16 small house bugs with pictures and names - guide to identification (2023)

Finding little bugs crawling or flying around in your house can be a scary experience. However, noticing a small black bug is nothing to worry about. Many species of house spiders, beetles or fruit flies are relatively harmless. However, small brown bugs like roaches, ants, or bed bugs scurrying along a baseboard or lurking in crevices could be a sign of a larger bug infestation. Identifying common house bugs is the first step in knowing how to get rid of them.

Nobody wants any bugs in their house. Some black or brown house bugs, such as fleas, roaches, or bed bugs, can jump, bite, or transmit disease. Other types of insects that are common in homes, such as some spiders or bed bugs, can cause an uncomfortable painful bite or an irritating skin reaction when they bite you. If you notice houseflies around fruit or on meat, you could suddenly lose your appetite.

Many people refer to any type of crawling household pest as a bug. However, not all pesky crawling or flying insects are true beetles (OrderHemiptera). For example, beetles are atype of insectin this orderBeetle. Cockroaches are brown insects in orderBlattodea. In this article, all types of harmful insects are referred to as bugs - whether they are real bugs or not.

This article is a guide to identifying common types of house bugs that can infest indoor spaces. Descriptions and pictures of the bugs, roaches, spiders, fleas, flies, and ticks will help you identify what nasty creatures might be lurking in your home.

How to identify house bugs

To accurately identify insects in your home, it's important to consider the insect's size, shape, number of legs, and whether it has wings. For example, spiders, mites, and ticks have eight legs and no antennae. Also, mites and ticks are so tiny they can look like black dots.

All insects have six legs and at least two antennae. To identify a cockroach or bug, you should look at the shape of the body. Beetles are smaller insects with a harder body and are usually black "bugs". Cockroaches, on the other hand, are brown bugs with long, slender antennae.

Types of small house bugs with pictures - identification

After noticing a creature scurrying across the floor or spotting a cluster of tiny black bugs behind a bed, you probably want to know what kind of bug you're dealing with. Please read on to find out how to identify types of small house bugs.

cockroaches (Blattodea)

Roaches are small red-brown house bugs with slender oval bodies, six legs and long antennae. Common cockroaches (German cockroach) in the household are 15 mm long. The biggest cockroaches (American periplanet) have wings and grow up to 75 mm long. Cockroaches are common little house bugs that usually lurk in dark cracks, closets and behind furniture.

You can usually spot a cockroach after turning on a light or opening a closet door. The fast-moving brown insects scurry away from the light.

Cockroaches can enter homes through air handling units, along pipes, when bringing used items home, or when hitchhiking in grocery bags. Usually the oval brown bugs prefer dark, warm, humid places. Still, getting rid of roaches is important because they can spread disease and contaminate food or utensils.

Some bugs, crickets, and water bugs look like roaches and are easily mistaken for these disease-carrying brown bugs.

Identifying House Bugs:Cockroaches can be recognized by their flattened, oblong, oval, brown or black bodies, long, slender antennae, and their preference for dark places. Signs of a cockroach infestation include peppery droppings and a musty smell.

carpet beetle (Anthrenus is a verb)

Carpet beetles are tiny oval-shaped house bugs with an irregular pattern of brown, yellowish, and white spots, short antennae, and ranging in size from 0.7 in to 0.14 in (1.7 to 3.5 mm). The rounded, flattened, dark-colored insects have wings and can fly into the apartment. The carpet beetle lives four to eight weeks and can lay up to 90 eggs.

Carpet beetles are generally harmless house bugs. But it is their larvae that are real pests. The brown fuzzy beetle larvae feed on fibers such as wool, cotton, leather and silk. The brown insect larvae eat holes in soft furnishings such as clothing, rugs, and rugs.

Identifying House Bugs:identify carpetbugs in your house, look for tiny dark bugs with yellowish and white spots that fly near lights or crawl on surfaces. Carpet beetles are most commonly identified by looking for chewed holes in the fabric and the brown scale skin of carpet beetle larvae.

Be crazy (be crazy)

Spiders are common household pests that come in all shapes and sizes. Usually, spiders are easy to spot because of their eight scrawny legs, round body, and lack of antennae. Brown or black house spiders can be furry or smooth-bodied and can grow up to 20mm in length.

Identifying spiders in the home is crucial as some can be dangerous. TwoTypes of harmful spidersare the brown recluse and the black widow. The fiddle-shaped markings identify the brown recluse on the front of its body. Black widows are identified by distinctive red markings on a black, glossy body.

However, most spiders in the house are not considered annoying bugs. Common house spiders can be useful when huntingFlies that can infest your plants.

Identifying House Bugs:Spiders are identified by their eight legs, the type of web they form, and the markings on their bodies.

house flies (housefly)

Houseflies are common flying black housefliesBeetle with a dark gray body, transparent wings, six legs, two large compound eyes, and 4 to 7.5 mm (0.15 in to 0.29 in) in length. Although they don't bite, the gray-black flies spread disease by feeding on garbage, spoiled food, and droppings.

If you see these little black flies in your home, you should kill them to prevent them from spreading bacteria. ToGet rid of houseflies, identify areas where thelittle black bugslay their eggs. This could be a garbage can, uncovered pet food, or something else rotten. Then you have to eliminate the flies and their eggs to prevent them from infesting your house.

Identifying House Bugs:Houseflies can be recognized by their small dark gray bodies, large pairs of eyes and a tendency to fly erratically and to buzz around lights or windows.

Related articles: How to get rid of maggots in the house and in the trash can.

weevil (Curculionoidea)

Weevils are sleek black houseBugs that easily infest unsealed foods in your pantry. Weevils are tiny black beetles with a distinctive long snout and pear-shaped body. The little black dresshouse bugsMeasure up to 0.23 inches (6mm) long. Black weevils don't bite, but they can contaminate food with their droppings.

The long black beetles are usually found on walls and along window sills. You can generally use a vacuum cleaner to remove the pesky bugs. Suppose you notice several sleek black bugs in your house. In this case, it is important to thoroughly clean and clean your kitchenCheck all unsealed food for black bugs.

Identifying House Bugs:Weevils can be identified by their glossy black oval body, long snout, and long black antennae.

Junk-Bugs (Chrysopidae)

Junk bugs are strange brown bugs with triangular bodies, yellow markings, and brown heads. Junk bugs are the larval stage of green lacewings. The brown beetle-like larvae have horn-like mouthparts that they use to kill prey. However, their sharp jaws can also cause an uncomfortable bite, skin redness, and swelling.

Junk bugs can be difficult to spot because they have an interesting way of camouflage. The ugly brown bugs keep their killed prey and debris on their backs, lest predatory ants and birds notice them.

Green lacewings are beneficial insectsthat can help to control the number ofcommon garden pests.

Identifying House Bugs:Junk bugs can be identified by their brown bodies, six legs, and tufts of yellowish spines on the sides of their abdomens.

centipede

Centipedes are long, slender house bugs with multiple pairs of legs, two long antennae, and a pair of tails. Centipedes are venomous but do not usually bite. When they bite, their bite can vary in intensity from barely noticeable to very painful.

Centipedes range in size from a few millimeters to 30 cm in length. You can usually find centipedes in dark, secluded areas, and they usually come out at night.

Centipedes are common in homes with moisture problems. You can find them under sinks, in bathrooms, or in damp basements. These long, multi-legged beetles rarely infest a home, however, and tend to be a nuisance.

Ways to get rid of centipedes from a home include killing the bugs and then preventing them from entering the home.

Identifying House Bugs:Millipedes are easily identified because of the numerous pairs of legs along their long, slender bodies. Some centipedes can have anywhere from 55 to 117 pairs of legs.

stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys)

Stink bugs are brown beetles with a flat, shield-shaped body. Stink bugs have a mottled brown body, two straight antennae, and dark bands on their forewings. Thesmall brown bugsMeasure 1.7 cm long and wide. They also emit a characteristic unpleasant odor, especially when crushed.

These shield-shaped brown bugs are relatively harmless to humans. In autumn, the beetles enter houses through open windows or doors and hibernate in attics or crawl spaces. The stinky bugs become more active in the spring when their rancid stench intensifies.

Identifying House Bugs:Stink bugs have a distinctive brown body with marble-like patterns, six legs, and two dark antennae with white markings. On their recognizable shield-shaped body, they have black bands along the edge of their abdomen.

Beetle

Bugs are small bugs that come in all shapes and sizes. All beetles can be recognized by their shell-like forewings, six legs and round head. SomeBeetles can be black, and small black bugs can look like fleas. Other beetles can be variegated with iridescent green colors.

Although beetles are useful insects for controlling houseplant pests, they can cause damage indoors. Some beetle species can eat through fabric or wood, or contaminate food. However, othersBeetle species like the ladybugare ideal for feeding harmful garden pests such as aphids.

Identifying House Bugs:There are over 400,000 beetle species, so identifying each one is difficult. Like all insects, these flying bugs have six legs and two antennae.

silverfish (Lepisma saccharina)

Silverfish are wingless grey-silver beetles with long antennae that glide across the house floor in damp spots. The name "silverfish" is an apt description of this pest. The insect has a silvery appearance and fishy movements as it scurries across the ground quickly. Silverfish are between 12 and 25 mm long.

Silverfish are a common bug in bathrooms, damp attics and showers. If excess moisture is a problem, you can usually find the slithering silvery bug under bathtubs, sinks, and kitchen furniture. Usually, reducing humidity, fixing leaks, and setting sticky traps are ways to get rid of pesky silver beetles.

Identifying House Bugs:Silverfish have a slender silvery body that tapers at the end of the tail. With its fish-like movement, silvery scales, and long antennae, the silverfish is easy to spot as it moves across tiled surfaces.

ants (ants)

Ants are tiny bugs with slender bodies and can become a nuisance in the home. Ants typically have identifiable pinched areas between the head, thorax, and abdomen. They usually have curved antennae and always have six legs. Ants tend to move in characteristic lines, one following the other.

If youNotice ants in your house, it is crucial to identify the species. Fire ants are for examplelittle red bugsthat can inflict a painful bite. Common black ants tend to nest in colonies outdoors. However, carpenter ants nest in wood and can be difficult to control. Ants are also some of the mostcommon types of kitchen bugs.

The best ways to prevent ants are to keep food sealed, remove trash from your home, fix leaky faucets, and make sure water doesn't drip under your sinks.

Identifying House Bugs:Although ants are small black or brown bugs, their round bodies and slim waists make them easy to spot.

Types of Tiny House Bugs with Pictures - Identification

fleas (Siphonapt)

Fleas are tiny brown biting bugs that are 1 to 4mm long. Fleas are so tiny that the first sign of the pesky bugs are red, itchy bumps on the skin from flea bites. Or you may see signs of fleas if your pets scratch excessively.

Close-up photos of the tiny brown beetles reveal that they have long legs in relation to their bodies. The black or brown wingless bugs are difficult to catch as they jump great distances. This makes it particularly difficult to get rid of fleas in your home. A flea is more than a pesky bug that causes an itchy rash — it can carry disease.

Identifying House Bugs:Fleas are identified as tiny black or brown bugs about half the size of a grain of rice. Flea bites look like itchy red dots on the skin and can be difficult to distinguish from bed bug bites.

bed bugs (Cimex)

Bed bugs are tiny brown beetles with oval, flattened bodies and are about the size of an apple seed. The tiny brown beetles are 4-5mm long. The nasty bugs bite people and cause an itchy rash on your hands, feet, neck, or face.

Bed bugs look like fleas or ticks and can quickly infest a home. Since the tiny house bugs can survive two months without food and lurk in mattresses, behind baseboards and in crevices, getting rid of them is a challenge.

Identifying House Bugs:Bed bugs are identified as tiny brown creatures with flattened oval bodies and small heads.

drop flies (Psychodidae)

Drain flies are tiny brown flying house bugs with a fuzzy appearance and grow to between 1.5 and 5mm in length. As the name suggests, drain flies are common pests in bathrooms, near sinks, drains, sewers or basements. The adults lay eggs in stagnant water, and the tiny flies hatch from drains.

Although incredibly annoying, the tiny flying bugs are harmless. In order to get rid of the flies, it is important to remove the breeding ground by removing all organic materials from the drains. Drain fly larvae look like long, flattened cylinders.

Identifying House Bugs:Drain flies are identified as tiny brown fur flies that fly near drains and sinks in kitchens and bathrooms, especially at night.

fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster)

Fruit flies look like small brown gnats and hover around fermenting or rotten fruit. Adult fruit flies are 2.5 mm long, have a brown body and red eyes. However, the tiny house bugs are so tiny that you probably won't see their wings or eyes.

Fruit flies are common wherever food—especially sweet food—is allowed to ferment. The adult flies lay their eggs on rotten fruit or other organic material, laying up to 500 eggs in a week. To avoid problems with fruit flies, store perishable foods in the refrigerator, cover the trash can, and clean the drains regularly.

These tiny flies are easily mistaken for fungus gnats. However, fungus gnats usually fly around infested plants, not rotting or rotting fruit.

Identifying House Bugs:are fruit fliessmall flying house bugswhich are easy to identify because they look like tiny brown flies hovering near trash, spoiled food, or empty bottles.

ticks (In Ichodi)

Ticks are parasitic bugs that can become a problem in the home when pets bring them into the home. A tick is about the size of a sunflower seed and usually has a black or brown body. The tiny bugs become swollen as they burrow into the skin to feed on blood. Ticks are about 5mm long but can grow up to 15mm when feeding on blood.

Ticks can transmit diseases. So if you notice a tick buried in your skin, it's important to remove it properly and see a doctor.

Identifying House Bugs:Ticks are identified as tiny teardrop-shaped beetles with a black or tan body and eight legs.

Related articles:

• Types of spiders and how to identify them
• Beetle Species - Guide to Identification
• Types of Green Insects - Identification Guide