Flying Bugs in the House: Types
Flying bugs indoors usually point to a specific source. This guide covers 33 of them.
Quick list
- Kissing Bug
- Paper Wasp
- American Cockroach
- Asian Lady Beetle
- Blow Fly
- Boxelder Bug
- Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
- Brown-Banded Cockroach
- Carpenter Bee
- Cigarette Beetle
- Confused Flour Beetle
- Drain Fly
- Drugstore Beetle
- Drywood Termite
- Earwig
- Eastern Subterranean Termite
- Fruit Fly
- Fungus Gnat
- German Cockroach
- House Fly
- Indian Meal Moth
- June Bug
- Larder Beetle
- Oriental Cockroach
- Rice Weevil
- Smokybrown Cockroach
- Varied Carpet Beetle
- Webbing Clothes Moth
- Western Conifer Seed Bug
- Crane Fly
- Ground Beetle
- House Cricket
- Mud Dauber
How to narrow it down
Narrow it down with three quick checks. Count the legs: insects have six, spiders and ticks have eight, and centipedes and millipedes have many more. Check for wings, even folded ones. Then compare size against a coin: a US penny is 19 mm across. Our bug identifier tool does this filtering for you.
The 33 bugs
Kissing Bug
Kissing BugTriatoma sanguisugaA cone-nosed assassin bug with orange-red markings around the edge of its flat abdomen. It feeds on the blood of animals and people, sometimes biting near the face at night.
Tell-tale sign: Elongated, cone-shaped head. Risk: Kissing bugs can carry the parasite that causes Chagas disease; save the bug and contact your health department if you are bitten.
Paper Wasp
Paper WaspPolistes spp.A slender wasp with long, dangling legs that builds open, umbrella-shaped paper nests under eaves, railings and grills. It hunts caterpillars to feed its young.
Tell-tale sign: Long, thin body with a narrow waist. Risk: Paper wasps are less aggressive than yellowjackets but will sting to defend their nest.
American Cockroach
American CockroachPeriplaneta americanaThe largest common house cockroach, a reddish-brown roach that lives in sewers, basements and steam tunnels. It can fly short distances in warm weather.
Tell-tale sign: Large reddish-brown body up to two inches long. Risk: American cockroaches can spread bacteria to food and trigger allergies and asthma.
Asian Lady Beetle
Asian Lady BeetleHarmonia axyridisAn imported lady beetle that ranges from pale orange to red with anywhere from zero to 19 spots. In fall it gathers in large numbers on sunny walls and slips indoors to spend the winter.
Tell-tale sign: Orange to red dome-shaped body with a variable number of spots. Risk: They can give a mild pinch and release a yellow, smelly fluid that stains, but they carry no disease.
Blow Fly
Blow FlyLucilia sericataA shiny, metallic green or blue fly that lays eggs on dead animals, meat and garbage. A sudden swarm indoors often signals a dead mouse or bird in a wall or attic.
Tell-tale sign: Metallic green, blue or bronze body. Risk: Blow flies don't bite but can carry bacteria from rotting material.
Boxelder Bug
Boxelder BugBoisea trivittataA black bug with red-orange lines on its back that feeds on the seeds of boxelder and maple trees. Large groups sun themselves on warm walls in fall before crawling inside.
Tell-tale sign: Black body with three red lines on the thorax. Risk: Boxelder bugs rarely bite and are harmless, but their droppings can stain curtains.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Brown Marmorated Stink BugHalyomorpha halysA shield-shaped, mottled brown bug that invades homes in fall to overwinter and feeds on fruit and vegetables in summer. It releases a sharp odor when disturbed or crushed.
Tell-tale sign: Shield-shaped, marbled brown body. Risk: Stink bugs don't bite or sting people; they are a household and crop nuisance.
Brown-Banded Cockroach
Brown-Banded CockroachSupella longipalpaA small cockroach with two light bands across its back that prefers warm, dry spots high in rooms. It hides behind picture frames, in electronics and inside furniture.
Tell-tale sign: Two pale yellow bands across the wings and abdomen. Risk: They carry bacteria and allergens like other cockroaches but are not known to bite.
Carpenter Bee
Carpenter BeeXylocopa virginicaA large bee that bores perfectly round holes into bare wood on decks, eaves and fences. Males hover aggressively near nests but cannot sting.
Tell-tale sign: Shiny, hairless black abdomen. Risk: Females can sting but rarely do; repeated nesting weakens wood and attracts woodpeckers.
Cigarette Beetle
Cigarette BeetleLasioderma serricorneA tiny, humpbacked, reddish-brown beetle that infests tobacco, spices, dried flowers, cereals and pet food. Adults are strong fliers and are often found near windows.
Tell-tale sign: Rounded, humped body with smooth, ungrooved wing covers. Risk: Cigarette beetles do not bite; they contaminate and damage stored products.
Confused Flour Beetle
Confused Flour BeetleTribolium confusumA flat, slender, reddish-brown beetle common in flour, cake mixes, cereals and other milled foods. Heavy infestations leave a grayish tint and a sharp, unpleasant smell.
Tell-tale sign: Flat, elongated reddish-brown body. Risk: They don't bite or sting; infested flour tastes and smells bad.
Drain Fly
Drain FlyClogmia albipunctataA small, fuzzy, moth-like fly that rests on bathroom walls near sinks, tubs and floor drains. Its larvae live in the slimy film inside drains.
Tell-tale sign: Fuzzy, gray, leaf-shaped wings held roof-like over the body. Risk: Drain flies don't bite and aren't known to spread disease in homes.
Drugstore Beetle
Drugstore BeetleStegobium paniceumA small, reddish-brown pantry beetle with rows of fine grooves along its wing covers. It infests dried foods, spices, pet food, and even books and medicines.
Tell-tale sign: Oval, reddish-brown body with lengthwise grooves. Risk: Drugstore beetles don't bite or spread disease, but they ruin stored food.
Drywood Termite
Drywood TermiteIncisitermes minorA termite that lives entirely inside dry wood such as furniture, attics and window frames, with no soil contact. It is most common in coastal California, the Southwest and Florida.
Tell-tale sign: Small piles of hard, six-sided fecal pellets. Risk: Drywood termites don't bite people; long-term colonies weaken furniture and framing.
Earwig
EarwigForficula auriculariaA slender, reddish-brown insect with a pair of pincers on its tail. Earwigs hide under mulch and pots by day and chew seedlings, flowers and soft fruit at night.
Tell-tale sign: Forceps-like pincers at the end of the abdomen. Risk: Earwigs can pinch but are harmless, and they do not crawl into ears.
Eastern Subterranean Termite
Eastern Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes flavipesThe most widespread termite in North America, living in underground colonies and reaching wood through mud tubes. Dark, winged swarmers emerge indoors on warm spring days.
Tell-tale sign: Creamy white, soft-bodied workers in soil and wood. Risk: Termites don't bite people but can cause costly structural damage over time.
Fruit Fly
Fruit FlyDrosophila melanogasterA tiny, tan fly with bright red eyes that hovers over ripe fruit, drains, trash and spilled drinks. It can go from egg to adult in about a week.
Tell-tale sign: Very small tan body with bright red eyes. Risk: Fruit flies don't bite; they can carry bacteria from trash onto food.
Fungus Gnat
Fungus GnatBradysia spp.A tiny, dark, mosquito-like fly that hovers around houseplants and windows. Its larvae live in moist potting soil and feed on fungi and roots.
Tell-tale sign: Delicate dark body with long legs and antennae. Risk: Fungus gnats don't bite; larvae can damage seedlings and young roots.
German Cockroach
German CockroachBlattella germanicaA small, light-brown cockroach that breeds rapidly in kitchens and bathrooms, especially in apartments and restaurants. Females carry their egg case until it is ready to hatch.
Tell-tale sign: Light tan to brown body about half an inch long. Risk: German cockroaches contaminate food, and their droppings and shed skins are a major asthma trigger.
House Fly
House FlyMusca domesticaThe most common fly in homes, a dull gray fly with four dark stripes on its thorax. It breeds in garbage, manure and rotting food and lands on nearly everything.
Tell-tale sign: Four dark lengthwise stripes on a gray thorax. Risk: House flies don't bite, but they can carry bacteria that cause food poisoning.
Indian Meal Moth
Indian Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaThe most common pantry moth, with wings that are pale gray near the body and coppery bronze at the tips. Larvae spin silk webbing in grains, nuts, cereal, birdseed and dried fruit.
Tell-tale sign: Two-toned wings, cream at the base and rusty bronze at the tips. Risk: Pantry moths don't bite and aren't toxic; infested food should be thrown away.
June Bug
June BugPhyllophaga spp.A heavy, reddish-brown beetle that crashes into screens and porch lights on late-spring nights. Its C-shaped white grubs live in soil and chew grass roots.
Tell-tale sign: Chunky, shiny reddish-brown to dark brown body. Risk: June bugs are harmless to people; they do not bite or sting.
Larder Beetle
Larder BeetleDermestes lardariusA dark, oblong beetle with a pale yellowish band across the front half of its back. Its hairy larvae feed on dried meats, pet food, cheese and dead insects.
Tell-tale sign: Dark, oblong body with a light tan band across the wing covers. Risk: Larder beetles don't bite, but larvae can bore into wood and they contaminate food.
Oriental Cockroach
Oriental CockroachBlatta orientalisA shiny, dark brown to black cockroach that prefers cool, damp places such as basements, drains and crawl spaces. Females have tiny wing pads, and neither sex can fly.
Tell-tale sign: Glossy black or very dark brown body. Risk: Oriental cockroaches feed on garbage and sewage and can spread bacteria to surfaces.
Rice Weevil
Rice WeevilSitophilus oryzaeA small, dark weevil with a long snout and four faint reddish spots on its back. Females chew holes in whole grains such as rice, wheat and corn and lay an egg inside each kernel.
Tell-tale sign: Long, narrow snout extending from the head. Risk: Rice weevils cannot bite people and are not harmful if accidentally eaten, but they spoil grain.
Smokybrown Cockroach
Smokybrown CockroachPeriplaneta fuliginosaA large, uniformly dark mahogany cockroach common in the humid Southeast. It lives outdoors in tree holes, mulch and gutters and flies toward lights at night.
Tell-tale sign: Shiny, uniformly dark brown body with no markings. Risk: Smokybrown cockroaches can carry bacteria indoors from mulch and garbage.
Varied Carpet Beetle
Varied Carpet BeetleAnthrenus verbasciA tiny, round beetle mottled with white, brown and yellow scales. The fuzzy, banded larvae chew holes in wool, silk, feathers, leather and stored animal products.
Tell-tale sign: Very small, round beetle with a mottled scale pattern. Risk: Carpet beetles don't bite, but larval hairs can cause itchy skin rashes in some people.
Webbing Clothes Moth
Webbing Clothes MothTineola bisselliellaA small, golden-buff moth whose larvae eat wool, silk, fur, feathers and cashmere. Adults avoid light and are more often found in closets than flying around lamps.
Tell-tale sign: Small, shiny golden-tan wings without spots. Risk: Clothes moths don't bite people; larvae damage natural-fiber fabrics.
Western Conifer Seed Bug
Western Conifer Seed BugLeptoglossus occidentalisA long, brown bug with flattened, leaf-like expansions on its hind legs. It feeds on pine cones in summer and wanders indoors in fall, buzzing loudly when it flies.
Tell-tale sign: Leaf-shaped flat widenings on the hind legs. Risk: Western conifer seed bugs don't bite or sting; they may release a pine-like odor.
Crane Fly
Crane FlyTipula spp.A huge, fragile, long-legged fly often mistaken for a giant mosquito. Adults barely feed, and the larvae, called leatherjackets, eat grass roots.
Tell-tale sign: Extremely long, thin legs that detach easily. Risk: Crane flies cannot bite or sting and do not eat mosquitoes, despite the nickname mosquito hawk.
Ground Beetle
Ground BeetleCarabidae familyA fast-running, shiny black beetle that hunts slugs, caterpillars and other insects at night. Ground beetles often wander into basements and garages from nearby mulch and leaf litter.
Tell-tale sign: Shiny black body, often with a metallic sheen. Risk: Ground beetles rarely bite and are beneficial predators; a few release a harmless, bad-smelling spray.
House Cricket
House CricketAcheta domesticusA light yellowish-brown cricket with three dark bands on its head that chirps loudly at night. It wanders indoors in fall and can chew fabric and paper.
Tell-tale sign: Yellowish-brown body with dark crossbands on the head. Risk: House crickets are harmless, though they can damage clothing and keep you awake.
Mud Dauber
Mud DauberSceliphron caementariumA solitary wasp with a thread-thin waist that builds tube-shaped mud nests on walls, ceilings and under porches. It stocks each nest with paralyzed spiders.
Tell-tale sign: Extremely long, thread-like waist. Risk: Mud daubers are non-aggressive and very rarely sting, even when handled.
Which ones should you worry about?
2 of the 33 bugs in this guide can bite or sting. The ones to take seriously are kissing bug. The rest are harmless or simply a nuisance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common one?
Among the bugs in this guide, the kissing bug and paper wasp are the ones people ask about most.
Which of these are dangerous?
Kissing Bug can be medically significant.
How can I identify a bug I found?
Use the free bug identifier tool: choose the number of legs, wings, main color, size and where you found it, and it will list the closest matches.