10 Tiny Bugs in Your House and How to Get Rid of Them

Bugs are everywhere. Many are beneficial to the environment, but some become pests when they invade our homes. Bugs want the same thing you do, according to Dan Suiter of the Georgia Cooperative Extension Service.

"Favorable temperatures, abundant food and water, and available shelter/harborage attract pests in your home," Suiter says.

Meet the Expert

Dan Suiter is a professor of entomology at the University of Georgia. He develops research programming on the management of structural and household pests, including fire ants and Formosan termites.

Proactive pest management begins with identifying the pest and using information on the biology of the offending creature to decide upon a plan of action. We've identified 10 tiny bugs you might be seeing in your home and how to get rid of them.

Fast Facts

Here are some steps to help keep all kinds of pests away:

• Clean counters after food preparations and keep food in tightly sealed containers.

• Don't leave dirty dishes in the sink.

• Empty trash cans regularly.

• Eliminate clutter where pests can shelter.

• Keep the foundation of your home clear of vegetation.

• Keep window and door screens repaired.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are notoriously hard to control if the infestation is large, and you should contact an experienced professional, according to Suiter. If you suspect that some have traveled home with you, there are some ways to control them.

• Use heat: Bed bugs die when their body temperatures reach 113 degrees F. Wash clothes and bedding in hot water and dry at high heat for 30 minutes. It's a good idea to launder every item of clothing after traveling with this method. Enclose furniture or other items in sealed clear plastic bags and place them in direct sunlight for a full afternoon can also kill the bugs.

• Use cold: Clothing placed in sealed plastic bags and placed in a freezer kept at zero degrees for at least eight to 10 hours will likely kill all bed bugs.

• Remove the food source: Without blood to feed on, bed bugs will eventually die. Sealing items in a tight plastic container or plastic bag and storing it for several months will generally kill all stages of the insect.

• Deep clean: As an ongoing method of bed bug control, deep-clean sleeping rooms regularly with a powerful vacuum cleaner, making sure to apply suction to all areas of the room, including floor cracks, furniture crevices and upholstery, carpet, and closets. Dispose of vacuum cleaner contents immediately in sealed plastic bags.
  

Fruit Flies

Fruit flies love overripe fruit, specks of food, and even the scum trapped in your kitchen drain. You can control and get rid of them by:

• Cut off their food supply by storing soft fruits in the refrigerator, wiping down counters, emptying garbage and recycling daily, and cleaning your sink drain.

• To trap them, fill a small jar with half apple cider vinegar and half warm water. Add a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. The odor of the vinegar will attract the flies and the dishwashing liquid will not allow them to fly out.

Ants

There are 12,000 species of ants and sometimes control is difficult because of their diversity. But all ants have a social structure of sharing food so it is often simplest to feed ants insecticidal bait and let them carry it back to the nest rather than spending time trying to locate the nest. If you don't want to use commercial baits, there are several natural methods you can try.

• Laundry borax: Mix 3/4 teaspoon of borax with about 1/4 cup of sugar and place the mixture where the ants will find it. If you have small kids or pets, be sure to put the powder out of their reach. It may be natural, but borax is still toxic.

• Baby powder: Sprinkle a line of talcum powder at the entrance point where you think the ants are coming in. Sprinkling the line will not kill ants but distract their scent.

• Diatomaceous earth: Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth around your baseboards or entrance area. It contains silica, a component found in rock and when the silica comes into contact with ants it is absorbed causing them to dehydrate and die.

Stink Bugs

Usually living outdoors, stink bugs come inside to seek shelter from the cold. Prevent their invasion by sealing all cracks 1/8 wide or wider, using window screens, and keeping doors closed. "Insecticides for stink bugs are not recommended for indoor use and the best way to control them is to capture and release them," according to Suiter.

• Use a vacuum to capture the stink bug. If you plan to release it from the dust cup, take it some distance away from the house. Dispose of dead bugs in an outdoor trash can.

• Capture the bug by hand and release it outside. If you smash the bug, the odor will be strong so wear gloves.

• Trap the bugs by using an aluminum baking pan (or another container made of reflective material). Fill the pan with 1 to 2 inches of water mixed with dish soap. Position a bright light (a clip-on shop light works well) so it shines down onto the bottom of the pan, creating a bright reflection. Stink bugs will fly toward the light and land in the water, where they drown.

Weevils

Those black specks in your flour aren't grains of pepper—they are weevils. Food products containing raw wheat, oats, rye, barley, rice, and corn are most susceptible to weevils. Here are the best ways to control them:

• Throw away infested food products in an outside trash bin.

• Clean the infested area by vacuuming thoroughly and cleaning with hot, soapy water. Wash storage canisters and wipe off individual food cans before returning them to the storage area.

• Prevent infestations by storing grain products in tightly sealed containers.

Carpet Beetles

To control carpet beetles, thoroughly clean baseboards, corners, and edges of carpeting where debris accumulates that feeds the beetles. Vacuum thoroughly by going in different directions on the floor and carpet to remove adults, eggs, and larvae. The vacuum bag should be disposed of outside of the home as quickly as possible or the vacuum cup emptied into a plastic disposable bag to prevent re-infestation.

You can freeze small items for 48 hours or heat them to a temperature above 120 Fahrenheit for several hours to kill the beetles. Wash or dry clean infested clothing before returning them to a clean closet.

Silverfish

To control silverfish and similar firebrats naturally, you must first remove the moisture and food that these insects crave. Dry the environment with a dehumidifier and clean thoroughly. Empty the vacuum container outside or into a sealed container immediately.

Apply a desiccant such as silica powder to absorb moisture in the area of infestation. Lower the temperature to below 60 Fahrenheit to slow reproduction. Use sticky insect paper to capture the insects during nocturnal activity.

Cockroaches

Non-pesticide methods of controlling cockroaches must be an ongoing process of sanitation and good home repair. Laundry borax can be used as a relatively safe roach control that kills roaches by dehydrating the bug's exoskeleton. Small children and pets should not be allowed near the application because borax is toxic if ingested.

• Mix three parts borax with one part sugar and sprinkle in roach hiding places.

• It is slow acting and can take up to a week to control the roaches.

• Reapply as roaches consume the borax mixture to keep infestations under control.

Spiders

Spiders may not be your favorite insect but they do prey on common household pests such as mosquitoes and flies, making them an important part of your in-house pest control strategy. But to reduce the number you see, follow these tips:

• Turn off exterior lights near entrances. They attract other insects that spiders enjoy eating.

• Reduce clutter. Spiders like a safe, dark place to hide.

• Clean frequently to remove spider webs and egg sacks.

• Trim back outside vegetation and seal cracks that allow spiders indoors.

Dust Mites

If you have dust in your home, you have dust mites. The flakes of skin in dust attract dust mites. They don't bite but they do leave droppings that can aggravate allergies and asthma. Here are ways you can control them:

• Wash bedding at least once a week.

• Vacuum the mattress and add a protective covering.

• Lower the humidity and temperature in the home.

• Vacuum frequently and remove wall-to-wall carpeting.

• Reduce clutter to reduce dust.

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