Homeowners Battling Pests
Numerous homeowners are struggling with persistent pest infestations, including silverfish, mice/rats, roaches, ants, earwigs, spiders, and bed bugs. They're seeking advice on identification, removal methods (traps, sprays, diatomaceous earth), and preventative measures.
SOURCES (60)
“Okay so theres basically bugs ranging from house centipedes to crickets/ they are coming from my wall how do i extirminate them and torture them??? submitted by /u/Previous_Draw_3731 [link] [comments]”
“I don't know what to do anymore please give me some advice on how to fix this. I have a very small apartment and every summer maggots fill up the trash can before even a week. I've let the bin sit outside to air out, hosed it down, bleached it, fabreezed it, everything I can think of. But once I bring it inside they somehow get in again. I do a lot of cooking and I even tried leaving food scraps in the fridge until I'm ready to bring the trash to the dump but they still show up. It&#”
“Finding random single turds in basement of house we just bought about 2 months ago. Most are one the floor but some have been found on walls. We set out a mouse trap with peanut butter about two weeks ago but it hasn’t been triggered. Located in northeast Ohio. submitted by /u/petitpea [link] [comments]”
“My dad had drain flies in his basement tub sink. I got rid of them by pouring an entire bottle of liquid plumber down the drain, let it sit, then flushed with plenty of hot water. Nuke them from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”
“I have a 1950’s block house in Phoenix. I had a rat in my bedroom at 2am. I was trying to contain them and they got away from me and I have not seen them in 3 weeks. I have not seen droppings, food, chewed items. I have not heard any sounds that indicate a rat is present. Prior to this there was no evidence there was a rat in my home. For the past 3 weeks I have been keeping baited snap traps in the bedroom at night and nothing has happened with them. I added some snap traps to my attic and I ad”
“Hi everyone! Honestly just looking for some advice and reassurance. We've had what we believed to be one mouse living in our bathroom for quite some time (Lackluster agent) but over the past week we've been noticing more and more about the flat. We're based in London above a shop so it's no doubt where they're coming from. The problem is, our flat is absolutely riddled with holes. Just last night there was one in my room and I discovered the entire skirting under my radiator”
“I am uncertain if these are fruit flies and want to be sure I have it identified correctly so I know how to properly clean my kitchen and bathroom and get rid of these. I wanna be basic and use Terro Fruit Fly Traps but clearly those won't work if these aren't fruit flies. Could anyone help me? Sorry for the close ups. submitted by /u/mysticalentity [link] [comments]”
“so i have to clean my bedroom or at least want to but i think i saw a silverfish go under my bed. also i have generally a ton of garbage not under and under my bed (mostly under) does anyone have tips??? (can't put a photo, my phone's dead) submitted by /u/always-tired-user [link] [comments]”
“Been having an issue with mice...mouse traps and glue boards aren't working..... prefer not to use poison cause we have pets around the house...help lol submitted by /u/GOODFELLA1981 [link] [comments]”
“We have mice. The pest control guy came out and gave us an estimate for general pest control and putting out bait boxes for the mice. I expressed to him that my cats eat rodents (actually eat, not just play with or kill and leave it) and my concern with poison is that they’ll eat a mouse that has poison in its system. The man told me that poison they use is counteracted by vitamin K and that since vitamin K is in cat food, they would basically be counteracting it when they eat their food. He did”
“What is the best organic way to get rid of gnats? I live in a camper and I feel they keep coming from nowhere!! I willing to try anything to get rid of them. submitted by /u/Sunny_Girl2745 [link] [comments]”
“Hello! Living in a rental. The floor boards are like this from when the landlord got rid of the staircase between the upper and lower floors before our tenancy. We have seen black rats and caught 2 so far with peanut butter snap traps. Trying to rat proof the possible entries. What would I do about the floor boards? Is it worth getting the landlord to repair and is there something I can block it with in the meantime? Thank you! submitted by /u/Dry-Contact7769 [link] [comments]”
“We live in the northeast USA and we live an older apartment building. We’ve been living here for around a year and we never had a pest problem, we found this dude this morning and want to know what species this is so we can properly deal with them (found him high on our bedroom wall) submitted by /u/pocketprawn [link] [comments]”
“I'm at my wit's end. For about a year and a half now, I have been getting crazy numbers of what I think are gnats in one specific area of a bedroom/storage. I'm talking 80-150 at a time. They're ONLY dropping dead in the dormer area (the entire rectangular spot). There's no sign of dead gnats outside of it which is so weird. I use that part of the room to store larger boxes and totes, craft supplies, fabric, etc., and even clearing them out to vacuum/wipe down doesn't rea”
“Need tips, they keep coming even tho im clean asl submitted by /u/noisy_girl081206 [link] [comments]”
“I need help identifying what type of roaches they are and how to get rid of them. I’ve been seeing at most 2 at a time when I wake up at around 7am and they are very small, maybe the size of a penny or smaller. I think they are German roaches, but that was a ChatGPT diagnosis and I dont see any of the other signs that match German roaches but I’m not a professional so idk. I’ve been seeing them for a week now and I called pest control and they said they found absolutely nothing in the bathroom o”
“Hi all. I have a rat problem in my small yard. They have been eating my cucumber vines and now the flowers and small cucumbers. I’ve caught a few of them using cage and sticky traps but I think there are more of them. I’m very close to giving up on my cucumbers since they keep finding ways. Right now it’s just vining on a trellis against a fence which is where the rats run through. Any pointers would be appreciated! submitted by /u/Frequent-Midnight-83 [link] [comments]”
“We have seen cockroaches and geckos around the little pale brown one’s. Is this palmetto bug poop or something else? Scared of mice. I have all my food stored and in containers nothing out submitted by /u/pinkuser600 [link] [comments]”
“Hello, this is my first post and I just need a little bit of advice. Our outside bin is absolutely crawling with maggots like I'm talking all over the outside and inside all over the driveway, the other day we spotted this and bleached them all and then put hot water all over them but they keep coming back😭 Went outside this evening and it's absolutely crawling, worse than it was earlier. I've shared many a house and had many a bin and this has never happened to me before. Will the”
“Opened it up to find this. How screwed am I? (Vent stack). submitted by /u/ContentFarmer [link] [comments]”
“I’m having a moderate infestation and it’s my first time using roach gel bait for these small German roaches in this apartment I got for 8 months i want to know if these are mistakes or not, or if so if I’m about to learn it the hard way? Tried doing an estimate of where I seen them or where they might be hiding, so took pictures of spots I might’ve done a poor job incase I have any doubt EDIT: I forgot to say this, but it’s Combat MAX in case you wanted to know the brand submitted by  ”
“Hey everyone, I need help identifying these droppings on my 2nd-floor balcony. The space is completely clear except for one large plant pot, and the floor drain is closed and covered. My building sits right next to a garden and some woods, but I'm confused about how a mouse or pest would get up to the second floor with no obvious access points. Does this look like a mouse that climbed the exterior wall, a bat roosting overhead, or another garden pest? submitted by /u/reda250 [lin”
“Hi all, I’m very new to pest control. To make a very long story short, we own a split level house, and my wife and I have a bedroom in the bottom level, which is kind of like a den. Last night, I went into the bathroom and saw a mouse scurry away from me. My wife is pregnant, and I don’t want her to get any kind of complications or germs or disease from having a mouse in the room. What is the best way to deal with this and to clean up safely? submitted by /u/CaesarsGhostReborn [link]”
“Hi all, I’m very new to pest control. To make a very long story short, we own a split level house, and my wife and I have a bedroom in the bottom level, which is kind of like a den. Last night, I went into the bathroom and saw a mouse scurry away from me. My wife is pregnant, and I don’t want her to get any kind of complications or germs or disease from having a mouse in the room. What is the best way to deal with this and to clean up safely? submitted by /u/CaesarsGhostReborn [link]”
“Our basement is a Trainwreck of architecture. Half assed put in ceiling, so there are holes and openings everywhere, crumbling foundation that mice and insects get in from, unsealed cracks everywhere, and a whole ass hole in the chimney where the crumbling brick must have fallen away at some point. That being said, we are being overrun by these goddamn flies and we can't smell any decay and we don't know where they are coming from. Should we just let them do their thing, feast on whateve”
“I remember having it back home, and it was amazing. All the cocroaches disappear without louring new ones in. The other bait traps invite new cocroaches IN BEFORE KILLING THEM I was surprised to know they dont sell it since its a safety hazard for children, i dont have any children submitted by /u/Common_Chip_5935 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all. I was gone for three days and when I came home and empty glue trap (that i guess my exterminator provided when he treated my apartment three months ago) was lying in front of my stove. There was no mouse on it, just poop. It’s a very flimsy glue trap, like mostly paper and light cardboard. Can a mouse actually move these things?? Either a mouse moved it or it’s some sort of mafia hit notice. Either way it freaked me the hell out since I obviously did not a glue trap in the middle of my k”
“I live in a commie block and there are holes in the walls in some areas which create good hiding spots for roaches. Pest control has been in the block the 4th time in the past 2 months. I've set up all kinds of traps but the little critters keep coming. (more specific the adults died but they had kids). I have a WATER vacuum cleaner. (dumps everything into a bowl of water). From what I've seen they haven't learned how to swim yet, so I was thinking about vacuuming them then dumping t”
“So I have a mouse problem currently, i mean they dont bother me, but my parents decided to use glue traps to get rid of them, but I personally cant get behind letting the animal just be glued to the trap and die because it cant get free…I already helped on of them get out and i just took it down the street and let it go, but I guess i want a humane way to get rid of them, but not harm them. I know they carey diseases, but at the same time, i dont just wanna kill a innocent animal that hasnt done”
“Been fighting silverfish for years. We tried the packs with borax, didnt work. We have unsealed wood floors. Looking for a safe for wood spray or an easy cleanup solution in the bathroom (sealed tile), bedroom, and attic above. submitted by /u/formerwrestler [link] [comments]”
“what poison can i buy in store to put in my house to get rid of rats very quickly? cannot afford proper pest control so please do not provide that as a solution and also the good rat traps are expensive. need something they can eat and works quickly submitted by /u/thagoatliveson [link] [comments]”
“I have not seen any signs of bugs or mice as far as I am aware. Either mouse or American cockroach shit? submitted by /u/Flame_beard_forge [link] [comments]”
“https://www.reddit.com/r/pestcontrol/comments/n3lx0n/help_tiny_slithery_gray_leechlooking_pest_in/ please could anyone please assist if in any way possible thanks submitted by /u/Quick_Price_7419 [link] [comments]”
“Outside (currently). No droppings that I can see. Presumably attracted by the failed barrel pond I set up, so I'll be removing that. I'd say the body is about 3-4 inches long. Colouration and ear size make it look like a small rat to me. submitted by /u/Soggy_Loquat8344 [link] [comments]”
“We have a mouse problem and they are getting in via these old ducts in the basement (see picture). What is best option for closing this up to keep the mice out - previous owner just stuck a piece of styrofoam in front of it as you can see. https://preview.redd.it/wnig6af08flh1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd5ba49a9014b6db5bcc3cde664c668be7c46b87 submitted by /u/Independent-Issue556 [link] [comments]”
I made a post 30 days ago but I’ve been dealing with this issue for 40+ days at this point https://www.reddit.com/r/pestcontrol/s/idfV6Kgco1 Location: - I live on a higher floor of an apartment…
“Hey Reddit. I live in an apartment and I clean it at least once a week when I'm not working. I've lived in this apartment for about 3 years now and every summer so far I've seen these little brown bugs. They're about the size of a button hole and they fly around and crawl in thankfully only my bathroom. I try to kill them but every time I do they just come back. I read online that peppermint oil helps get rid of them but I've had no such luck. I just did a deep clean of my wh”
“I posted this in r/pestcontrol but maybe this is the better subreddit for my question. Seeking help because I’m going crazy over getting sick from the mice! TIA submitted by /u/No_Bar8215 [link] [comments]”
“I have now observed a mouse on top of my stove which has burner tops. I also found mouse droppings directly behind it and worry there’s more underneath it. I am worried that they have been inside my oven. It’s very old and of course it wasn’t cleaned from the previous tenant so there is so much burnt bits in there I can’t tell what is mouse droppings or not. I’m petrified to use my oven for the time being. It has a huge cavity in the back that I can see light through. Realistically, how worried”
“Hey there, we just moved into a rental townhome and our pest control guy saw a few adult roaches on glue traps in the attic. There were also a couple indications of previous/non-current rodent presence (small amounts of droppings and tracking in attic) along with some holes in the attic. Don’t think there’s been much activity with the rodent stuff since he mentioned it looks like they were there in the winter and then cleared out. HOWEVER. We live in coastal VA and some roaches are common in bas”
“Last week I posted about the mouse/mice that is defeating me by being smarter than me. Doesn't touch the traps, doesn't touch the poison. My post is copied below and links to the original post and replies if you want more details. Since mice have an excellent sense of smell (as per replies, thank you), I didn't bother to smash up the Tomcat poison and mix it with peanut butter. Figured the mouse would smell the poison anyways. So I got the RatX brand which has good reviews and is a d”
“I have sink flies. They first started being by my kitchen. Their in my bathroom and kitchen. Mainly by the bathroom and kitchen sink. I really hate it. Honestly it's pretty bad. I always do my best to have no dishes in the sink. I need them gone and their very annoying and too much of a pest now. I'm not sure what to do about it. Any suggestions on what to do? I'm struggling to get rid of them. Any tips are very much appreciated. Thank you. submitted by /u/VampyVintageRos”
“Hello, I was in my room & saw a silverfish on the side of my bed. I live in a apartment building for 3 or 4 years & never had a bug problem so how do I get rid or permanently repell them? submitted by /u/CringyMelon [link] [comments]”
“We recently bought a home that nobody was living in for more than a year. I saw a few roaches but thought nothing of it, thinking it was just from the vacancy. The last few weeks have gone by I have noticed more poop. I was thinking we had mice because of how big the poop has been that I have been finding. With a quick Google search I found out roaches poop can be quite big. Meaning bigger roaches...I have sprayed my whole house but have not found any dead. I believe they ate through my bread ba”
“I found these on a cutting board I dont use. Some in a drawer in the kitchen. One in a pan i threw out. We have 2 cats that are great hunters so I'm not sure if its a mouse? We did have ants this summer that were very persistent. And we are kicking out a dirty roommate who's room is by the kitchen when we found a roach coming out of her room. Anyone have an idea? submitted by /u/Brand-berry98 [link] [comments]”
“Need advice. I moved into my apartment 3 days ago and found a rodenticide box in my pantry. After looking in it I saw a large amount of carpet bug larvae and pupa in the box. I got rid of it and vacuumed and cleaned the whole apartment. Every few hours I check the inside of the pantry and see 1-2 larvae in there on the ground. The flooring was half assed (see half assed pic above) and so i pulled up the small piece of flooring that sits by the copper pipes shown in the pics. I found 1 adult beet”
“I keep finding these insects in my house around the upstairs bathroom. Is it a baby roach? Something else? I live in the SE US and have pest service outdoors, but have never had issues inside beyond the occasional lost American roach. submitted by /u/Einteresting [link] [comments]”
“What can I do about these roaches submitted by /u/Tight_Manufacturer58 [link] [comments]”
“Anybody know what kind of roach this is? I found this along with another in my bathroom. I am located in Florida. submitted by /u/One-Mud-7598 [link] [comments]”
“I'm NOT asking for help to get rid of roaches. I've lived in the same place for almost 5 years and never had any majors issues with bugs until a couple months ago. At first they were random and very small (1/8") so hard to identify but over the past couple weeks I've started to see larger ones (1/2"-3/4") and think they're roaches. Maintenance has sprayed and I've laid traps until pest control can visit but the question on my mind is how they got in. None of my”
“Hi, ok so we have critter guards already and have tried everything like fox pee and cayenne. We have evicted the squirrels every year, sometimes twice. We just got a leak abd opened the ceiling. The squirrels come between the panels not the sides. Is there an option for between each solar panel? Kinda desperate ngl submitted by /u/bluebird2334 [link] [comments]”
“I've lived in my current home for 6 years. Never had an issue with pests the way I do now. I do have a cat who makes it harder because even though I try to clean up after his meals he sometimes leaves bits of food everywhere which draws the ants. I have three trails of fire ants that are covering my whole apartment. I think the ants have built nests inside the walls because I have 3 trails coming out of the baseboards in my bedroom under my bed, in the cracks in the tile in my bathroom, and”
“Moving back to my father's next week from student accomodation infested with the gnarliest silverfish ever. Big fellas that don't care about humidity. Naturally, management isn't doing anything, so I've had to adapt my life to their presence. Once a week I do a thorough clean, vacuum and then spray down the floors with crawling insect killer spray. Numerous warnings to keep away from food preparation areas, utensils, et cetera. The silverfish have free reign of the kitchen cabine”
“Also in MN. I have had some in past years, but this year has been awful. I catch them with regular mousetraps in their pathways. I don’t even use bait. I’ve caught around 50 this summer. It’s finally slowed down in the last few weeks. I’m worried about what will happen under the snow this winter….”
“I just moved into a new apartment and yesterday I found a pesticide box (shown above) in my pantry. I picked it up and some bugs and the pesticide fell out (don’t abuse me the label was facing down I had no idea what it was). I quickly swept what I could and put it back in the box. After posting on communities on here people said they were carpet bugs. There are a massive amount of larvae and some adult bugs in the box, about 90% dead. Today I found a single adult beetle roaming around my door f”