Homeowners Battle Persistent Pests
Multiple posts express frustration with ongoing pest infestations, including raccoons, German roaches, boatman flies, and bed bugs. Users seek advice on effective removal methods and preventative measures.
SOURCES (60)
“And how do I get rid of them ? Thanks so much in advance. submitted by /u/Hogtownsucks [link] [comments]”
“We have been living with my mom while our house was on the market in another state, and we’re about to move out. But within the last week or so, we’re seeing a large uptick in roach sightings. We live in Georgia, so these are large and probably also medium sized roaches. I just saw one in the kitchen this morning. Help!! Why the sudden uptick? There has been construction on the front porch for the last two weeks, not sure if that means anything. submitted by /u/Shomer_Effin_Shabbas [”
“So far I spotted 6 of these things the past 3 months! It's a new construction home in Vegas so I'm not sure if it's due to the heat? Can anyone identify what this is? Should I be concerned? I sprayed Raid on some images so I apologize it's unclear. submitted by /u/PowerLongjumping911 [link] [comments]”
“Sorry for asking to identify droppings, these appeared over the past 2 days in a large pile. Southern California, Garage, I have had roaches before here, but never seen a cluster of black specs like this. I haven't had any glue traps collect any roaches in the past 6 months but plenty of crickets. I don't mind the crickets but want to avoid the roaches. submitted by /u/UserSleepy [link] [comments]”
“Is this a German cockroach? Should I be concerned? I’ve checked around the house and this is the only one I’ve found but I know it’s never only one Location: Zevo trap located in bedroom in mobile Alabama I have not spotted any droppings or any other bugs that look similar. submitted by /u/angelathomas5904 [link] [comments]”
“Hello, we currently have a bat infestation and these have only been seen in the floor directly under our attic. We have not seen marks/signs of bed bugs on furniture or our beds. I know the likelihood of it being bat bugs is high. However, I am paranoid and want some reassurance if I'm right or correction if I'm wrong. submitted by /u/twlight_boy [link] [comments]”
“It is much larger than it looks on camera, probably just a little bigger than a US quarter. My main concern: is this the type of roach that infests houses? I'm in the middle of the East coast in the US, for reference. I live in an apartment. I've lived here for almost 2 years and I've never seen these here before. I saw some other people say that they can come from the plumbing. I did recently open the p-trap under our bathroom sink to retrieve a necklace that fell down the drain, bu”
“These guys show up almost exclusively in my bathroom during the late summer months here in Long Beach, CA. Often the ones I see seem worse for wear (slow, fairly out in the open, dying). There was one full grown American roach in the house a couple weeks ago (also dying, but that could have been because the cat found it first) submitted by /u/a-bunch-of-apples [link] [comments]”
“Got an influx of flies in the house the last few days. Been crazy hot and humid here in LA the last several weeks. No clue where to look to root them out at the source. What type of fly is this? They’re pretty big - 1/4” to 1/2” - and def like the windows during the day and a light at night. Would love pointers for what to do as we haven’t had them here before. submitted by /u/tcave44 [link] [comments]”
“In Northern Virginia, and have a millipede invasion. Find at least a dozen live/dead one's each day in my finished row home basement, and on the main level (I think they are traveling upstairs following the HVAC system ducts/vents). There is no dirt nearby the house either - front and back yards are paved. Have had pest control companies spray Talstar, Onslaught, Suspend SC, with little to no results. Have put down Talstar granules outside, and in the utility closet area (houses HVAC and Wat”
“Southern Maryland/Northern Virginia area. Basement unit. Found under kitchen sink with a disposal leak. submitted by /u/johngannon8 [link] [comments]”
“Found dying under my kitchen sink in Tampa, Florida. I replenish gel bait under there every two months as I’ve been dealing with German roaches (I live in an apartment complex and they travel through the wall voids from neighboring units), but I’ve never seen one of these guys before. It’s about half an inch and much wider + thicker than the German roaches. Should I be concerned about yet another infestation, or did it just wander in? submitted by /u/Own_Helicopter_8727 [link]”
“We keep finding millipedes throughout our apartment, sometimes several at a time. Pest control has supposedly treated twice, but they keep coming back. We’re tired of killing them, I’m uncomfortable walking barefoot, and our dog even ate one and threw it up. What actually works to stop them from getting inside? Should management be treating the exterior and sealing entry points? I also have a variety of plants and I’m on the 8th floor. submitted by /u/realjbj [link] [comments]”
“I'm in Myrtle Beach SC. I already put enzyme drain cleaner in the drains. I have apple cider vinegar traps out. They are most prevalent in the kitchen. submitted by /u/Fat_Stacks1 [link] [comments]”
“I have tried every single thing I’ve found online. These bugs are coming at a higher rate day by day. I set a new trap yesterday and collected roughly 25 in one day. Please someone tell me somewhere I should check that isn’t a common place that a Google search would tell you to look. I taped every drain in my house one night, and caught 0 flies. I live in a typical colonial style home, and have not found and wet spots to think there’s an issue with a cracked pipe. I’ve cleaned every single pipe”
“keep finding these (3 so far) in my airbnb in new england and they are freaking me out (been here for past 3 weeks on work). are they bed bugs? been sleeping with the lights on bc i'm so freaked out. should i just set all my stuff on fire?? any help would be greatly appreciate. i'm so worried and sad and tired! submitted by /u/missminutes1975 [link] [comments]”
“Hello! I'm getting worried because I've found 3 of these guys inside in the past few days. Fingers crossed it's just a few confused wood roaches but I honestly can't tell and I'm really concerned if they might be German races. I tried to get a decent picture but the lighting was poor. Can you help? Located in New Jersey, USA. submitted by /u/blondezombie123 [link] [comments]”
“6 days ago, my dad a warehouseworker found a little cockroach on the table next to his plate, afterwards one in the kitchen where he was washing the dishes, and then an hour or two later I found another one after kicking his chair... We killed all of them and threw the bodies outside, placed traps around those areas and did a through cleaning of the whole living room and kitchen... We haven't seen any since, but now I see this on my wall? This kinda moved cronkly, so I kinda just hope it is”
“I’ve been finding these small dark pellets in and around my bed. They’re very uniform in color and are hard like grains of sand. I believe they’re falling from a gap between the boards in my ceiling, and my room is on the top floor. I’m concerned that these may be termite droppings based on photos I’ve seen online, but would appreciate more opinions. submitted by /u/Ainserr [link] [comments]”
“Had this at a customers condo today. I think it’s a Spotted Mediterranean but can’t say 100%. I know they’re usually an occasional invader from outside but they said they were killing them 15 at a time and both neighbors had them which made me want to look into it further. Is it possible for them to infest a home? submitted by /u/Western-Ad-8228 [link] [comments]”
“Could someone help me identify this bug that I found in my bathroom sink? Google lens is giving me multiple answers including bed bug, beetle, planthopper nymph. submitted by /u/AdventurousMeal3455 [link] [comments]”
Located in North Carolina submitted by /u/uncomfy_noodle [link] [comments]
“Hi! I have been dealing with these tiny gnats I think since we got back from a week long vacation and they are driving me INSANE. I originally thought they were fungus gnats so I threw away ALL my plants.. a month later and I’m still killing 20 of them a day and I’m 99% sure they’re coming from the drains. They will land in any water like a drink or cats water dish and drown. I have the zevo traps and they fill up like this in a week downstairs and will have many 5-10 on the traps upstairs. I ha”
“There are these two bugs that show up in my bathtub at night consistently. I think they’re coming in through the very cracked caulking which I know needs urgent fixing (just moved into this place and solving things one at a time). The bathtub faucet also leaks a bit which I suspect could be attracting them. They also seem to create this brown dust that I will wipe away with a paper towel and it will reappear. What are these? What is this brown dust, and is it a structural concern? What can be do”
“I’m renting this place and I’ve been noticing these droppings around but this area is by FAR the most I have seen in one place. What are they from? I’m assuming termite since they’re underneath this wooden table but was wondering if anyone could confirm submitted by /u/bro20235 [link] [comments]”
“does anyone know what these droppings could be from? they’re tiny , shiny against light, and are be red or black. i thought it was carpet beetle droppings, but now im not sure. happens when i leave my window open, SOCAL. they do not stick to the surface, easy to wipe clean. i find them under my pets bed in the window, and on the baseboard/floor. TIA! submitted by /u/Substantial_Cup_703 [link] [comments]”
“Sudden infestation with these flies in Connecticut. submitted by /u/explorernsfw [link] [comments]”
“I have ecoshield pest control who identified these things. Then the tech told me what to do. Like caulk around the toilet. I thought pest control also did their best to eliminate these pests, like them caulking around the toilet or other drains. Am I mistaken,? submitted by /u/Suspicious_Play4098 [link] [comments]”
“I’ve found maybe 3 or 4 of these bugs in the last 6 months in my 2nd floor apartment. 2 in my shower and 2 on my cat’s water bowl (picture shown). I keep a clean apartment, I clean my shower regularly and I switch out her bowl every other day with a clean one. Any ideas? Are they coming from the drain? I hate hate hate bugs 🥲 for context, I live in northern Utah. submitted by /u/toomanyplantsXO [link] [comments]”
“In Southern Ontario - these flies have been a nuisance in our kitchen and attached living room for weeks. We originally thought they were fruit flies, and some did get caught by an apple cider vinegar trap, but they’re also constantly swarming my roommate’s face, not just food. They also seem to be living or laying eggs in the sink drain, as when the tap turns on, they swarm out. Our house is nearly 200 years old, so we’ve got a lot of pest issues, but this is by far the most annoying. Have also”
“I found a small nymph in upstairs bathroom sink Aug 7th around noon, then Aug 10th around 9pm found the bigger one in downstairs bathroom sink. (images provided) Called 2 pest control companies. one is certain this is wood roach. the other thinks this is german roach. I have placed stick traps down under each bathroom sink, kitchen sink and in basement. I havent had one on there since Aug 7th. The pest control guy told me to look around at night with a flash light to see if i spot any, havent fo”
“Can anyone help me identify this roach nymph? We live in Columbus, GA. It was found on the sticky trap we have on the side of our front door. We have been treating our house with Alpine WSG and Gentrol IGR every 2-4 weeks due to other roach sightings in our kitchen. But for the past month or so the only place we have seen any is by our front door or outside. submitted by /u/Local_Permission7141 [link] [comments]”
“So found what seem to be a nymph just wondering around an empty closet near the kitchen. I do have some glue traps placed out around the house from 2 or so months ago with absolutely no roaches in them at all and just some spiders and earwigs. Looking for some help to see if I should be concerned about this! Thank you. submitted by /u/banalez [link] [comments]”
“Should i be worried if i find one? I saw something last night and it possibly came in the apartment due to my husband coming home as we sometimes see them outside on the windows. Just now i found it on the window in the livingroom. I did run the hot water for a bit in the kitchen just incase. So i was wondering, should i be worried about it? I would like to know as i don't exactly would like to have a drainfly case on my hands lol submitted by /u/howdefuck [link] [comments]”
“They are disgusting roaches I find only when going to the kitchen/living room at night. I think they are coming from underneath our front doors but they are evil. tonight was the first time one flew straight at me. he tried to touch me. I made sure to kill him but how can I make them stop coming in our house? I posted on here about a month and a half ago and I was told it’s a wood roach and won’t infest but the only roaches I care for are dead ones. submitted by /u/PersonalityFickle1”
“Hoping these pics are clear enough. We had a big rainfall today and found this guy on top of my ac unit. It got caught on a trap (we had one out for seasonal ants). Have not seen a roach indoors in a decade and internally freaked out but convincing myself the rain brought one in. I did ask AI first (sorry lol) and its immediate go-to was IDing as a German until it decided those weren’t actual “racing stripes” on its head and changed its mind. I do see two lines but they’re not dark/black? If the”
“hello! as the title states, I checked all over crevices, drawers, under cabinets, closets etc, and only found this small guy by the toilet. house has been on the market for 14 days, what kind of roach is this and should I be concerned that there are more waiting to come out? in Texas so it’s been hot AF. thanks!! submitted by /u/Independent-Garlic39 [link] [comments]”
“I just moved into an all brick rancher. The only part of the home with ANY wood is a small area of siding at the top of our sunroom. I keep finding these droppings on our window sills, between the window and screen, in the top corners of the wall in webs, and above door jams. Nowhere else in the house has these droppings. They appear fresh on the floor and window sill daily. No termites were identified under the house in that area or anywhere else. Could there be termites near the roof in the wa”
“My family and I just moved into a very old, historical home that has been fully renovated on the inside. Since move in day we noticed many Phorid flies flying around. I also found about 100 dead ones in a deep windowsill on move in day. I thought they were fruit flies at first and set a few traps. I have 2 traps in the kitchen and I was catching like 8 per day in each trap in the first few weeks. But they keep coming back. I started doing research and found out they are actually Phorid flies. I”
“Southwest Florida. Just want to make sure of species so that I can do the right at home pest control submitted by /u/Fresh-Ad7925 [link] [comments]”
“Staying in a vrbo in Tennessee. On our second day we found some small bugs that are jumping around. Can anyone identify from these photos (ik they are bad quality) and what can we do to not take these home to our animals? submitted by /u/Z0nana [link] [comments]”
“These are rampant in our master bath. Local pest control has treated several times and while there are more dead now than alive, they continue to appear. What are we dealing with here and how do I rid my bathroom of them? submitted by /u/breddy [link] [comments]”
“found this bug crawling slowly across my kitchen counter around 8pm. Live in a suburban wooded area. submitted by /u/AffectEconomy6034 [link] [comments]”
“Hi! I need help identifying this dead bug I found. NYC. I have seen a couple bigger American roaches around, mostly after a big rain. I found this dead guy today. Is it a baby roach? What should I do? submitted by /u/PassAccomplished9027 [link] [comments]”
“Can someone help me ID this bug? Thumb in photo for scale - have also seen a larger one that was about the length of my thumbnail. Found on window, other was found on wall. They seem to have wings of some sort but hard to tell in photo. Live in apartment in NYC not near any parks, etc. 5 floors up. Thanks so much!! submitted by /u/No_Sell2690 [link] [comments]”
“Baseboard at bottom of doorframe in 3rd floor master closet. Was out of town at beach in North Carolina (saw 1 American roach at air bnb but seemed to be dying and not moving). Came back home for 4 days and then left again for a long weekend. Returned home today and noticed this almost immediately. It clumps together when putting some on paper. No holes in baseboard above it. No other observations in closest or house overall. No food ever in 3rd floor to be a source. submitted by /u/”
“they used to stay in my basement, and over the last year or so now they’ve moved up and have been in every room of my house. they’re mostly in our kitchen/dining room(since the basement area where they come up from is directly below the kitchen), to the point i happened to see 20 of them, both babies and adults, in my kitchen about 10 minutes ago. my main issue is and the reason i’m posting here is that i have a cat and i know a lot of these traps and sprays aren’t good for pets, and the ones th”
“probably a silly question but i’ve been dealing with different flies and i recently changed this light catcher thing maybe around two days ago and these all appear to be the same and in a mass amount for the time since i replaced it. usually it takes a while for these traps to catch any and they’re usually varied in “species”. should i be concerned and any way to prevent them? submitted by /u/Emergency_Credit_480 [link] [comments]”
“It's been two weeks since I first started finding these droppings in my kitchen. At first, there were only a few (like three on tiles), so I thought I might have dropped something. Since my hand was injured, I couldn't mop the floor for a few days. Then I started noticing them on the wall as well. I used Red Hit, but they keep appearing and are now showing up on my kitchen countertop as well. They look like coffee beans, are a bit hard to scratch off, and don't seem to have any notic”
“been seeing these guys fly around my house the last couple days, not sure if they are fruit flies or what. every time i open the fridge in the morning there seems to be a couple new ones laying there, dead. they like the frequent the trash can. i’ve placed some clear glasses over sink and bathroom drains to see if they are coming from there. please help! submitted by /u/Odd-Net-6129 [link] [comments]”
“Looking for help identifying these larvae which showed up in our enclosed porch after a rain. They are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. This is the first time we’ve seen them, though not the most rain we’ve seen lately. Location: Boston, Mass. We’ve also had issues with sugar ants in the sun room, though that has come under control with the use of Advion ant gel. Thanks! submitted by /u/LumpyForce99 [link] [comments]”
“I found this one dead. Another one was found last night on a curtain and that one flew when approached. I put glue boards out weeks ago and haven't caught a single thing. I've checked everywhere (behind all appliances and cabinets) and sprayed alpine. No sign of anything. I live in south Louisiana. submitted by /u/__motherofcats__ [link] [comments]”
“https://preview.redd.it/9z0fpgzrk9gh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=b4f5bee7c4a73f463c193000fa14b4581be236d6 https://preview.redd.it/1b8plgzrk9gh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=f1def5237338de5e76313144b40648e482552223 https://preview.redd.it/8d7amgzrk9gh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=db2a807d8a7519fe82864966b2e5b756838ddf9a This is in the panhandle of Texas. Found these on some glue traps I have out to catch the stray American/Oriental”
“I recently found this outside along the side of my house. It looks too even to just be dirt or sand. Is this something I need to call somebody to come out and look at? submitted by /u/SnooCauliflowers1265 [link] [comments]”
“I live in Virginia in a 1960s home, so this summer starting in June I've noticed a lot of springtails and I sprayed some tempered FX around the parameter and I also caulked some cracks along the counter where they were coming out from and I also sprayed some temprid around that area so the springtail suddenly stopped in number. They were even crawling on ceiling coming out of the vents at one point but they suddenly stopped and I'm not sure if it was the insect control spray or what. So”
“What flies are these? Tiny little things. hang out by the sinks but have begun to find them everywhere. How do i catch them? They dont care for vinigar or sticky fly traps. P submitted by /u/often_questioning [link] [comments]”