Pest guides: identify the pest, then deal with it
Every common US household pest, grouped the way you would notice them. Each guide covers how to tell it apart, what actually works, and when it is a job for a professional.
Cockroaches
Small brown bugs that scatter when the kitchen light goes on.
- Can a Cockroach Crawl Into Your Ear? What the Case Reports Show
- Why Do Cockroaches Die on Their Backs?
- What Do Cockroaches Eat? Almost Anything, and Why It Matters
- Do Cockroaches Hibernate? What Cold Does to Them
- Can Roaches Climb Walls? Glass, Ceilings and Beds
Termites
Mud tubes, discarded wings, hollow-sounding wood.
- What Does a Termite Nest Look Like? Subterranean, Drywood, Formosan
- How Long Do Termites Live? Workers, Queens and Colonies
- What Do Termites Look Like? Workers, Soldiers and Swarmers
- What Attracts Termites to a House, and What Does Not
- Tenting Fell, and the Alternatives Did Not Replace It
Rats and mice
Droppings, gnawed packaging, scratching after dark.
- What Eats Mice? Predators, and Whether They Control Mice
- Do Mice Hibernate? Why They Move Indoors in Autumn
- What Does a Rat Nest Look Like? Burrows, Attic Nests and Signs
- What Does a Mouse Nest Look Like, and Where to Find One
- Rat vs Mouse: How to Tell Which One You Have
Bed bugs
Itchy bites in lines, dark spots on the mattress seam.
- Do Bed Bugs Bite Every Night? How Often They Feed
- Do Bed Bugs Jump or Fly? How They Actually Get Around
- Can Bed Bugs Live in Carpet? Where They Really Hide
- Can Bed Bugs Live in Cars? How Long, and How to Get Them Out
- How to Check a Hotel Room for Bed Bugs in Five Minutes
Ants
Trails in the kitchen, fire ant mounds in the yard.
- What Do Ants Eat? Sugar, Protein and Why It Changes
- Do Ants Sleep? What Researchers Have Measured
- How Long Do Ants Live? Workers, Queens and Colonies
- Sugar Ants: Which Ants They Really Are and How to Stop Them
- Does Vinegar Kill Ants? What It Does and Does Not Do
Spiders and scorpions
Large fast spiders indoors, and the brown recluse question.
- Do Spiders Bite You in Your Sleep? Mostly Not
- What Do Spiders Eat? House Spiders, Garden Spiders and Pests
- Black Widow vs False Widow: How to Tell Them Apart
- Where Do Spiders Go in Winter? Why You See More Indoors in Autumn
- How Long Do Spiders Live? House Spiders to Tarantulas
Wasps and bees
A nest under the eaves or wasps streaming into the lawn.
- Carpenter Bee vs Bumble Bee: The Shiny Abdomen Test
- Wasp vs Bee: How to Tell Them Apart in Seconds
- How to Get Rid of Wasps: By Nest Type, Safely
- Sweat Bees: Tiny Metallic Bees That Land on Your Skin
- What Attracts Wasps, and Why They Get Worse in Late Summer
Mosquitoes and ticks
Yard treatments, disease risk, what spraying achieves.
- How Long Do Ticks Live? By Species and Life Stage
- What Attracts Ticks to You and Your Yard
- What Eats Mosquitoes? Bats, Dragonflies and the Myths
- Where Do Mosquitoes Go in Winter? Eggs, Basements and Drains
- Can Ticks Live in Your House? Which Ones Can and Which Cannot
Fleas and biting bugs
Bites with no bug in sight: fleas, mites, kissing bugs.
- Can Fleas Live in Carpet? How Long, and How to Clear It
- How Long Can Fleas Live Without a Host? By Life Stage
- Fleas in the Yard: Where They Live and How to Treat It
- Horse Flies and Deer Flies: Why They Bite So Hard
- Can Humans Get Fleas? Why They Bite You but Do Not Stay
Flies, moths and pantry pests
Gnats at the sink, moths in the flour, holes in wool.
- Why Do Flies Rub Their Hands Together?
- Where Do Flies Go in Winter? Cluster Flies, House Flies and Gnats
- What Attracts Gnats Indoors and Out
- Love Bugs: Why They Swarm Twice a Year and Ruin Car Paint
- How to Get Rid of Flies Outside on the Patio and Deck
Autumn invaders
Lady beetles, boxelder bugs and stink bugs on sunny walls.
- Why Are Moths Attracted to Light? What the Research Now Says
- Common House Bugs in Pennsylvania, Season by Season
- Bugs in the House in Winter: Where They Come From
- Asian Lady Beetles: The Ladybugs That Bite and Stain
- Clover Mites: The Red Specks That Are Not Biting You
Damp-loving pests
Silverfish, centipedes, springtails and earwigs.
- Are Centipedes Dangerous? House Centipedes vs Giant Centipedes
- What Attracts Silverfish? Damp, Starch and Old Paper
- Bugs in the Basement: What the Ones You Find Are Telling You
- Millipedes in the House: Why They Come In and How to Stop It
- Why Bugs Come Inside After Rain, and Which Ones
Wildlife
Squirrels in the attic, bats, snakes, moles in the lawn.
- How to Keep Snakes Away: What Works and What Is a Myth
- A Bat in the House: What to Do Right Now
- How to Keep Deer Out of the Yard: Fences, Repellents and Plants
- Woodpecker Damage to a House: Why It Happens and How to Stop It
- How to Get Rid of Rabbits in the Garden Without Poison
Lawn and garden
Grubs, plant pests and what the yard treatment does.
- Tomato Hornworms: How to Find Them and Get Rid of Them
- How to Get Rid of Aphids Without Making Them Come Back Worse
- How to Get Rid of Slugs: What the Trials Say Works
- June Bugs: Why They Hit the Window and How to Get Rid of Them
- How to Get Rid of Japanese Beetles Without Making It Worse