Have you ever turned on your bathroom light only to be greeted by an unwelcome guest? Well, you are not alone. Nearly three million people in the United States live with pests on a daily basis. And their favorite spots to hide? Moist areas with plenty of food, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Use this handy bathroom bugs identification guide to decipher what’s causing your problem and how to get rid of it.
1. Cockroaches
Cockroaches are big bugs in bathrooms. You may find them under sinks, inside cabinets, or behind toilets.
©Furiarossa/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Cockroaches are some of the bigger bugs you will find in the bathroom. They are oval shaped with long antennae and black, dark brown, or reddish-brown coloring. |
| What attracts them? | Leaking pipes, humidity, plumbing problems |
| Where will you find them? | Under bathroom sinks, inside cabinets, behind toilets, bathtub corners |
| How do you get rid of them? | Fix holes in the wall, seal crevices, fix leaky faucets, and seal drain pipes. Sprinkle a mixture of baking soda and sugar around the problem areas. |
Are you looking for a quick and effective solution to your cockroach infestation? Check out this article to get rid of them overnight.
2. Springtails
Springtails may be attracted to standing water and leaking pipes. Seal leaks and wipe down infected surfaces with vinegar.
©Ihor Hvozdetskyi/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Springtails have bulbous-shaped bodies with long antennae. They have six legs and come in various colors, such as brown, black, gray, or white. If you’re seeing white bathroom bugs, springtails may be the culprit. |
| What attracts them? | These small jumping bugs can be attracted to standing water, leaking pipes, and rotting wood in the bathroom. |
| Where will you find them? | Around leaking pipes or around sinks and tubs |
| How do you get rid of them? | Seal leaks and wipe down infected surfaces with vinegar or bleach (but don’t mix the two). |
3. Ants
Small black bathroom bugs that are attracted to fermented hair in dirty drains.
©Victor Suarez Naranjo/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Small black bugs in the bathroom with three distinct body sections: head, thorax, and abdomen. They can also be brown and red. |
| What attracts them? | Ants are attracted to chemical odors from the drain, such as fermented hair. They also like moisture and damp, rotting wood. |
| Where will you find them? | Window ledges or anywhere moisture collects |
| How do you get rid of them? | Unclog drains and spray around problems areas with a vinegar and water solution. |
Learn about nine other types of black bugs with this guide.
4. Earwigs
Earwigs can be found under humid bathroom sinks.
©SIMON SHIM/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Earwigs are dark in color and feature distinct pinchers and long antennae. |
| What attracts them? | They love high-moisture areas, especially when water collects under sinks. |
| Where will you find them? | Primarily under bathroom sinks |
| How do you get rid of them? | Place a dehumidifier under damp sinks and spray a mixture of dish soap and water. |
5. Mosquitos
Mosquitoes are known for being carriers of some of the most dangerous parasitic diseases.
©Surachai Pung/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Small flying insects with a long proboscis. They are typically darker in color but some can be light brown or feature white spots. |
| What attracts them? | While seeing mosquitos in your bathroom can be rare, it is not uncommon. These insects are attracted to warm, moist areas near tubs and sinks. |
| Where will you find them? | Shower and sink drains, where they can lay eggs. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Spray a mixture of vinegar, sugar, and detergent and eliminate stagnant water. |
6. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can hitch a ride on clothes and bedding, where they can then infest bathrooms.
©iStock.com/Mainely Photos
| What do they look like? | These tiny brown bugs are about the size of an apple seed. They are oval-shaped and reddish-brown. |
| What attracts them? | Bed bugs can easily travel from the bedroom to the bathroom by traveling on clothing, bedding, and pillowcases. They often end up in your laundry basket, where they infest from there. |
| Where will you find them? | These tiny bathroom bugs can hide in the cracks in your bathtub tiles or the walls. But they can live pretty much anywhere. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Bug bombs or heat treatments. Bed bugs may need to be exterminated by professionals. |
7. Booklice
Booklice can infest wallpaper, moldy windowsills, or any mildewy items.
©omasz Klejdysz/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Booklice are flat and oblong-shaped. They are very tiny and can be translucent, white, gray, or brown. |
| What attracts them? | High humidity areas, especially around leaking pipes or mildewy items. |
| Where will you find them? | Under wallpaper, around moldy windowsills, or any other item in the bathroom with high moisture and mildew. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Dispose of any infested items and place a dehumidifier in the area. Reducing the humidity to less than 50% will kill the booklice. |
8. Silverfish
Silverfish do not carry any diseases and hardly bite humans.
©2Dvisualize/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Silverfish are teardrop-shaped with three sets of appendages that look like bristles. They also have long antennae and are typically dark brown or reddish-brown. |
| What attracts them? | Silverfish like warm, moist areas with mold, mildew, and fungi. |
| Where will you find them? | You can often see them in bathtubs and sinks. But also behind baseboards and small crevices. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Reduce humidity and sprinkle boric acid around drains. |
9. House Centipedes
Centipedes like warm, moist environments, where they hide in crevices and sit near shower drains.
©No machine-readable author provided. Decius assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons – Original / License
| What do they look like? | These insects have elongated bodies with 15 to 177 pairs of legs. They range in color from light brown, yellow, dark brown, red, and gray. And they can feature striped markings. |
| What attracts them? | They like warm and moist areas, such as leaks and stagnant water. |
| Where will you find them? | You may find them crawling across the floor, hiding in crevices, or sitting near shower drains. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Repair water leaks, use a dehumidifier, and run exhaust fans. You can also pour vinegar down drains. |
Here are some ideas for natural pest control against house centipedes.
10. Crickets
House crickets are omnivore insects that can grow up to 0.83 inches.
©iStock.com/Florian DENIS
| What do they look like? | Crickets are smaller than grasshoppers and darker in color. They have large, bent hind legs. |
| What attracts them? | They gravitate towards moisture, such as bathrooms with leaky faucets and pipes. |
| Where will you find them? | You may find them under appliances or behind the molding on bathroom cabinets. |
| How do you get rid of them? | You can use sticky traps, molasses and water mixture, or diatomaceous earth. |
11. Drain Flies
Drain flies live and breed near bathroom drains, unused toilets, and standing water.
©Birgit Bierschenk/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | These are small, fuzzy flies with light-colored bodies and wings. |
| What attracts them? | These bathroom bugs love stagnant water, especially slow-draining bathroom sinks and shower drains. |
| Where will you find them? | You can find these flies near bathroom drains, unused toilets, leaking pipes, or any standing water. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Remedy any clogged drains, remove standing water, fix leaking pipes, and leave a bowl of apple cider vinegar and dish detergent and leave it near problem areas. |
Check out this article about what’s causing your drain fly infestation.
12. Gnats and Fruit Flies
Tiny bugs in bathrooms are attracted to moisture and residue inside drains.
©Pixelbender36/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | These tiny bugs in the bathroom are small, slender flies. They have long legs and gray or black coloring. Fruit flies are more red. |
| What attracts them? | Gnats are attracted to moisture and residue inside drains and pipes. |
| Where will you find them? | You can find them near shower drains, bathroom sinks, and leaky pipes. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Unclog and clean out drains, get rid of standing water, and place a vinegar trap near drains. |
Where do fruit flies come from? Check out this article and learn how to get rid of them once and for all.
13. Termites
Undergoing incomplete metamorphosis, termites have three stages: egg, nymph, and adult.
©7th Son Studio/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Oblong-shaped with thick, straight waists. They also have straight antennae and long wings that can be discarded. They can be light tan to dark brown. |
| What attracts them? | Termites like damp, soft wood. Bathrooms with excess moisture and rotting wood are perfect environments for these small bugs in the bathroom. |
| Where will you find them? | They will most often be behind bathroom walls, tile, and bathtubs. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Spray boric acid in cracks and crevices in the walls. |
14. Horseflies
The
horsefly
enters homes by accident. But can be drawn to standing water in bathrooms.
©iStock.com/dabjola
| What do they look like? | Horseflies are large and dark. They have big green or purple eyes with stripes. They also have six legs and lack bristles. |
| What attracts them? | These flies typically enter homes by accident. But can find themselves in the bathroom if there is standing water in a warm area. |
| Where will you find them? | You may find them hovering over sinks or other water sources. Or they may be resting on nearby walls. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Remove any standing water and use fly traps, such as sticky ribbons or a vinegar and sugar water mixture. |
15. Drain Worms
| Inside or around bathroom sinks, or shower drains | Drain worms are actually the larvae of drain flies. They look like small black worms, less than 0.4 inches long. |
| What attracts them? | Adult drain flies are attracted to moist, dirty drains, where they lay their eggs. |
| Where will you find them? | Inside or around bathrooms sinks, or shower drains |
| How do you get rid of them? | Clean clogged drains and treat them with baking soda, salt, vinegar, and boiling water. Also, deep clean the bathroom with carbolic acid. |
16. Fungus Beetles
These beetles are often found near decaying materials where some fungus has grown. They consume fungus and small insects.
©Alen thien/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Fungus beetles can be several species of beetles. They are egg-shaped and can be small to large. Their colors also vary, featuring light brown, red, dark brown, blue, or black. |
| What attracts them? | As its name suggests, the fungus beetle thrives in humid areas covered in mold, mildew, or fungus. |
| Where will you find them? | They live in freshly plastered walls, behind wallpaper, bathtubs, sinks, wet windows, and wall voids. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Dry out any moist areas and treat the mold growth. |
17. Spiders
Spiders can hide in corners, small gaps, or any other area of a bathroom.
©Sample Stars/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Spiders are arachnids with eight legs. They come in many sizes, shapes, and colors. |
| What attracts them? | During the dry season in your region, you may see an uptick in spiders near the bathroom. These creatures search for water like all other living things. |
| Where will you find them? | Spiders can be anywhere in the bathroom, including small gaps, windows, vents, corners of the room, sinks, and tubs. They can even hide under wet towels and clothes. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Seal cracks and crevices, pick up any items on the floor, and spray a vinegar and water mixture around corners. |
18. Slugs
Slugs eat the dead matter of plants, moss, mushroom spores, and animal droppings.
©iStock.com/Ja’Crispy
| What do they look like? | Slugs are long, thick, and slimy. They have two small tentacles and come in varying shades, such as gray, brown, yellow, and red. |
| What attracts them? | Slugs are attracted to dark, damp areas, such as drains and vents. |
| Where will you find them? | You may find it near drains, vents, holes in the wall, or near a crawl space. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Trace their slime trail back to their entry point and fill it with salt. Repair any areas they could be gaining access. |
19. Mites
Dust mites feed on molds and organic detritus. Their feces (greenish spots) induce allergenic reactions. The glossy brown spheres are their eggs.
©iStock.com/selvanegra
| What do they look like? | Mites appear similar to ticks, with round or bulbous bodies. They have eight legs and are classified as arachnids. Most are invisible to the naked eye. |
| What attracts them? | Mites are attracted to extra damp and humid bathrooms, dust, and cluttered areas. |
| Where will you find them? | They live in cracks and crevices or dusty, damp items like bathroom rugs. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Declutter and thoroughly clean the bathroom, including dusting, vacuuming, and washing any cloth material. Treat mold and mildew. |
20. Scorpions
Scorpions find their way inside through bathroom plumbing.
©Tobias Hauke/Shutterstock.com
| What do they look like? | Scorpions are crab-like arachnids with eight legs and two pincers. They can be a wide range of colors, from light tan, red, dark brown, and even blue. |
| What attracts them? | Scorpions are attracted to water and find their way inside your bathroom through the plumbing system. |
| Where will you find them? | Because they come up through the drains, you will often find them in bathroom sinks or bathtubs. Obviously, scorpions are only a problem in certain areas, like Arizona and New Mexico. |
| How do you get rid of them? | Treat your drains with bleach weekly and place sticky traps around problem areas. |
Bonus: Are House Centipedes Beneficial?
House centipedes are harmless to people and prey on spiders and other small insects.
©zaidi razak/Shutterstock.com
House centipedes have a certain ick factor that leads most people to find their fly swatters – but did you know that some consider them to be beneficial? Centipedes thrive in damp, secluded areas in basements, closets, bathrooms, and firewood stacks outdoors. Why are they beneficial? They are harmless to people – yet they eat spiders and other small insects that can cause harm. Seeing one every once in a while doesn’t indicate a problem – but if there are too many – try the methods for getting rid of them that we listed above: repair water leaks, use a dehumidifier, and run exhaust fans. You can also pour vinegar down drains.
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