Garden
Aphids
Look for live colonies on tender growth before treating curled leaves.
Acyrthosiphon pisumPhoto credit
Browse the field guide
The pest library
Find a name you know, or search for the signs you can see. Each guide connects identification to inspection, action and follow-up.
56 guides, with related species and lookalikes.
Wildlife
Bats
A bat in a living space needs an exposure assessment before release.
Myotis species; source description identifies Myotis lucifugusPhoto credit
Bites & stings
Bed Bugs
Start with a specimen or physical evidence near a sleeping place.
Cimex lectulariusPhoto credit
Garden
Beneficial Insects
Before removing an insect, check what it is eating and which life stage you are seeing.
Harmonia axyridisPhoto credit
Wildlife
Birds
Confirm which bird is using the site and whether eggs, chicks or dependent young are present.
Columba livia f. domesticaPhoto credit
Home
Booklice
Booklice are small, non-biting insects often associated with damp, mould-supporting material.
Liposcelis sp.Photo credit
Wood & structure
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants excavate wood for shelter; they do not eat it.
Camponotus pennsylvanicusPhoto credit
Wood & structure
Carpenter Bees
A large bee entering a round timber hole may be a carpenter bee.
Xylocopa virginicaPhoto credit
Home
Carpet Beetles
A few adult beetles at a window do not establish a fabric infestation.
Anthrenus verbasciPhoto credit
Garden
Caterpillars
Find the larva, its waste and its feeding site before acting on holes.
Manduca sextaPhoto credit
Home
Clothes Moths
Confirm larvae, silk or fresh damage in susceptible material.
Tineola bisselliellaPhoto credit
Wildlife
Deer & rabbits
Use tracks, bite pattern and feeding height together.
Sylvilagus floridanusPhoto credit
Home
Earwigs & crickets
A chirp, a pair of pincers or a jumping basement insect leads to different checks.
Forficula auriculariaPhoto credit
Bites & stings
Fire Ants
Keep people and pets away from a suspected fire-ant nest and arrange identification without disturbing it.
Solenopsis invictaPhoto credit
Bites & stings
Fleas
Confirm a flea on an animal or in the environment, then coordinate veterinary care with cleaning where animals rest.
Ctenocephalides felisPhoto credit
Home
Small Flies
A small fly in the kitchen is a candidate, not an identification.
Clogmia albipunctataPhoto credit
Garden
Garden Beetles
Identify the beetle and its host before removing it.
Popillia japonicaPhoto credit
Home
Flies
Identify whether flies are arriving from waste, emerging from hidden decay, sheltering for winter or biting outdoors.
Musca domesticaPhoto credit
Bites & stings
Lice
Head, body and pubic lice require different checks and responses.
Pediculus humanus capitisPhoto credit
Bites & stings
Kissing Bugs
Photograph a suspected kissing bug and keep it safely contained if this can be done without contact.
Triatoma sanguisugaPhoto credit
Garden
Pests inside fruit
The host, ripeness and pattern inside a cut fruit matter more than the word worm.
Cydia pomonellaPhoto credit
Garden
Leafminers
A pale trail or blotch between leaf surfaces suggests a miner, but old mines can be empty.
Liriomyza commelinaePhoto credit
Home
Seasonal flyers
Many insects gathering at lights developed in nearby water or soil and are not breeding inside the house.
Ephemera danicaPhoto credit
Wildlife
Mice
Confirm fresh mouse activity, protect food and plan exclusion with trapping.
Mus musculusPhoto credit
Wildlife
Burrowing Wildlife
Match the animal to fresh signs before choosing control.
Scalopus aquaticusPhoto credit
Bites & stings
Mosquitoes
Start with water-holding containers and protection from bites.
Aedes aegyptiPhoto credit
Home
Pantry Pests
Moths or tiny beetles in a kitchen are a reason to inspect stored products, not proof that every packet is infested.
Plodia interpunctellaPhoto credit
Garden
Plant bugs & leafhoppers
Start with the host and the insect, not a pale spot or wilted leaf.
Lygus lineolarisPhoto credit
Garden
Plant disease & stress
Start with the plant, the pattern and its growing conditions.
Alternaria solani on Solanum lycopersicumPhoto credit
Garden
Nematodes
Stunted or wilting plants do not establish nematodes.
Meloidogyne incognita on Solanum lycopersicumPhoto credit
Wildlife
Raccoons, skunks & opossums
An occasional visitor usually calls for removing food access and avoiding contact.
Procyon lotorPhoto credit
Wildlife
Rats
Look above and below ground, then combine secure food storage, durable entry repairs and rat-sized trapping.
Rattus norvegicusPhoto credit
Garden
Scale & mealybugs
Separate armoured scale, soft scale and mealybugs before choosing an action.
Coccus hesperidumPhoto credit
Bites & stings
Scorpions
Keep your distance from an unidentified scorpion and check likely contact points such as shoes, bedding and stored materials.
Centruroides sculpturatusPhoto credit
Home
Silverfish
Three tail filaments and a tapering, wingless body suggest a silverfish relative.
Lepisma saccharinumPhoto credit
Garden
Slugs & snails
Inspect after dark for the animal or fresh slime near chewed plants.
Arion vulgarisPhoto credit
Wildlife
Snakes & lizards
Keep your distance and avoid handling an unidentified reptile.
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalisPhoto credit
Garden
Spider Mites
Use a lens to connect leaf stippling with live mites.
Tetranychus urticaePhoto credit
Bites & stings
Spiders
Most household and garden spiders are predators that can be left alone or moved out of the immediate activity area.
Parasteatoda tepidariorumPhoto credit
Home
Moisture-loving visitors
These sightings often point to moisture, outdoor shelter or available prey rather than damage to the home.
Scutigera coleoptrataPhoto credit
Wildlife
Squirrels
Observe whether the animal uses trees, roof openings or ground burrows.
Sciurus carolinensisPhoto credit
Home
Overwintering insects
Seasonal clusters at a sunny wall or window often involve adults seeking shelter.
Halyomorpha halysPhoto credit
Garden
Suspected invasive pests
Photograph, record the location and pause movement of suspect plants, wood or equipment.
Lycorma delicatulaPhoto credit
Wood & structure
Termites
Swarms, tubes, pellets and damaged wood are clues that need interpretation.
Isoptera, species not specifiedPhoto credit
Garden
Thrips
Confirm slender insects alongside fresh scarring before treating.
Frankliniella occidentalisPhoto credit
Bites & stings
Ticks
An attached tick needs prompt removal before identification work.
Ixodes scapularisPhoto credit
Garden
Tree Borers
Identify the tree and document fresh boring evidence.
Agrilus planipennis, source attributionPhoto credit
Bites & stings
Wasps
A foraging wasp, a solitary mud nest and a busy social colony need different responses.
Polistes dominulaPhoto credit
Garden
Weeds
Identify the plant and whether it returns from seed, roots or tubers.
Taraxacum officinalePhoto credit
Garden
Whiteflies
A cloud of tiny white adults is a clue; inspect leaf undersides for their immature stages.
Bemisia tabaciPhoto credit
Wood & structure
Wood Boring Beetles
Exit holes and powder can outlast the insects that made them.
Lyctus brunneusPhoto credit
No guide matches that search.
Try a shorter name, “flies” instead of “gnats”, or start from the evidence.
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