When you own a home, you need to know what these little invaders are, what risks they pose, and how to get rid of them.
We’ll give you our best advice on how to find and get rid of pests in this blog. Take back your space!
Dealing with Tiny Brown Bugs Infesting Your Home
Discovering an infestation of small brown bugs crawling around your house can be disturbing and frustrating. But identifying the type of insect is key to getting rid of these tiny pests effectively. Let’s explore some of the most common tiny brown bugs found indoors and proven methods to eliminate them.
Top Brown Bugs That Invade Houses
Here are 12 of the most prevalent brown bugs that make their way into homes:
Carpet beetles – These round brown beetles with banded wings feast on fabric carpets clothing, and other household items containing wool, fur, or feathers.
Drugstore beetles – Named for their affinity for pharmacies, these pantry pests bore into containers to eat dried foods, spices, and plant products.
Cigarette beetles – Closely resembling drugstore beetles, these tiny brown bugs infest tobacco and stored foods like rice, pasta, and cereals.
Flour beetles – As the name suggests, these small brown pests love flour and infest bags of flour, cereal, pasta, baking mixes, and grain-based pet food.
Pantry moths – The larvae of these moths damage stored food items and can leave behind messy webbing. Indianmeal moths are common
Granary weevils – A type of snout beetle, these bugs are grain pests that can rapidly multiply and damage rice, pasta, cereal, oats, etc.
Spider beetles – Aptly named for their spider-like appearance, spider beetles thrive in dark humid places, attacking pantry goods.
Booklice – Despite the name, booklice eat mold and can infest other damp areas of the home beyond books, leaving behind powdery waste.
Silverfish – These wingless bugs with tapered silver-gray bodies and long antennae thrive in dampness and feed on paper, photos, books, or starch in adhesives.
Firebrats – Closely related to silverfish, firebrats have mottled gray/brown coloring and prefer warmer areas like near appliances and fireplaces.
Fruit flies – Tiny flies that breed rapidly in overripe fruit and other decaying produce, hovering around kitchens.
Pantry pests – Various beetle species or moths that infest food products stored in the pantry.
Signs of an Infestation
Watch for these signs that tiny brown bugs have invaded your pantry or home:
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Visible bugs crawling around the kitchen, pantry, basement, attic, or other rooms
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Tiny pinprick-sized holes in food packaging, flour bags, etc.
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Powdery residue from grains, cereals, or spices leaking from containers
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Clumps of grain, pet food, etc. stuck together with webbing
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Bugs in opened boxes or bags of rice, pasta, oats, flour, etc.
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Damage to carpets, clothing, or upholstered furniture from carpet beetles
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Presence of shed brown beetle skins
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White grain-like cocoons attached to food containers or walls
How To Get Rid of Tiny Brown Household Bugs
- Locate and discard infested items.
Inspect your pantry closely for signs of an infestation. Look for tiny brown bugs, larvae, webbing, clumping, and damage to packaging. Throw away any infested food packages, flour bags, pet food boxes, etc. Freeze then seal other non-perishables for 2-3 days to kill bugs before returning to the pantry.
Check carpets, furniture, closets, and clothing for carpet beetles, larvae, and damage. Discard or thoroughly clean infested items. Vacuum well and empty the vacuum outside to remove eggs.
- Make the environment inhospitable.
Pantry pests need food and shelter to thrive. Removing their food source and habitat makes your home unwelcoming so they move on or die out.
- Get rid of clutter to eliminate hiding spots.
- Keep food storage areas clean and dry.
- Fix plumbing leaks that allow moisture buildup.
- Store food in airtight containers, not cardboard or bags.
- Clean up spilled grains, crumbs, and residues around the pantry promptly.
- Refrigerate foods prone to pests like flour, cereals, etc.
- Discard old debris and trash around the home.
- Use traps for monitoring and reducing bugs.
Pheromone or glue traps can catch pantry moths, beetles, weevils, and other crawling pests. Locate traps in infested areas like the pantry, under appliances, in attics, etc. Replace traps monthly until you stop catching bugs. Traps also indicate if further treatment is needed.
- Apply desiccant dusts in wall voids and cracks.
Diatomaceous earth and silica aerogel are natural desiccant dusts that dry out and kill small brown bugs like silverfish, firebrats, carpet beetles, and pantry pests. Apply along baseboards, under cabinets, and into wall crevices. Wear a mask to avoid breathing in dust.
- Treat with insecticides when needed.
For heavy infestations, insecticide sprays or foggers containing pyrethroids effectively kill most pantry pests, beetles, moths, silverfish, etc. Always read and carefully follow label directions. Use caution around food items and avoid overuse of chemicals.
- Address entry points.
Bugs and pests enter through cracks and gaps around windows, doors, pipes, vents, and wiring holes. Caulk and seal openings to prevent access, especially in basements, attics, and food storage areas. Screen vents and install door sweeps.
- Freeze fabrics or heat treat appliances.
For carpet beetle issues, place susceptible items in the freezer for several days to kill all stages. Or have a professional deep clean and heat treat carpets to 120°F to eliminate eggs and larvae. Heat treat appliances to at least 115°F to eradicate pantry pest infestations.
Prevention Tips
Prevent future infestations by:
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Buying dried goods like flour and cereals in small quantities and using quickly.
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Keeping the pantry clean and free of spills and food debris.
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Not storing pet food or bird seed inside the home.
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Filling cracks along walls, floors, and ceiling to eliminate pest entry routes.
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Checking items purchased at thrift stores for carpet beetles before bringing home.
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Examining dried plants, packaged foods, and bulk grains carefully for hitchhiking pests.
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Screening attic and sub-floor vents to keep pests out.
When To Call a Professional Exterminator
Contact a licensed exterminator for:
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Severe infestations that persist after thorough home treatment efforts.
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Identification of unfamiliar pests. An expert can identify the species to confirm the best elimination methods.
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Inaccessible areas where pesticide injection or fumigation is required, like wall voids.
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Heat treatment or extreme cold treatments to kill all pest life stages.
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Follow-up inspections to confirm complete eradication.
The Bottom Line
Dealing with tiny brown bug invasions requires diligence in locating and discarding infested items, removing food sources, and utilizing desiccant dusts, traps, and targeted pesticides when necessary. Addressing entry points and maintaining cleanliness and dryness helps make the home inhospitable long-term. Getting help from a professional exterminator provides expert identification services and access to specialized treatment options for severe pest issues. Stopping these small brown pests in their tracks preserves your home environment and pantry.
1 Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (Nymphs)
Brown marmorated stink bugs are small, shield-shaped insects with a distinctive brown and gray coloration.
They have six legs and antennae, and when they are adults, they can be anywhere from 12 to 17 mm long.
Nymphs, or immature stink bugs, are smaller and lack wings.
Stink bugs do not bite or spread diseases but can produce a strong odor when crushed or threatened.
Additionally, they can damage plants by sucking out their insides, leading to wilted leaves and reduced crop yields.
If you want to keep stink bugs out of your home, you should first seal up any cracks or holes they could use to get in.
This includes gaps around windows and doors, utility pipes, and vents.
You can also treat areas with insects with insecticides, but it is best to talk to a professional pest control service about the safest and most effective ways to do it.
Clover mites are tiny arachnids that measure about 0.75 mm and are typically reddish-brown.
You can often find these little bugs on window sills and walls, especially in the spring and fall when they are most active.
Because they are so small, they can be hard to see. This is why many people may not even know they have them in their homes.
Clover mites can become a nuisance despite their size, as they tend to gather in large numbers.
It’s important to keep an eye out for pests and take steps to control their presence if they get into your home.
People and pets are not at risk of getting sick from clover mites, but a lot of them in a house can be a bother.
They may also cause damage to plants by feeding on their sap.
Clover mite infestations can be stopped by sealing off possible entry points around doors and windows and applying insecticides to areas that are already infested.
Vacuuming can also help remove these pests from inside your home.
1 Flour Beetles (Confused and Red Flour Beetle)
Flour beetles are small, reddish-brown insects often found in stored grains and flours.
They are easily distinguishable by their elongated, flattened bodies and long antennae.
It’s about 3–4 mm long for the Confused Flour Beetle and 4-5 mm long for the Red Flour Beetle.
Like other pantry pests, these beetles can infest food products.
People with asthma or allergies can also have trouble breathing because of the dust from their shed skins and feces.
To prevent floor beetle infestations, discard infested items, clean storage areas, and store grains in airtight containers.
If the infestation is severe, professional pest control services may be necessary.
I Have Tiny Brown Bugs Around My Baseboards in My House
FAQ
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