Pest Damage Hides Behind Walls Until It's Too Late
Several posts detail homeowners dealing with persistent pest infestations (bed bugs, weevils) and structural damage to their homes (drywall holes, flooring issues). There's a recurring theme of frustration with inspections or repairs not resolving the underlying problems.
SOURCES (60)
“I am driving myself crazy here. what is this thing? I have set bedbug traps and it has been a few weeks after my tenants with dogs left. I found a couple of carpet beetles and and getting rid of carpet but this does not…”
“My professor was talking about a closet/storage room in ruin because of a bug situation, can someone help me ID what type of bug this is? My best guess is some kind of ant. But I’m confused as to how/why they were on the ceiling. submitted by /u/CalendarNew4784 [link] [comments]”
“I have an issue with these tiny black beetles all over my house. Right now I see about 5 a day and most of them are in my master bathroom, but I do see some around other random parts of my house too. It drives me absolutely nuts! We’ve also been seeing way more spiders in our house, all over also but mostly in our master bathroom. Could there be a portal somewhere in our bathroom that I just can’t see? I need help as it’s starting to stress me out, especially using my bathroom. Appreciate any an”
“This is like the fourth time I'm finding this particular bug. Wondering if it is a bed bug or a flea? Please help! Thank you When I squeezed it to kill it, no blood came out submitted by /u/ElephantMotor4939 [link] [comments]”
“I've been waking up with some bites and found this little bug in my room.. what is this? A bedbug? A flea? Thank you! submitted by /u/ElephantMotor4939 [link] [comments]”
“Apologies for the poor quality photos, but I keep finding these centipede (?) larvae in my apartment and I don’t know how to get rid of them. I found an adult centipede when I first moved in about a month ago, and I’ve been finding these other insects since. They keep showing up in my bed and shower. I’ve already filed a pest control request with my apartment, but they said they can only spray the outside of the unit to prevent them from entering. Please help identify these insects and let me kn”
“Hello, I recently found this insect in my bathroom. To preface, I am currently dealing with fleas in my bedroom. I got them from work one day and been dealing with them since May. They went away but reappeared last month. I vacuum everyday and dump the remains outside away from my house. From what I’ve seen, they’re under my bed, not on top. I’ve been using PETARMOR Home Household Spray for Fleas and Ticks, ADAMS Flea & Tick Home Spray for Bed Bugs, Fleas & Ticks, traps from Amazon, and”
“I've been getting mysterious bites, so I suspected bed bugs and searched my sheets and my couch. I found these, which I don't think are bed bugs ? The Internet says bed bugs are supposed to be about the size of an apple seeds, these are way smaller, like I could fit maybe 5 of them on my pinky nail (or more). I am terrified of bugs. Is this an infestation of something ? Thanks guys :( submitted by /u/Initial_Pea2955 [link] [comments]”
“what did Orkin recommend for next steps and what treatment did they do? Are any other tenants seeing anything? When you say patch job, is it just steelwool stuffed in the opening? Or did they properly fix the hole? Did they put traps out?”
“Been waking up with bug bites the past 2-3 days, including one on my neck. Found this guy on my floor today. Understand it’s really rare to be bitten by a cockroach, do you think I have another cause or is this likely to be it? submitted by /u/Gotnothingbetter12 [link] [comments]”
“Just found this apparent damage by beasts unknown. No critters seen but we have lots of bushes and flowers. This the first damage on the house I’ve noticed. Any likely suspects come to mind? submitted by /u/Lanky-Banana8413 [link] [comments]”
“What are these brown/red crumbs under my fridge? Is this droppings from a pest? submitted by /u/captpeaches [link] [comments]”
“Need help identifying these. Are they termites or some sort of ants? My apologies for the bad picture. Location Southern California submitted by /u/Onepackman31 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all, I don’t really have any pictures, but if you can imagine a small black ant about 1/4 the size of a rice grain, those are the ants that emerged when my dresser fell and the top part of it slid off the bottom. What kind of ants are they, and how serious of a problem are they? submitted by /u/Krixathan [link] [comments]”
“Hundreds of these tiny flying insects appeared in my bedroom. They’re over the walls, ceiling, and my bed. I only noticed a few at first and thought they were just gnats (they’re tiny) but the next thing I noticed it took over my room. They’re very small, brown/dark colored, and have translucent wings. They seemed to appear all at once rather than gradually. I haven’t figured out where they’re coming from yet. Does anyone know: - What species/type of insect is this? - Does this look like somethi”
“They are tiny but clearly visible, have wings, and I’ve seen around 4-5 crawling on my bed… Please help 😢 submitted by /u/DoctorReasonable8526 [link] [comments]”
“This appeared on the basement floor of my unfinished, 100 year old house in the hood. It's been raining the past few days pretty heavily, not sure if that's connected at all. Im so scared this is asbestos. I accidentally stepped in it. Is there anything I can do about it?? submitted by /u/Yael_Eyre [link] [comments]”
“Black thing hanging under my siding. Is this that bad? Sorry I’m new to this stuff. Edit: the siding was already like this. Didn’t get any work done or siding installed. Just noticing this now when I climbed up recently. submitted by /u/DueAdvertising5726 [link] [comments]”
“I just moved into a new apartment and have been having some pest issues. Most of the insects we've been dealing with have been larder beetles but this roach-like demon appeared in my bedroom mid day today. Please help ID this... I squished him so bad I can't take another picture. This is in Northern Ontario submitted by /u/bluebirdings [link] [comments]”
“Hi. We stayed with my father in law yesterday. We found these 2 bugs in the bedroom our stuff was in. These bodies dont seem to have heads, but I found a head close by one of these and I took a picture for reference. I’m so worried it’s bed bugs. Can someone please tell me what they are, and is there anything I should do to prevent bringing these bugs with our stuff? Should I throw everything away? submitted by /u/svdney8 [link] [comments]”
“These have been appearing on my bed every day and night since I moved into a new place, and sometimes I see them crawl on my skin. Sometimes when I try to kill them they jump? submitted by /u/karaisaeggpuff [link] [comments]”
“What insect just puts these brown liquidy spots on my walls/any type of surface and how do I clean it off? For context this is in my room, my room usually isn't humid because I always have a dry ac on. submitted by /u/AdRound736 [link] [comments]”
“These found on my windows sills and ceiling fire sprinklers. I live in Central CA. submitted by /u/Beneficial_Push5385 [link] [comments]”
“These found on my windows sills and ceiling fire sprinklers. I live in Central CA. submitted by /u/Beneficial_Push5385 [link] [comments]”
“they’re everywhere around my room in my bathroom in my closet/clothes and sometimes even in my bed. ive cleaned my room so many times and done my laundry but i still see them all the time. They’re driving me absolutely crazy and i’m getting super paranoid. What are they and how do i get rid of them? submitted by /u/Training_Chain8363 [link] [comments]”
“Keep seeing these in my bathroom. Just got back from being away a couple of days and a whole bunch of them were in my sink a couple on the ceiling. Zoom in for more detail. I'm thinking they're swarming ants. Anyone know? submitted by /u/Striking_Currency848 [link] [comments]”
“Or do I need to burn my apartment? I moved some boxes for cleaning and saw it crawling. I'm now thinking brown carpet beetle. So not a friendly bug... Is that correct? submitted by /u/kepis86943 [link] [comments]”
“I was looking out a window of my house today and saw something fall off the roof. It caught my eye and after looking in the grass, I saw a palmetto bug (or American cockroach? not sure) walk away. I immediately went outside to inspect where it could have fallen from and saw this small opening. I then went around the house and tried to identify how many similar gaps there were and there’s quite a few, but they’re all “small”. Does that mean I should caulk all similar gaps? This is in Florida btw.”
“I cross posted on another Reddit thread a video if you’d like to reference a better picture. These little tiny bugs have appeared on my living room curtain and I’m horrified. submitted by /u/anawheresyourmind [link] [comments]”
“Yesterday an exterminator came to see how yellowjackets were getting into my apartment. The office manager opened up the outdoor-accessible mechanical closet for him because it’s always locked. I could hear them outside when he went in and said “I don’t see any wasps but there’s a bunch of mold” to which she said “Oh I know haha💅🏻”. After they left I realized she left it unlocked and not fully closed, so I looked in and saw this abomination. Seriously, how bad is this stuff for your health? Es”
“Keep finding these small reddish/orange bugs in the bathroom sink or around the baseboards of my new month (newly constructed 6 months ago). They seem to have a hard shell, as they can't be squished easily. Anyone knows what this is? Should I be concerned? submitted by /u/bachang96 [link] [comments]”
“I was taking my bedsheets off to wash them and noticed all of these in one spot on my wood baseboards!!?? Anyone know what these are?? The room is in the basement. I also do not think it’s poop as they are actively moving around submitted by /u/AcanthaceaeBest7627 [link] [comments]”
“I'm not sure what these non-biting pests are in my bedroom. They are the size of pinheads and difficult to see features beyond a exterior shell captured by the camera flash. Appreciate any solution to finally be rid of them! I have a platform bed with a varnished-wood perimeter frame, including the headboard, footboard, and bed posts, with the mattress supported by raw wood planks which are screwed to the perimeter frame. I purchased this frame on Amazon, with a review -- shortly after my pu”
“They’re living in a hole in a concrete block. I tried spraying into it to no avail. Would plugging it at night cause other problems? This is a wall on my home, the interior of the wall is in the basement submitted by /u/timtomtommytom [link] [comments]”
“In Vancouver, BC. In a very old home so nothing surprises me anymore; Bedroom in 3rd floor. submitted by /u/N3kU [link] [comments]”
“They show up kinda near the window area. They seem to be able to jump and maybe have wings? i live in an old ass college dorm. I’m very anxious about this and not sure what to do next… please help!! submitted by /u/crypt1cat [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone! I’m trying to identify this tiny bug I’ve been finding in my room and especially around my bed. I first noticed them about 2 months ago when the weather was extremely hot. At that time, there were quite a few different bugs in my room, and I killed some of these. Recently, I’ve started finding them again. Some details: -They’re very tiny, approximately around the size of a sesame seed (maybe 3–4 mm). -They look dark brown/reddish-brown. -The body seems elongated and somewhat flat. -”
“help! what bugs are these😭 I have a small recurring mould issue on my wall, and it recently came back. so there are tiny specs of little bugs there are naked to the eye, and only visible when i shine a torch. there are many behind a cabinet of mine with probably mould clusters, and some on the wall beside my bed. are they harmful or related to the mould? what can i do the prevent them? side note: really increasingly frustrated with the mould on the wall. any tips? i live in a really humid clima”
“Does anyone know what type of insect these are? And how can I get rid of them? They started showing up over the last few months, and I've noticed them on the floor, sometimes crawling on the sink and kitchen counter. Gross! We do have an exterminator that sprays outside our home regularly, and I'm wondering if this is something I could have them take care of. I do have a little one, so I don't have them spray inside the home because I'm concerned about toxins around young childre”
“I keep seeing this bug at home, i just moved in to this new house (newly built) and keep seeing these frequently. I asked chatgpt but its saying its some beetle. submitted by /u/Klutzy_Court1591 [link] [comments]”
“found this in my bed after finishing some bites on myself that may or may not be related. not sure if it is a bed bug, carpet beetle larvae (we have had this issue before) or roach nymph. submitted by /u/Top-Vanilla-6090 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all. Woke up to little piles of wood debris next to my bathroom vanity. Debris seems coarse. Kind of looks like the wood has been chewed on. Im at a loss here. We live in the Raleigh NC area. submitted by /u/Legitimate_Oil_3738 [link] [comments]”
“We bought an old house in the country and I was not prepared for the amount of bugs out here. It keeps me up at night. Found this one on the wall by our bed. Is it a roach? submitted by /u/Top-Monk-6949 [link] [comments]”
“Need help with possible bed bugs submitted by /u/HatEmbarrassed8051 [link] [comments]”
hi! title. these look like clothes moths and i’ve collected this many over two months, but I’m not sure where they’re coming from. my friend and I scoured my closet and inspected…
“Hey friends - for many weeks now I've had drain flies in my basement and I've discovered they're coming out of an access panel from the wall, not a sink or bathroom drain. Terminix came multiple times to spray, but pretty sure they just killed the adults. I have poured Green Goblin down all drains to no effect. Finally I had a plumber come and camera and then jet clean the drain right outside my basement door (though we do not know where that drain leads, he cleaned it for 30 feet).”
“Does anyone know what this bug is? It was found on the floor of a bedroom. It seems to be a shell of some kind. I live in Central New Jersey. Any help would be greatly appreciated. submitted by /u/Meowsickles11 [link] [comments]”
“I found about 10 of these between the wall and ceiling of an apartment. Mostly in corners, some along the wall. Located in North Western Ontario, Canada. submitted by /u/Technical_Drink_846 [link] [comments]”
“Any idea what this guys is? There were 2 or 3 of them jumping around The 2nd picture of the underside of the mattress I’m not sure if it’s crumbs or some sort of dander submitted by /u/Durkey61802 [link] [comments]”