Species index

Every indoor bug we cover

Twelve species that live inside houses — pantry, fabric and damp rooms. Filter by what you saw, or scroll the whole plate.

12indoor species covered

74guides published

5rooms mapped

Bug finder

Describe what you saw

Every filter is optional. Leave one blank if you’re not sure.

Color — what stood out first?

Size — compared to a grain of rice (5 mm)

Wings — did it fly, or only crawl?

Where — the room you first saw it

Common indoor bugs

Sizes are adult body length. The bar shows scale against a 20 mm reference so you can compare species at a glance.

Extreme close-up of several pale, soft-bodied booklice on damp paper, each under 2 mm long

Harmless — humidity signal

Booklice: how to identify them (and why they’re not lice)

Liposcelis spp.

Damp wallpaper, old books and stored cardboard, opened dry food packages, damp bathrooms and basements

1-2mm

Varied carpet beetle adult and its bristly brown larva side by side on wool fabric

Fabric damage

Carpet Beetle: How to Identify Larvae and Adults

Anthrenus verbasci (varied carpet beetle) and Attagenus spp. (black carpet beetle)

Closets, carpet edges, under rugs and furniture, stored wool or fur items, and windowsills (adults)

2-5mm

Pantry food contamination

Cigarette Beetle

Lasioderma serricorne

Dried spices, pet food, cereal, dried fruit, dried flowers and potpourri

2-3mm

Adult clothes moth resting on dark wool, wings a plain unmarked buff-tan

Fabric damage

Clothes Moths: Identification, Look-Alikes, and How to Stop Them

Tineola bisselliella (webbing clothes moth); Tinea pellionella (casemaking clothes moth)

Closets, wardrobes, stored wool coats and blankets, natural-bristle brushes, felt, under rugs, taxidermy, piano felts

9-16mm wingspan

Extreme close-up of a bright red clover mite on a white window frame, front legs held far forward

Cosmetic stains only

Clover mites: the tiny red bugs on your windowsill

Bryobia praetiosa

Sunny window frames, sills, and exterior walls, most often in spring and fall

under 1mm

Drugstore beetle close-up, oval fuzzy reddish-brown body with the head hidden beneath it

Pantry food contamination

Drugstore beetle identification: what it looks like and where it hides

Stegobium paniceum

Pantry staples, spice jars, dry pet food, old books and paper

2-3.5mm

Macro photograph of an adult fruit fly of the family Drosophilidae, with large red eyes and a tan body

Food contamination

Fruit flies in house: how to identify them

Drosophila melanogaster

Kitchens and anywhere food or drink residue ferments: fruit bowls, trash cans, recycling bins, drains, garbage disposals

2-4mm

Drain fly resting on a pale surface, hairy wings held tented roof-like over its body

Nuisance only

Gnats in house: fungus gnats or drain flies?

Bradysia spp. (fungus gnats); family Psychodidae, e.g. Clogmia albipunctata (drain flies)

Houseplant soil and windowsills for fungus gnats; sink, tub, and floor drains for drain flies

2-5mm body length

Adult Indian meal moth (Plodia interpunctella) at rest

Food contamination

Pantry Moth (Indian Meal Moth): How to Identify It

Plodia interpunctella

Kitchen cupboards and shelving, in and around flour, cereal, dried fruit, nuts, pet food and birdseed.

16-20mm (wingspan)

Silverfish on the torn cover of an old book, tapered body and tail bristles visible

Paper & fabric damage

Silverfish Bug: How to Identify It

Lepisma saccharinum

Bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms, and other consistently humid parts of the house; also turns up in closets, attics, and boxes of stored paper goods.

12–19 mm (about ½–¾ inch)

Wingless springtail (Entomobrya nivalis), elongated segmented body, shown next to a 1.5mm scale bar

Harmless — humidity signal

Springtails: what they are and why they keep showing up

Order Collembola

Near sinks, shower trays, overwatered houseplants, damp soil, basements, and bathrooms — anywhere moisture stays constant

1-3mm

Close-up of a weevil chewing into white rice grains

Food contamination

Weevils in flour: how to identify and get rid of them

Sitophilus granarius / Sitophilus oryzae (often confused with Tribolium castaneum / T. confusum)

Whole grains, rice, flour, cereal, dried beans, and pasta in kitchen pantries

2.5-4mm

What people actually type

All identification guides

Each of these is its own guide — the species that fit the description, the photos to compare against, and the removal steps. The finder above sends you to the same pages.