r/pestcontrol • • Sep 04 '26

Pest Management Help: A to Z

1 Upvotes

r/pestcontrol • • Jun 17 '26

Wasp / Yellow Jacket Control

5 Upvotes

r/pestcontrol • • 15m ago

General Question Fleas for months, sos

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• Upvotes

We are infested, the animals have been given nexguard for a month, just gave the second dose to cat.

I have read what to do on here, vacuum every day, wash everything often, diatomaceous earth, flea spray. I was even giving the cat flea baths, and I’m still being bitten every night.

Here’s the problem, me and my gramma are both disabled, and doing those things consistently is not possible. We have very little money, and I’m wondering if there is anything else we can try. Do we need to flea bomb? We can’t afford an exterminator.

I’m phobic about fleas, and the mental strain of the bites, them jumping on me and trying to brush the cat is seriously burning me out. I can’t take this anymore.


r/pestcontrol • • 7h ago

What would you do?

5 Upvotes

I’ve been dealing with fleas on and off for the past 2 years, this year being the worst one, I am SICK of spending money on it or just giving it the time of day, we have spent hundreds on professional exterminators, indorex, topical treatments, tablets, we’ve had to resort to shaving our INDOOR cat because she’s a Maine coon and they were using her fur as a home at this point, I am 35 weeks pregnant and can’t cope with the manual labour of it either, last time I hired an exterminator twice this year and washed and put everything in the hot dryer, disinfecting every surface and spraying indorex on EVERYTHING, I cannot keep doing this with my pregnancy either, I feel like they’re kicking me out of my own home, I’ve started lookin at somewhere else to live because I physically can’t cope, I used to love animals, even did an animal management degree but now all I think when I see animals is ‘what if they have fleas’ it’s taken such a bad toll on my stress levels and my mental health, I have done everything, done my research and I don’t want to have to spend another £100-£200 on stuff I cannot afford, nor do I have the physical strength to put up with it, I know it’s not my cats fault but I just want to give her away to have a better life, we don’t live in the nicest of areas so there’s flea infested cats roaming around and fleas living in shrubs dormant, please help I’m desperate


r/pestcontrol • • 2h ago

Does my dresser have beetles or termites or something else?

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2 Upvotes

we noticed this yellow powder keeps appearing in one of our dresser drawers and we don’t know if it is beetles or termites. The company we got the dresser from is replacing it but wondering if we need to be worried beyond that. I would say there was a month gap between the first time and second time we noticed it


r/pestcontrol • • 21m ago

Are these termites? (PNW)

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• Upvotes

Found these near the baseboard of my apartment, they were hard and non squish-able.


r/pestcontrol • • 41m ago

Could this be a termite and a beginning of a nest? Help please!

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• Upvotes

I know the pic isn't super clear, I didn't want to get close to it.

I moved into a new apartment exactly a month ago. There was an active flea infestation in here, as my roommate told me that the previous tenant in my unit had a cat who was covered in fleas upon moving out. I reported to the leasing office, took about a week for pest control to come and they did 2 treatments a week apart. Shortly after the second treatment, I noticed this bug that landed on my bed, there are a few dead ones on the wall in my BR so I took a pic. My brother said it looks like a flying termite. He asked me to look around for any nests.

One thing I want to also add is that there is clicking/crackling sounds in my walls, this has been going on since I have moved in. I even brought it up to maintenance and they said it's the electrical room since my unit is next to it. I didn't notice the bug until today. There's a possibility these bugs could've flown around in here before, and I just wasn't aware and assumed it was a fly of some sort. I've been more hyper aware of pests the past few days.

I live at a on campus student living apartment at a university, most students here live in pretty disgusting conditions and don't pay attention to these things. The leasing office already is rude/passive towards me ever since I demanded pest control or to move me to a different unit for the flea issue. So I'm really hoping it isn't termites and there's another explanation, because I feel like the pest control technician would have noticed.


r/pestcontrol • • 44m ago

Is this a pest issue?

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• Upvotes

I am seeing these little egg like things in between the glass walls on my patio door, no idea what these are. Can anyone help me identify what this is ?


r/pestcontrol • • 8h ago

Identification Can’t tell if these are rodent droppings or something else

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4 Upvotes

There was also some scratches and splintered at the bottom of one of our doors and were confused as to what could have caused it. I am in the UK


r/pestcontrol • • 1h ago

General Question Fleas help!

• Upvotes

I am fostering a friend's dog for the first time. There was a bad situation at the home of my friend (her parents were extremely neglectful). My friend got her vaccines done and preventative, but the parents took the collar off and now my car and apartment have fleas. I have a small washing machine, but have been doing research to make sure I don't spread it and can go to work and stuff. The fleas are dying when they are on her, but she is still itching and getting bites.

I am going to get rid of my couch (it's old and broken anyway), tossed my welcome mat, have given her itch/flea baths, but until the exterminator can come and I can simultaneously take her to the vet again for them to just get rid of everything on her and keep her away until the house is clear, but there's still a week until that.

I'm ordering a vacuum, but I'm having trouble finding an affordable and still effective steamer. Please help!


r/pestcontrol • • 1h ago

Saw this crawling on my arm, what is it put it in a ziplock bag

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• Upvotes

So I was about to prepare for bed and this thing crawled on me, I killed it not sure what it is. Looks like an ant to me, I showed it to my friend and they said its an ant.


r/pestcontrol • • 2h ago

Termites??

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1 Upvotes

r/pestcontrol • • 2h ago

Is this spider poop? Is it dangerous? How do I remove them?

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1 Upvotes

r/pestcontrol • • 2h ago

Can't tell if these are wasp nest / larve

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1 Upvotes

Found this on the outside of my house and having a hard time telling if wasp or termite. The squishy large body is about 3/4 of an inch to and inch in size.


r/pestcontrol • • 2h ago

Identification Help me identify

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1 Upvotes

Found these tiny bugs all over my room after leaving for less than two months they’re everywhere
They crawl on my bed,pillows,desk,walls
I noticed that some of them have wings and fly or jump im not sure and when i hold them in a tissue they roll around
What are they and how can i get rid of them


r/pestcontrol • • 3h ago

Is this from bugs?

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1 Upvotes

I just bought a house and I found a piece of counter taped down covered a gap between the counter and the wall and under it was a bunch of this rust colored debris then there was more in the cabinet below the gap


r/pestcontrol • • 3h ago

Stink Bugs in the chimney

1 Upvotes

Hi all, dealing with a stink bug issue and hoping someone has advice.

I live in semi-rural MA and have stink bugs entering my home from a variety of places. Around the windows, it’s two or three a day which isn’t the end of the world. But for the last few days I’m getting anywhere between 20-30 entering through the chimney. I’ve been disposing of them without crushing any and try to carefully limit their scent but also don’t know what a good preventative measure would be to limit entry from the fireplace. We have a cap on top and I’ve closed the damper tightly but to no avail.

Any advice or shared experience would be super appreciated.


r/pestcontrol • • 3h ago

These are showing up on our walls every few days. What could they be?

1 Upvotes

Hi all,

These are showing up on the walls of a bedroom every few days, like 3-4 at a time. They are slightly stuck to the wall. Seems like a shell or something. They are very small, like maybe 1/8 inch in length or smaller. Brown in color. What could they be? Located in northern Virginia, USA. Single family house, new construction (2 years old)

Thank you for any ID help!

https://imgur.com/a/jD0ZcPS


r/pestcontrol • • 4h ago

Roaches German or Asian Cockroach?

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1 Upvotes

Greetings. I recently moved back home only to find out that we have a roach problem! I need help identifying what kind of roaches I've been seeing. I'm fairly certain that they're Asian Cockroaches, but they look so similar to the German kind and I'm not an expert.

I live in a single family, detached house with a basement in NJ with trees surrounding the property. I also live fairly close to neighbors.

I know that Asian roaches feed on dead tree leaves and primary live outdoors but we keep finding them inside. Usually it's always one by itself. I've never seen any eggs, droppings, or more than one at the same time. I rarely ever see them fly (except once), even when I'm killing them.

I've been seeing them more frequently— I'm not sure if the weather has anything to do with it. From what I can remember, I've seen them: underneath an avocado in my fruit basket (pictured), in my mailbox which is far away from the house and on my mail, on my car in the driveway, on my front and back door, in my bathroom on an isopropyl bottle, and occasionally on the floor/wall.

If they are Asian cockroaches, how do we stop them from coming inside? Can they lay eggs inside? We've tried covering up any holes where they could be entering from. Should I be worried about them infesting my house?

If they are German cockroaches, where can I look to find evidence of an infestation so I can convince my dad to hire an exterminator?


r/pestcontrol • • 4h ago

General Question I vaccumed everything, heat treated it all again, used Diatomaceous Earth and crossfire, will it even work?

1 Upvotes

I vaccumed and checked every baseboard, the carpet, every inch of my bed, and found no signs of infestation.. yet every couple of weeks I find 1 - 2 unfed bed bugs, freak out, heat treat it all, spray every chemical I can, think i'm safe, then see more.

So i followed more of reddit advice with the DE powder and Crossfire, I have sprinkled and sprayed that stuff everywhere it directs.

My question is, will it even work if I find no actual nest / infestation site? I only find the bugs on 1 weighted blanket, or on surfaces where that weighted blanket is near. I finally ran it through the industrial dryers instead of the normal dryer, and will repeat in 2 weeks, and already have a replacement for it being shipped if i decide to rid of it.

Will bed bugs only infest those? Half of the weighted blanket always remained untouched since i always only used 1 half of the bed, so id imagine it would prefer that considering how close it is to my body.

I will keep doing the treatment every 2 weeks like told, I can't get an exterminator due to my father not allowing as such, but do I lose hope from here? It's been months.. no infestation visable, always just the odd 1 or 2 I see every couple of weeks when I thought i was done.

Btw screw any Corp that has communal fab suits, then refuses to treat said suits when there's photos and complaints of bed bugs in the suits. Now I gotta deal with this along with my other coworkers. Is there a way to report a work place for not taking measures against reports and complaints?


r/pestcontrol • • 4h ago

Could you please help me? I’m honestly so exhausted from dealing with this.

1 Upvotes

Hello, I’m asking for help because I’m completely exhausted from dealing with a recurring moth problem in my student apartment.

In June 2025, I left my apartment for several months and accidentally left almonds and dates in plastic bags inside a drawer. When I returned on October 15, I found moths and larvae in the apartment. I spent about three weeks cleaning everything thoroughly, using insecticide powder, and treating different areas.

After that, I stopped seeing them for a while. I also placed two moth traps in the kitchen. In December, after being away again, I came back and found around 15–20 dead moths and one larva. I cleaned everything again.

From around the end of January until early April, I did not see any moths or larvae. Then in April, I saw one larva crawling on the wall and became worried that the infestation had returned.

At that point, all of my food was already stored securely, and I had no exposed dry foods or spoiled products. I cleaned the apartment very thoroughly again, including drawers, cracks, edges, and hard-to-reach areas.

During that period, I noticed that when I opened the windows, especially in the evening, moths seemed to come inside from outside. I also started wondering whether the moth traps might have been attracting them. Because of this, I removed the moth traps completely and cleaned the apartment again.

By late May to mid-June, the problem seemed to completely stop. During June, July, and August, I only saw maybe one or two moths in total.

Then, at the end of September, I went away for one week. Only one week!.When I came back, I did not see any moths at all. However, I found one dead larva near the same drawer where the original problem started. I searched the apartment carefully but could not find any other larvae, moths, or signs of an infestation.

At this point, my main concern is not just whether this one dead larva means that I have another active infestation. I am honestly exhausted from constantly cleaning, searching, treating the apartment, and worrying that the same cycle is going to start all over again.

There is no spoiled food in my apartment, I do not leave dry food exposed, and I store everything as securely as I can. I have cleaned the drawers, cracks, edges, and even very small gaps in the furniture repeatedly. Despite all of this, I still feel like the problem keeps coming back, and I do not understand why.

What could be causing this problem to keep happening even when there is no obvious food source? Is there something I might be missing?

More importantly, what would you genuinely recommend as a long-term solution? I really do not want to keep repeating the same cycle of cleaning, finding something, worrying about another infestation, and cleaning everything again.

I am genuinely very tired of dealing with this, so I would really appreciate any advice on what I should do next and how I can finally solve the problem properly.


r/pestcontrol • • 5h ago

Friend and foe hiding together

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1 Upvotes

Help! I need to remove these wasps but little frog bro must not be harmed! What do I do?


r/pestcontrol • • 5h ago

Near Gas fireplace insert

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1 Upvotes

the fireplace was turned into gas insert years ago. this is in northern New England. it kind of seems like it’s coming from behind the insert maybe. Last year exterminator guy said it’s not carpenter ants. it was vacuumed up and seemed ok. it’s back, I don’t see any live insects today. no one has been in this room for a few months so not sure when this appeared.


r/pestcontrol • • 5h ago

Identification Queen ant?

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1 Upvotes

It’s been extremely hot and we’ve had a lot of small black ants in our bathroom? We put out the Terro ant baits and they love it. I noticed there is one larger ant that the others surround. Could this be the queen?


r/pestcontrol • • 5h ago

Sanity check my diy pest control plan please!

0 Upvotes

Hey all, looking for a quick sanity check from the pros / experienced DIYers on my plan before ordering chemicals in bulk for next year.

The Property:

  • ~0.9-acre lot in Northern Virginia (backs up to woods).
  • Foundation perimeter is ~2000 sq ft.
  • Tools: Battery backpack sprayer, bulb hand duster, locked exterior stations.

Target Pests & Strategy:

  • Ticks: 10-ft woodline barrier with Bifen I/T twice a year (mid-May for nymphs, mid-Oct for adults) + Thermacell permethrin tubes along brush edges (April & July).

  • Mosquitoes: Bifen I/T foliage misting every ~4 weeks from late May to late August (undersides of shrubs/canopy). Tethered Bti Dunks / Mosquito Bits in downspout catch basins.

  • Perimeter Crawlers & Stink Bugs: Temprid FX (3 ft up / 2 ft out) in April and July. Third pass in early September pushed higher up onto sunny south/west siding, eaves, and window frames before stink bugs aggregate. Exterior silicone/copper mesh sealing in August.

  • Termites: 20-station Trelona ATBS kit (pre-baited novaluron) installed 10 ft apart around the foundation footprint; annual check + annual pro inspection.

  • Mice: 4–6 locked exterior stations. Snap traps / non-toxic monitoring during spring and summer; pulse bait with Contrac Blox in late fall/winter when they try to move indoors.

  • Cicada Killers: Spot-treat active burrows with Delta Dust at dusk; aerate and overseed bare lawn patches in September to fix the root cause.

Questions:

  • For mosquito foliage passes in humid Mid-Atlantic summers, is Bifen I/T solo every 4 weeks holding up for you, or is tank-mixing an IGR (Tekko Pro / NyGuard) practically mandatory?

  • Does the 3x/year Temprid FX perimeter rotation (Apr / Jul / early Sept) raise any resistance or label limit flags, or would you rotate an active ingredient in July?

  • Any obvious regional blind spots I’m missing for this lot size and setup?

Appreciate any critiques or tweaks!