Name the pest. Then fix it the simple way.
Plain-language guides that help you identify what you're seeing, find where it's coming from and choose the least-toxic fix that works. When a job needs a professional, we say so.
43 guides and 170 cited sources from university extension programs, the EPA and the CDC. No sponsored products.
What are you seeing?
Pick the part of the house, then match the clue to the most likely culprit.
Kitchen and pantry
Bedrooms and closets
- Itchy bites after sleeping and dark spots on mattress seamsBed bugs
- Holes in wool sweaters or a rug, plus small bristly larvaeCarpet beetles
- Small golden moths and silky webbing on wool or stored clothesClothes moths
- A brown spider in a box or closet with a darker mark behind its headBrown recluse
- Webs in corners and a spider or two every weekHouse spiders
Attic and walls
- Scratching or rolling sounds in the attic during the daySquirrels
- Scratching at night and droppings bigger than a grain of riceRats
- Droppings piling up under a gap in the eaves, and activity at duskBats
- Piles of discarded wings near a window in springTermite swarmers
- Pencil-wide mud tubes running up the foundationTermites
Yard and outside walls
- Raised, winding ridges across the lawnMoles
- Crescent-shaped mounds of loose soil with the hole pluggedPocket gophers
- Brown patches of turf that peel back like carpetWhite grubs
- A large burrow under the deck or shedGroundhogs
- A strong musky smell and an animal living under the porchSkunks
- Wasps flying in and out of a hole in the groundYellowjackets
- Perfectly round holes under deck rails or eaves, sawdust belowCarpenter bees
- Bites at dusk and wigglers in standing waterMosquitoes
- Ticks on you or your dog after time in tall grassTicks
Garden
- Leaves chewed down to a lace of veins in early summerJapanese beetles
- Curled new leaves with a sticky, shiny residueAphids
- Pale stippled leaves and fine webbing underneathSpider mites
- Seedlings and flowers nibbled to the ground overnightRabbits
- Ragged holes in soft leaves and petals, insects hiding under potsEarwigs
Still not sure? Your county extension office can often identify an insect from a sample or a clear photo. How to collect a specimen.
Field guide contents
Each section starts with an identification guide, then step-by-step fixes in the order extension experts recommend.
Rodents5 guides
Mice and rats: signs, trapping, sealing entry points and safe cleanup.
Insects15 guides
Cockroaches, ants, spiders, mosquitoes, ticks, flies, pantry pests and stinging insects.
Termites2 guides
Tell termites from ants, spot damage early and compare treatments.
Bed Bugs2 guides
Confirm what you have, then treat it without wasting money on foggers.
Wildlife9 guides
Bats, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, moles and more: humane, legal ways to keep them out.
Lawn and Garden5 guides
Grubs, beetles, aphids, mites and weeds, with low-impact fixes first.
Prevention5 guides
Seasonal tasks, safe pesticide use, costs and how to choose a company.
Every guide, A to Z
The full index, grouped by section, for when you already know what you're after.
Before you hire anyone
Plenty of pest problems are do-it-yourself jobs. Some are not. Bring in a licensed provider when the pest damages the structure, poses a health risk or keeps coming back after a thorough cleanup.
- Termites, carpenter ants or anything chewing the structure
- Rodents in living areas, or droppings in the attic and walls
- Stinging insects near someone with an allergy
- Bats or other wildlife inside the house, since removal rules vary by state
- Work that needs restricted products, fumigation or a ladder on the roof
Where our advice comes from
We rewrote every guide in 2026 against current guidance and list the sources at the bottom of each page. These are the publishers we cite most.
- University of California Statewide IPM Program
- University of Kentucky Entomology
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- US Environmental Protection Agency
- Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
- National Pesticide Information Center
- Penn State Extension
- University of Minnesota Extension
- NC State Extension
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach