin to solve your problem, you need to know what kind of pest you’re dealing with. Use this guide to identify and learn about common types of pests in New York City and the surrounding areas.
- Common Household Pests – Ants, Cockroaches, Flies, Rodents
- Biting Pests – Bed Bugs, Biting Midges, Fleas, Mosquitoes, Ticks
- Stinging Pests – Bees, Wasps
- Fabric Pests – Carpet Beetles, Carpet Beetle Larvae, Clothes Moths, Silverfish
- Pantry Pests – Beetles, Booklice, Fruit Flies, Pantry Moths
- Wood Destroying Pests – Carpenter Ants, Carpenter Bees, Powderpost Beetles, Termites
- Houseplant Pests – Aphids, Fungus Gnats, Vine Weevils
- Occasional Invaders – Myriapods, Crickets, Spiders, Spotted Lanternflies, Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles, Soldier Beetles, Boxelder Bugs, Western Conifer Seed Bugs, Pill Bugs, Sow Bugs
Common Household Pests
Ants
Ants are easily recognized by their three distinct body segments, elbowed antennae, and narrow waists.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are reddish-brown with flattened, oval bodies, long antennae, and six legs.
Rodents
Mice and rats have pointed snouts, beady eyes, protruding incisors, and long tails.
Biting Pests
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are reddish-brown, wingless insects with flat, oval bodies that enlarge after feeding.
Biting Midges
Biting midges, also known as no-see-ums, are tiny gray or black flies that leave irritating bites.
Fleas
Fleas are wingless and reddish-brown with laterally flattened bodies and powerful legs for jumping.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are slender, flying insects with long, needle-like mouthparts for sucking blood.
Ticks
Ticks are parasitic arachnids with eight legs and flat, oval-shaped bodies that swell with blood after feeding.
Stinging Pests
Bees
Known for their role as pollinators, bees have fuzzy bodies with black and yellow or brown and yellow stripes.
Wasps
Wasps are aggressive stinging insects with narrow waists and smooth bodies.
Fabric Pests
Carpet Beetles
Adult carpet beetles are small, oval-shaped insects that feed on pollen and nectar.
Carpet Beetle Larvae
Carpet beetle larvae feed on natural fibers, often causing damage to carpets, furniture, and clothing.
Clothes Moths
Clothes moths are usually found in closets and attics, where they lay eggs that hatch into fabric-eating larvae.
Silverfish
Silverfish are silvery-gray, carrot-shaped insects known for their wiggling, fish-like movements.
Pantry Pests
Beetles
Beetles have hardened forewings called elytra, and they vary in size, shape, and color.
Booklice
Booklice feed on mold and mildew, and their presence is often a symptom of moisture problems in the home.
Fruit Flies
Fruit flies are attracted to ripening fruits and vegetables, and while they’re a nuisance, they rarely pose a health threat.
Pantry Moths
Pantry moths are small, brown flying insects that lay eggs in dry food like grains and cereals.
Wood Destroying Pests
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are a large species of ants with powerful jaws for burrowing into wood.
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees are solitary bees that bore holes in wood for nesting.
Powderpost Beetles
Powderpost beetles are wood-boring beetles that can cause extensive damage to furniture and structures.
Termites
Known as the “silent destroyer,” termites are pale, soft-bodied insects that live in large colonies and feed on wood.
Houseplant Pests
Aphids
Aphids are tiny, pear-shaped, soft-bodied insects that suck sap from plants.
Fungus Gnats
Resembling tiny mosquitoes, fungus gnats lay eggs in the soil of houseplants and their larvae can damage roots.
Vine Weevils
Vine weevils are beetles with long snouts, known for causing damage to ornamental plants.
Occasional Invaders
Myriapods
Centipedes and millipedes are many-legged arthropods with elongated bodies that pose no threat to humans.
Crickets
Crickets have powerful hind legs for jumping and are known to feed on fabrics inside homes.
Spiders
While some may cause itchy bites, the majority of house spiders are beneficial pest controllers that keep other insect populations in check.
Spotted Lanternflies
Spotted lanternflies are invasive planthoppers with brightly colored wings that feed on a variety of trees and crops.
Other Pests
- Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles
- Soldier Beetles
- Boxelder Bugs
- Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs
- Western Conifer Seed Bugs
- Pill Bugs / Roly-Polies
- Sow Bugs
