Knowing your pest is half the battle. The faster you put a name to it, the faster you can stop it. This library walks through the bugs and rodents we see most in the areas we serve, in older homes, apartments, condos, and high-rises. Every profile shows you how to spot the pest, the clues it leaves behind, and the steps that actually keep it out.
Pest problems work differently in apartments and shared buildings. Shared walls, common risers, pipe chases, and trash chutes give roaches, mice, and bed bugs easy paths between units, so a spotless apartment can still take a hit from the unit next door. We go after the source and, when it makes sense, treat the whole building instead of spraying one apartment and hoping.
Spotted something and cannot tell what it is? Text us a photo or book a free estimate. Pest Control TC is a family-run company covering the areas we serve, with same-day appointments and licensed, insured techs. We follow an Integrated Pest Management routine: inspect, identify, treat, monitor, and prevent.
Ants
Ants are usually the first pest people notice once the weather warms up, marching across the kitchen counter. A handful of foragers indoors almost always means a colony nesting nearby, sending workers in for water, sweets, and grease. Indoors you will run into pavement ants, odorous house ants, pharaoh ants (common in apartments and care facilities), and carpenter ants that damage wood in older frame buildings and wood trim.
How to Identify
- Six legs, three body sections, and an obvious pinched waist between the middle and rear of the body.
- Elbowed, bent antennae, which is the quickest way to tell an ant from a termite swarmer.
- Most house-invading ants measure 1/16 to 1/2 inch (roughly 1.5 to 13 mm). Carpenter ants are the biggest you will find indoors.
- Color depends on the species. Pavement ants are dark brown to black, pharaoh ants are pale yellow to amber, and carpenter ants run black or red and black.
Signs of a Problem
- Steady lines of workers tracing the same path along baseboards, counters, or pipe runs.
- Ants gathering around spills, pet bowls, sugar, or a dripping faucet.
- Little piles of debris that look like sawdust mixed with insect parts near wood, a sign of carpenter ants.
- A faint coconut or musty smell when you crush odorous house ants.
- Winged ants near windows in spring, which often points to a mature colony ready to spread.
Prevention and Control
- Clean up crumbs and spills quickly, keep sugar and pantry goods in sealed containers, and put pet food away overnight.
- Repair leaks and dry out damp spots under sinks and around tubs. Ants chase water as much as food.
- Seal cracks around windows, baseboards, and the spots where pipes pass through the wall.
- Drop the habit of spraying every ant you see. Bait gets carried back to the nest, and that is what wipes out the colony.
- If you have carpenter ants or trails that keep returning, bring in a pro to find and treat the nest directly.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are the most common indoor pest and the one most tied to your health. They carry bacteria, and their droppings and shed skins set off asthma and allergies, hard on kids especially. You will run into two main types: the small German roach that breeds in kitchens, and the larger American and Oriental roaches that most people call water bugs.
How to Identify
- German roaches are about 1/2 inch (13 to 16 mm), light brown, with two dark stripes running behind the head.
- American roaches, the classic water bug, are reddish-brown and large at roughly 1.25 to 2 inches (32 to 53 mm). They can glide short distances in summer heat.
- Oriental roaches are glossy dark brown to black, about 1 inch long, and stay near cool damp basements and drains.
- All roaches share flat oval bodies, long antennae, and quick movement, and you will usually catch them after dark.
Signs of a Problem
- Live roaches darting for cover when you switch on a light, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
- Droppings that look like coarse pepper or coffee grounds from German roaches, or small dark cylinders from the bigger species.
- Egg cases, shed skins, and a musty smell once the infestation grows.
- Roaches out during the day, which usually means the population is large and crowded.
- Dark smear marks along warm, greasy surfaces near appliances.
Prevention and Control
- Keep counters, the stove, and the area under the sink clean and dry. Even small grease and food traces feed them.
- Fix leaks and dry out floor drains. Moisture is the main reason water bugs climb up from basements and sewers.
- Seal gaps around pipes, behind cabinets, and where risers run between floors.
- Check grocery bags, boxes, and secondhand appliances before they come through the door.
- In a shared-wall building, push for treatment across the whole building. German roaches travel unit to unit through walls and pipe chases, so spraying one apartment rarely holds.
Flies
Flies are more than an annoyance. They land on everything and can carry bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli straight from the garbage to your plate. The type of fly tells you the source: fruit flies mean fermenting produce, drain flies mean gunk in a drain, and house flies usually lead back to trash or a dead animal.
How to Identify
- House flies are dull gray, around 1/4 inch, marked with four dark stripes across the thorax.
- Fruit flies are tiny at around 1/8 inch, tan with red eyes, and hover over ripe or rotting fruit.
- Drain flies are small and fuzzy with a moth-like look, often resting on walls near sinks and floor drains.
- Fungus gnats are slender, dark, and weak in the air, drifting around overwatered houseplants.
Signs of a Problem
- Adult flies looping around the kitchen, trash zone, or windows.
- Groups gathering at the fruit bowl, recycling bin, or compost pail.
- Drain flies turning up after a sink sits idle, or right when you run the water.
- Small dark specks left by flies on walls and light fixtures.
Prevention and Control
- Empty the trash often, rinse recyclables, and keep bins covered.
- Refrigerate ripe produce and wipe up food residue and spills.
- Scrub the inside of drains to clear the organic film drain flies breed in. Pour-down cleaners rarely reach it.
- Let houseplant soil dry between waterings to break the fungus gnat cycle.
- In apartment buildings, report filthy compactor and trash rooms. A clean chute does a lot of the fly control for you.
Mice and Rats
Mice and rats stay busy all year, and the problem spikes every fall when cold weather drives them indoors. They ruin far more food than they eat, gnaw through wiring and pipes, and can spread diseases like leptospirosis and salmonella through their droppings and urine. House mice and Norway rats are the two you are most likely to deal with.
How to Identify
- House mice are small, with a 2.5 to 4 inch body plus tail, gray-brown coloring, large ears, and a pointed nose.
- Norway rats are heavy-bodied, with a 7 to 10 inch body and a shorter scaly tail, brown fur, small ears, and a blunt nose.
- Mouse droppings are 1/8 to 1/4 inch with pointed ends. Rat droppings are 1/2 to 3/4 inch, capsule-shaped with blunt ends.
- Rats dig burrows in yards, under slabs, and along foundations. Mice nest inside walls, cabinets, and clutter.
Signs of a Problem
- Droppings scattered along baseboards, inside cabinets, or behind appliances.
- Chew marks on food packaging, wood, and electrical wiring.
- Greasy rub marks where they brush along walls and runways.
- Scratching or scurrying in walls and ceilings after dark.
- A musky, ammonia-like smell in tight spaces with heavy activity.
Prevention and Control
- Seal any gap wider than 1/4 inch. Mice push through openings that look far too small to fit.
- Store food and pet food in metal or hard plastic containers, not bags or cardboard.
- Clear the clutter that gives them cover, and keep stored items up off the floor.
- Pack steel wool and sealant around pipe and utility openings.
- In multi-unit buildings, push for building-wide control with proper trash containerization. It beats traps alone, since rodents move between units through shared walls and pipe runs.
Moths
The moths worth worrying about indoors are not the ones at your porch light. Clothing moths quietly chew through wool, silk, fur, and other natural fibers in closets, while pantry moths (Indian meal moths) get into grains, flour, and dried goods in the kitchen. In both cases the larvae cause the damage, not the adults you see in the air.
How to Identify
- Webbing clothes moths are small, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch across the wings, plain buff to gold, and they shy away from light, fluttering near closets.
- Indian meal moths have a two-tone wing, pale gray near the head and coppery at the tips, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch across.
- The larvae are small cream-colored caterpillars. Clothes moth larvae leave silk webbing on fabric, and pantry larvae web food together.
- Pupal cases show up in the corners of drawers, cabinets, and where the wall meets the ceiling.
Signs of a Problem
- Ragged holes eaten into wool sweaters, coats, rugs, or stored clothes.
- Silk tubes, webbing, or grainy casings on fabric or inside food packaging.
- Flour, cereal, grains, or pet food that looks clumped or webbed together.
- Small moths flying out of a closet or pantry when you disturb them.
Prevention and Control
- Clean wool and natural-fiber items before storing them. Larvae feed on sweat, food stains, and body oils.
- Pack off-season clothing in sealed bins or garment bags.
- Keep flour, grains, and dried goods in airtight containers and use the oldest stock first.
- Vacuum closet corners, baseboards, and the edges of rugs on a regular basis.
- Throw out infested food and deep-clean the shelf. In humid older homes and apartments, keep an eye on closets where clothes sit untouched for months.
Fleas
Fleas usually hitch a ride in on a pet, but they also arrive on rodents and wildlife, which matters a lot in ground-floor and basement units. These tiny blood-feeders breed fast, and most of the population lives in carpet and bedding as eggs and larvae rather than on the animal. A few itchy bites around the ankles is often your first warning.
How to Identify
- Adults are about 1/12 to 1/8 inch (1.5 to 3.3 mm), wingless, dark reddish-brown, and flattened from side to side.
- They jump impressive distances instead of flying.
- Flea dirt, which is their droppings, looks like coarse ground black pepper in pet bedding and rugs.
- Bites tend to cluster on the lower legs and ankles, often with a small red halo.
Signs of a Problem
- A pet scratching and chewing at itself much more than it normally does.
- Pepper-like black specks in pet beds, carpets, and favorite resting spots that smear red-brown on a damp paper towel.
- Small, itchy bites ringing your ankles and lower legs.
- Tiny dark insects springing up when you part a pet's fur or walk across the carpet.
Prevention and Control
- Keep pets on a vet-approved flea program all year.
- Wash pet bedding in hot water weekly, and vacuum carpets, cracks, and upholstery often, then empty the canister outside.
- Treat the pet and the home at the same time. Skip one and the cycle starts over.
- Stay on top of rodents, since the fleas they carry can move into ground-floor and basement units.
Beetles
Indoor beetles fall into two groups: carpet beetles that feed on natural fibers, and pantry beetles that get into stored food. Carpet beetle larvae are a frequent bed bug false alarm in apartments and homes, since their shed skins show up in mattresses and closets. Once you know which beetle you have, you know where to look for the source.
How to Identify
- Carpet beetle adults are tiny and round at 1/16 to 1/8 inch, often mottled with black, white, and orange. The larvae are fuzzy, banded, and shaped like a carrot.
- Pantry beetles, including flour, drugstore, cigarette, and sawtoothed grain beetles, are small and reddish-brown to dark at 1/8 inch or less.
- Adult beetles have hard wing covers, called elytra, that meet in a straight line down the back.
- Carpet beetle larvae shed bristly cast skins, and it is the larvae, not the adults, that eat fabric.
Signs of a Problem
- Holes or thin patches in wool, fur, leather, silk, or feather items, a carpet beetle clue.
- Cast larval skins in drawers, closets, and along the baseboards.
- Live beetles or larvae in flour, cereal, spices, or dried goods, a pantry beetle clue.
- Small beetles collecting on windowsills as they crawl toward the light.
Prevention and Control
- Store wool and natural-fiber goods clean and sealed, and vacuum closets, rugs, and the edges of upholstery.
- Keep pantry staples in airtight containers and check older packages for activity.
- Toss infested food and wipe down the shelves before you restock.
- If you keep finding cast skins near the bed, have it inspected so carpet beetles do not get mistaken for bed bugs.
Spiders
Most house spiders are harmless and even useful, picking off roaches, flies, and other pests. They are arachnids, not insects, with eight legs and two body regions. The dangerous ones people worry about, like the black widow and brown recluse, are uncommon indoors, so almost every house spider you find poses no real threat.
How to Identify
- Eight legs, two body regions, and no wings or antennae.
- Cellar spiders are pale, with long skinny legs and loose, tangled webs in basements and corners.
- Common house spiders are small and brown and build messy webs in quiet, undisturbed spots.
- Jumping spiders are small, compact, and fast, and they hunt their prey without a web.
Signs of a Problem
- Webs strung across corners, window wells, basements, and quiet storage areas.
- Egg sacs shaped like small silk balls tucked in near the webs.
- More spiders than usual, which usually means there is other insect prey around for them to eat.
Prevention and Control
- Cut down the insects spiders feed on. Fewer flies and roaches means fewer spiders.
- Vacuum away webs, egg sacs, and clutter from corners, closets, and basements.
- Seal gaps around windows, doors, and vents, and keep screens in good shape.
- Keep storage areas tidy and pull boxes a few inches off the walls.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are one of the toughest pests to beat in apartments and shared buildings, and they have nothing to do with how clean your home is. They hitch rides on luggage, secondhand furniture, and curbside pickups, then spread unit to unit in apartment buildings. They feed on blood at night and hide close to the bed during the day.
How to Identify
- Adults are flat, oval, and reddish-brown, about the size of an apple seed at 4 to 6 mm, with no wings.
- Nymphs are smaller and pale to tan, turning darker after they feed.
- Eggs are tiny and white, roughly the size of a pinhead, wedged into seams and crevices.
- Bites usually appear on exposed skin in lines or small clusters and show up overnight.
Signs of a Problem
- Rusty or blood-colored staining on sheets, mattress seams, and box springs.
- Dark fecal dots, like the tip of a marker, along seams, headboards, and baseboards.
- Shed skins and pinhead eggs in mattress seams, cracks, and behind the headboard.
- A sweet, musty odor once the infestation gets heavy.
- Itchy welts that line up with where you sleep.
Prevention and Control
- Never grab mattresses, couches, or upholstered furniture off the curb. This is one of the top ways bed bugs spread.
- Inspect hotel rooms and secondhand furniture, and keep luggage off beds and floors when you travel.
- Put a mattress and box-spring encasement on to trap bugs and make them easy to spot.
- Clear clutter around the bed so there are fewer hiding spots.
- Move fast and call a pro. Bed bugs spread through shared walls, so the sooner you treat, the better your odds of stopping them before they reach other units.
Termites
Termites turn up less often than other indoor pests, but they still show up in wood-frame structures, older homes, and ground-level woodwork. Subterranean termites are the most common type, building mud tubes from the soil up into wood. The clearest red flag is a spring swarm of winged termites indoors.
How to Identify
- Workers are pale and soft-bodied at about 1/8 inch, and they rarely come out into the open.
- Swarmers have a straight body with no pinched waist, straight antennae, and four wings of equal length.
- That straight waist and four matching wings set them apart from flying ants, which have a pinched waist, bent antennae, and wings of unequal size.
- Mud tubes roughly the width of a pencil running along foundations and basement walls.
Signs of a Problem
- Mud tubes the width of a pencil running up foundation walls, piers, or crawl spaces.
- Shed wings piling up near windowsills and light fixtures once a swarm ends.
- Wood that sounds hollow when you tap it, or crumbles when you press it.
- Paint that bubbles or looks uneven over the damaged wood.
- Winged insects swarming inside during spring.
Prevention and Control
- Keep soil, mulch, and wood debris from touching the foundation directly.
- Fix leaks and steer water away from the building. Termites are pulled in by moisture.
- Store firewood and lumber off the ground and away from the structure.
- Get a professional inspection if you spot mud tubes or a swarm. Termite swarmers inside call for a prompt look.
Common Questions About Household Pests
Start with five basics: size, color, body shape, number of legs, and whether it has wings or antennae, then note where and when you saw it. Six legs and three body sections point to an insect, while eight legs and two regions mean a spider. Match those details against the profiles above, or send us a photo and we will identify it for free.
Water bug is a common nickname for the large American cockroach, and sometimes the Oriental roach. They are reddish-brown, roughly 1.25 to 2 inches long, and live in warm, damp places like basements, drains, sewers, and steam pipe runs in older buildings. At night they climb up into apartments, and they can fly short distances in summer.
A young German roach is longer and faster, tan to brown with two dark stripes behind the head, long antennae, and visible legs. A bed bug is flat, oval, and apple-seed shaped, reddish-brown, wingless, and slow-moving. Roach nymphs stick to kitchens and bathrooms, while bed bugs stay close to where you sleep.
Bed bug bites usually land on exposed skin like the face, neck, arms, and shoulders, in lines or small clusters that appear overnight. Flea bites group around the ankles and lower legs and often carry a small red halo. If you have pets, fleas are the likely culprit. If the bites trace back to your bed, think bed bugs.
In multi-unit buildings, German roaches travel between apartments through shared walls, pipe chases, and risers, and they get by on a little moisture and a few crumbs. A spotless unit can still get reinfested from a neighbor, which is why building-wide IPM treatment works better than spraying one apartment.
In many places, yes, especially in multi-unit buildings. Local housing codes often require owners to keep units pest-free and address infestations like roaches, rodents, and bed bugs. The exact rules vary by area, so check your local housing code or your lease for the specifics. Consider this general information, not legal advice.
Usually not. Most mattresses, couches, and furniture can be saved with professional heat or targeted treatments along with encasements. If you do get rid of an infested piece, wrap it in plastic and label it bed bugs so nobody hauls it off the curb, which is a major way they spread.
Call a licensed exterminator for bed bugs, rodents, anything that returns after a DIY attempt, and any infestation in a shared-wall building where neighbors may be part of the problem. A pro can confirm the ID, treat the real source, and coordinate across the building so it does not keep coming back.