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Home » Pest Identification Guide

Pest Identification Guide

Something crawling, flying or scurrying around your Wisconsin home? Match it below β€” size, color, where it hides and when it shows up β€” then learn exactly how to get rid of it.

Identify Your Pest

What Are You Dealing With?

Filter by how it moves β€” or browse everything. Each card links to full identification, dangers, treatment and prevention details.

Ants identification β€” Wisconsin

Ants

  • Size: 1/16" – 5/8"
  • Color: Black, brown, red or yellow by species
  • Where seen: Kitchens, foundations, damp wood
  • Season: Spring–summer; carpenter ants in spring
How to Get Rid of Them
Bed Bugs identification β€” Wisconsin

Bed Bugs

  • Size: 1/4" (apple seed)
  • Color: Reddish-brown, flat oval
  • Where seen: Mattress seams, headboards, furniture
  • Season: Year-round
How to Get Rid of Them
Box Elder Bugs identification β€” Wisconsin

Box Elder Bugs

  • Size: 1/2"
  • Color: Black with red-orange markings
  • Where seen: Sunny south/west walls, window sills
  • Season: Fall swarms; warm winter days
How to Get Rid of Them
Cockroaches identification β€” Wisconsin

Cockroaches

  • Size: 1/2" – 2"
  • Color: Light brown to black
  • Where seen: Kitchens, bathrooms, basements, drains
  • Season: Year-round
How to Get Rid of Them
Crickets identification β€” Wisconsin

Crickets

  • Size: Up to 1.5"
  • Color: Black to brown
  • Where seen: Basements, garages, lower walls
  • Season: Late summer–fall entry
How to Get Rid of Them
Fleas identification β€” Wisconsin

Fleas

  • Size: 1/8"
  • Color: Reddish-brown, jumps
  • Where seen: Pets, carpet, bedding, upholstery
  • Season: Peak summer–fall
How to Get Rid of Them
Flies identification β€” Wisconsin

Flies

  • Size: 1/8" – 3/8"
  • Color: Gray, black or metallic green/blue
  • Where seen: Kitchens, trash, drains, windows
  • Season: Summer; cluster flies in fall
How to Get Rid of Them
Asian Lady Beetles identification β€” Wisconsin

Asian Lady Beetles

  • Size: 1/4"
  • Color: Tan to red; spots vary, "M" behind head
  • Where seen: Sunny exteriors, attics, window frames
  • Season: Fall swarms; winter indoors
How to Get Rid of Them
Millipedes identification β€” Wisconsin

Millipedes

  • Size: 1" – 1.5" (centipedes to 4")
  • Color: Brown, worm-like, many legs
  • Where seen: Damp basements, bathrooms, mulch
  • Season: After rain; fall migrations
How to Get Rid of Them
Pantry Pests identification β€” Wisconsin

Pantry Pests

  • Size: 1/16" – 1/2"
  • Color: Brown, gray or mottled
  • Where seen: Flour, cereal, grains, pet food
  • Season: Year-round
How to Get Rid of Them
Mice & Rats identification β€” Wisconsin

Mice & Rats

  • Size: 3" – 12" body
  • Color: Gray, brown or bicolored
  • Where seen: Walls, attics, basements, garages
  • Season: Fall–winter intrusion peak
How to Get Rid of Them
Silverfish identification β€” Wisconsin

Silverfish

  • Size: 1/2" – 1"
  • Color: Silver-gray, teardrop shape
  • Where seen: Damp basements, attics, bathrooms
  • Season: Year-round
How to Get Rid of Them
Spiders identification β€” Wisconsin

Spiders

  • Size: 1/8" – 1.5"
  • Color: Brown, gray or black
  • Where seen: Basements, corners, garages, webs
  • Season: Move indoors in fall
How to Get Rid of Them
Wasps, Bees & Hornets identification β€” Wisconsin

Wasps, Bees & Hornets

  • Size: 1/2" – 1.5"
  • Color: Black/yellow; hornets white-faced
  • Where seen: Eaves, decks, wall voids, ground nests
  • Season: Late-summer aggression peak
How to Get Rid of Them
Voles identification β€” Wisconsin

Voles

  • Size: Up to 5" body
  • Color: Blackish- to grayish-brown fur
  • Where seen: Lawn runways, gardens, tree bases
  • Season: Year-round; winter under snow
How to Get Rid of Them
Still Not Sure?

Send Us a Photo β€” We'll Identify It Free

Grainy phone photo? Half a bug? Just a description of what it left behind? That's enough for our technicians most of the time. Send us a picture of the pest (or its droppings, damage or nest) and we'll tell you what it is and what to do about it β€” no charge, no obligation.

Send a Photo for ID Call (773) 263-0887

Wisconsin's Pest Calendar

  • Spring β€” carpenter ants emerge; pavement ants swarm; wasp queens start nests
  • Summer β€” flies, fleas and ants peak; spider populations build
  • Late summer β€” wasps and yellow jackets at maximum size and aggression
  • Fall β€” the indoor push: mice, box elder bugs, Asian lady beetles, crickets
  • Winter β€” rodents active in walls; overwintering insects emerge on warm days

Identified it? Now let's get rid of it.

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