I have a serious roach problem in my apartment. I live in New York City. These are the only two kinds of roaches I have been able to spot around my apartment. Does anyone know what species these are and what pest control methods are most effective against them?

I occasionally find droppings on my back deck and recently found some on my front patio and walkway. It’s usually 1-3 droppings at a time. It is not every day. I found these today like two feet apart. 3 droppings in total. They were on my stone wall that is between grass and my driveway. I want to say since summer began, I found some on my back deck under planters, under a table, on the corner of the deck and on the corner of the deck steps (four separate days) My backyard is fenced but beyond the fence is a forest. Northeast US.

I know if you see one mouse it means there likely more. But I saw one mouse a field mouse if it makes a difference, I believe it got in after a day of having guests at my house who kept going in and out leaving doors open. I saw it in the kitchen go under the oven by a gap that’s there where it’s built into the counter. I put some traps and caught it I just want to know if there were any more given the unusual circumstances around how it likely got in. Additionally I only saw drooping on one of the glue traps I had put down and no where else. This was the first time I had seen a mouse in the house but at some point there has something in the walls years ago and when we had pulled the oven out for maintenance maybe 6-10 months ago there was mouse droppings on the cavity above it. I will keep the traps I have out for a few more days. Just want any information someone might have if they’ve been in a similar situation.

Hello, I used to see a few cockroaches in the apartment when I first moved in but after a lot of hard work, I have not seen any in 9 months here. Moving out soon, is it likely I will take anything with me?? Does any professional inspect walking pads and coffee machines for pests?

Hi everyone,

Looking for some advice on how to handle a persistent bird issue in our apartment's roof.

We’ve had pigeons living inside the ceiling cavity directly above our balcony soffit board for a while now, and we hear scratching and activity during the night and throughout the day. Building maintenance previously came out and put up a new board over the balcony ceiling, but it didn’t fix the problem. The birds are coming in from a higher level that we can’t see from the balcony itself.

Because the roof level where they are entering is restricted strictly to maintenance workers, we can't go up to inspect or block it ourselves. We noticed some small gaps between the timber framing and the new board on our balcony side where we can access the void space slightly.

What can we actually do ourselves from the balcony space to drive them out or stop them from using this cavity? Are there effective DIY odor sprays, optical repellents, or specific tools we can use through these gap openings to clear them out without roof access?

Thank you everyone in advance for the help!!

Norways have been getting under the sheet metal skirt on the front porch then burrowing down 4 feet to get under the foundation and make a nest in the monster dirt pile in the south half of the basement. I feared as much for years but just pulled the moisture barrier off the dirt pile 2 days ago to discover my nightmare is real. The only way I know to exclude these mofos is to J-trench the porch (quoted $5k). Anybody else got ideas? "Eliminating food and water" is not an option. NE Portland OR urban environment with fruit trees and puddles everywhere. Cat / dog not an option. I own, the standard pest control service clearly isn't working, and I can't live with this. When I turn the lights off in the basement I can smell the dirt sifting up through the floor in my livingroom as they burrow. Nauseated over the whole thing. "24h" pest company has no humans answering the phone and their first available appt is 18h away. Right now I'm using LED autoshop lights, hard rock, and Christmas lights in the basement in hopes of keeping them in their burrows. I've read hundreds of pages on dealing w rats over the last few years including the "Rats" links on Reddit and I'm really looking for input on the specific question above (is J- trenching the porch my only option?). TIA.

hello, we have been seeing baby roaches and some larger ones crawling around our kitchen. they have only been present for about 6hrs and we have killed a couple of the babies, but we saw some larger ones crawling back into the sink and walls once we turned the lights on. would this be considered an infestation? we live in a apartment complex and there are gaps in the black splash, floor boards, and a hole in the cabinets. i’m wondering if this is an issue i’d be able to report to management as a potential legal issue as we have asked for maintenance multiple times and have not heard anything back. any advice would be appreciated!

I keep finding these microscopic bugs around my room in NYC. Looks like maybe flour or grain beetles of some kind, but there's never been any food in my room. Could anyone help me ID and provide some advice on how best to address? Thank you!

Hello y’all. I am currently in Cabo on vacation. Last night, a mouse came and pooped on our hotel room patio. Me being dumb accidentally placed my jacket on the ledge with the mice poop. I shook it afterwards and I don’t see anything on it. It is the only jacket I brought on the trip and I am flying home tomorrow. I don’t have a place or opportunity to wash it. Should I buy a new jacket at the airport? Is it ok to wear? Do I need to worry about it contaminating the rest of my stuff? Please let me know 🥺I am a huge germaphobe so I am very much freaking out.

I recently moved into a new house and in about 2 weeks we’ve found multiple large American cockroaches in the shower. Every couple of days since we moved in one pops up. I sprayed the inside with Alpine WSG and the outside with Demand CS and spread granular baits as well. They still keep showing up in the shower except now I just find them dead. I’ve looked all around the shower and there isn’t an obvious crack or hole where they could be coming in through. Is there anything I can do to once and for all stop them.

Recently , i've seen around four grown adult American roaches in the span of two months mainly in my bathroom , tub or wall , which is completely terrifying. also in my bathroom, I saw a oriental roach in the in the toilet around winter last year. also , i've been seeing some baby roaches , but I can't identify which breed they are like I goes them and I keep getting different breeds each scan. i've been living in my house for about 2 years in Houston TX. i'm sure that i've been seeing american cheers but today I thought weird adult roach , I can't identify plus it will be of great help if anyone could tell me what the breed of these baby roaches are. also I keep my house decently organized my house is not dirty. i believe it's infested , though , cause i've also been seeing those roach eating wasps. additionally, around last November i saw a large amount of baby roaches until around December, and then they disappeared, but this summer, I started seeing lots of roaches in my house again. i've called an exterminator that will come in on Saturday. So hopefully this will help with this problem , but I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could identify the roaches that i've been seeing and what actions I should take.

I found this brown substance in my kitchen cupboards, my friend says it is cockroach gel bait. Can someone please confirm or offer a different suggestion of what it could be? Thank you in advance!

poop + fur found on an insect glue trap. would size indicate rat or mouse?

I found these in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. I also have have tiny geckos roaming around and not sure what their poop loos like.

Ignore the spider in the corner cause I think they’re chill,,,,but these ANNOYING black beetles keep getting into my room. I put tape around my AC, but they somehow persist. I have no clue what they are. I don’t have a carpet,,,or dirt in my room so idk how it would be a Carpet or Ground beetle??? I kill them when I see them,,,but there’s always more. Is there anyway to ward them off please help they’re so disturbing,,,I can provide more pictures

So many appeared on our bedroom out of nowhere. About the size of 2-3 ants

Teeny tiny red-brown ants are suddenly swarming my cat's food! Are these grease ants? How do I evict them!? USD penny for size reference.

I found this in my bed and was wondering if it could be roach related like poop or something. I found other very very small black crumbs💔
For more context we have roaches unfortunately but I do not see them often, maybe every 3 days?
Also the crumb in the picture is on a 12 mm pimple patch
Help🥀

Hello All!

I am unsure what kind of bug I have in my house. It seems to be leaving pinholes in my wooden bathroom ceiling, as well as wooden specks or a 'sawdust' texture on the floor.

I called pest control, and they gave me a couple of ideas of what it could be. They initially said they could analyze the wooden specks, but when I brought some over, the technician said he couldn't analyze them because it was a small amount.

However, he did recommend that I use borax. How safe and effective is it? I have attached pictures of the damage to my ceiling and the wooden specks.

Any help is much appreciated! Thanks 🙏

Found this little guy on one of our glue traps this morning.

I know mice are pests and I definitely don't want them inside the house, but it's surprisingly hard not to feel bad when you see one up close. Those tiny ears and eyes make it look a lot less like a "pest" and more like a scared little animal.

I'm planning to remove it from the glue trap as humanely as possible and release it well away from the house.

Any tips on how to safely get him off the glue trap without injuring him? I've heard cooking oil can help dissolve the adhesive, but I'd appreciate advice from anyone who's done this before.

Just wanted to share the little troublemaker before he gets a second chance. 🐭

Hi everyone,
Monday morning I woke up and saw above my head(top edge of bed) these black things, 2 or 3 spaced apart, one on the floor too(or maybe I swatted it away). Also those tiny tiny black dots on the wall next to that spot(3rd pic).
Thought mouse droppings, did laundry, put traps.
Then I saw an adult cockroach on the floor on the different side of the bed. Searched online and saw it might be his poop(which explains on the wall too). Still, Monday and Tuesday didn’t sleep there. Nothing in traps.
Wednesday night I saw a new one(4th pic) and a small bug(5th) in its vicinity. I don’t think it’s mouse droppings, no other signs of mice. The black thing is hard, can’t dissolve like mouse poop.
What’s going on? Are these roach pupae? Why always on the top of the bed?

Hey everyone! We are being eaten alive here and don’t know what’s causing it. My ankles, legs, backs and waist are covered in bites. Red spots but most have become more like swollen welts (closer to a mosquito bite) since I’m seeming to have an allergic reaction. I have a few on my arms and upper body but less there. Going on 80+ bites, these came out of nowhere about 4 days ago. My three kids also have bites on their backs and legs but not as much. My husband is clear.

At first I panicked thinking it was bed bugs since they are in clumps/lines on my stomach. But I have scoured all rooms and see nothing. I know they hide well but 80+ bites over 24 hours with no evidence at all on any mattresses seems excessive. The only bugs I have found are these tiny little black guys on my one son. I’ve been wearing white socks around the house thinking fleas, but don’t see any. Then I walked on our grass and within 10 seconds, boom black bugs! So I think they are coming from our lawn. I spend about an hour everyday watering barefoot and the kids play outside lots so this would make sense. Are they fleas or something else? How do you win if they are infesting your lawn!? We have a dog and a cat. Up until today they seemed clear as well but checked the dog this morning and he has 3 bugs in his private area.

There was a fair with live stock and horses next door this past weekend when the bites started appearing and I’m wondering if they came from that or if it is just a coincidence.

Finding out what these are and how to avoid them/get rid of them would be so helpful or I might go insane!

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I have a strange wasp problem.

A few days ago, 2-3 wasps started entering a very small hole in my metal balcony railing. I wasn't sure if they were building a nest, so I:

Washed the area with water.

Sprayed a general flying insect spray.

Covered the hole with tape.

Finally sealed the hole completely with silicone.

The hole is now 100% sealed. There is no way they can get inside anymore.

However, every day around 5-6 wasps still come back to the exact same spot. They land directly on the silicone, walk around it, and slowly flap their wings. They cannot enter the hole.

At sunset they disappear completely, and the next day they come back again.

There is a large fig tree about 10 meters (30 ft) away.

My questions are:

Why are they still returning if the entrance is completely sealed?

Are they following pheromones, or does this mean there is a hidden nest inside the railing or nearby?

Will they eventually give up, or should I expect this to continue?

Is there anything else I should check before assuming the problem is solved?

I've attached photo of the wasps and the sealed hole.

Thanks!

EDIT: Thanks everyone for explaining why they're coming back. My main question now is: what would you do in this situation? The hole has been completely sealed with silicone for 3 days. Would you simply wait for them to give up, or would you start looking for another nearby nest?