How to Identify Kitchen Bugs (With Photos)

Kitchen Bug Identification: A Comprehensive Guide

This article describes some of the most common kitchen bugs and insects. As we will see below, not all of them are a reason for concern. Nevertheless, a few are serious pests that require the services of an exterminator.

In order to use this guide effectively, try to get a good look at the bug in your kitchen that you're trying to identify. You may want to take a quick picture, as this will allow you to inspect their key features (i.e., color, size, and the number of legs). Afterward, scroll down and see which of these kitchen insects most closely matches your bug.

Identification Chart for Kitchen Insects Pictured in This Guide

Meal Moths

• Identifiable Traits: Renowned for their small, reddish-brown wings with dark bands. The larvae usually resemble cream-colored caterpillars with brown heads.
• Attracted To: Stored grains, nuts, and dried fruits.
• Prevention: Store food in airtight containers, clean pantries regularly, and discard infected food.

You may see these little moths flying through the air in your house, especially near the kitchen. A meal moth infestation is irritating but usually not catastrophic since it occurs in low numbers and only infests limited amounts of stored food. However, opening up a canister of flour and discovering the weird, webby nests that the caterpillars construct can be downright disturbing. They live communally in these webs, feeding on stored flour and meal before pupating and hatching into an adult moth.

How to Get Rid of Meal Moths

The best way to deal with a meal moth infestation is also the most drastic. To eliminate them completely, you'll need to throw away all of the infested flour or meal. If you don't, hidden larvae and eggs may remain, and your problem will start all over again. Discard all potential food sources, buy new ones, and store them in airtight containers.

Stored-Grain Beetles

• Identifiable Traits: Small, cylindrical beetles with elongated bodies. These bugs are usually reddish-brown or black.
• Attracted To: Stored grains, cereals, flour, and dry food products.
• Prevention: Store grains in airtight containers and monitor your home for signs of infestation.

Stored-grain beetles (also known as larder beetles) are beetle versions of clothes and meal moths (discussed above). As with moths that feed on wool and stored grains, it is the larvae that do the most damage, as the adults feed very little. You may or may not see actual beetles in your kitchen, but if you do, you can be sure there's an infestation somewhere.

How to Get Rid of Stored-Grain Beetles

To eliminate stored-grain pests in your kitchen, you'll need to throw away all your flour, corn meal, grain, and dried beans. Buy new items and store them in airtight containers. The pests will be unlikely to return to your kitchen since their food source is now out of reach.

Carpet Beetles

• Identifiable Traits: Small, oval-shaped beetles with patterned scales. These bugs also come in a variety of colors, including black, brown, white, and orange.
• Attracted To: Natural fibers like wool, silk, feathers, and even hair.
• Prevention: If you have carpet, vacuum frequently. You can also utilize mothballs or cedar to prevent infestations.

You may or may not have carpet in your kitchen. If you do, it's a possibility you'll find carpet beetles there. These small, rounded beetles are similar to stored-grain beetles, except they feed on wool and other natural fibers. Like other pests, the adult doesn't cause the damage. It's the larvae, which are pale brown, bristly, caterpillar-like worms that have a voracious appetite.

How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles

In order to prevent (and eliminate) carpet beetles, you'll need to vacuum your carpet frequently, as this helps remove their eggs and larvae. After sealing entry points in your home, you can also spread mothballs and cedar chips in strategic spots, as they can't stand the smell. If the problem persists, though, you'll probably have to contact a professional exterminator.

Phorid Flies

• Identifiable Traits: Small, humpbacked bugs with a tan or brown coloration.
• Attracted To: Organic matter, sewage, unattended garbage, and moist environments.
• Prevention: Regularly clean your sinks and drains, dispose of garbage promptly, and seal off entry points.

Phorid flies are little black flies that live and multiply in drains. They are commonly found in basements but can also occur in kitchen sinks (if conditions are right). Damp, unsanitary conditions are ideal for phorid flies to establish a colony and start reproducing.

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How to Get Rid of Phorid Flies

Since the larvae live and feed in drains and pipes, the best way to attack a phorid fly infestation is by cleaning the drain and applying vinegar or another killing agent. Insecticides that contain permethrin are especially effective.

Sugar Ants

• Identifiable Traits: Small ants with dark brown bodies.
• Attracted To: Sugary foods, crumbs, and spills.
• Prevention: Store food in airtight containers, seal entry points, and use ant bait (or repellents).

For this section, I decided to group several different ant species under the general rubric of "sugar ants." These ants seek sweet food sources, although they will gather at any source of nutrition that suits them. There are significant differences between them, but for the typical homeowner, those differences will be fairly meaningless.

How to Get Rid of Sugar Ants

If you have ants in your house (i.e., sugar ants, odorous house ants, Argentine ants, or pavement ants), the solution is basically the same. Several inconspicuous ant traps placed around your kitchen will noticeably diminish the number of ants you see.

Fruit Flies

• Identifiable Traits: Small flies with brown bodies, red eyes, and a large body.
• Attracted To: Overripe fruit, decaying vegetables, fermented liquids, and organic matter.
• Prevention: Store fruit in your refrigerator, dispose of overripe produce, and clean kitchen surfaces on a regular basis.

Anyone with a kitchen will recognize the ever-present fruit fly. These small, frustratingly quick flies tend to become more of an issue as the summer wears on; in my kitchen, they are a hovering swarm by mid-August.

Fruit flies lay eggs on bananas and other fresh fruit; the eggs hatch into tiny maggots that bore into the fruit and feed and grow for a week or so. After that, they make a tough little cocoon and hatch into adult flies. This lightning-fast reproduction schedule is one reason their numbers explode in late summer and fall.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

You can make a simple and effective fruit fly trap by making a paper cone with a small hole in the bottom. For this project, a cone-shaped coffee filter is ideal. Drop a piece of banana or a little red wine into the bottom of a jar, securely tape the cone (pointy side down) on the top, and put it on your counter.

In a few days, you'll have a swarm of fruit flies in the jar. Simply put the whole thing in the freezer for a few hours to kill the flies; take it out and put it back on your counter. You can repeat this process indefinitely.

Silverfish

• Identifiable Traits: Wingless insect with a silver-grey coloration. They are also renowned for their tapered bodies, tail-like appendages, and long antennae.
• Attracted To: Starchy foods, paper, and glue.
• Prevention: Reduce humidity levels, seal entry points, and declutter (to minimize their hiding spots).

Interestingly, the silverfish is an insect, even though it looks nothing like the butterflies in your garden. This prehistoric-looking animal lives in your pipes and walls. If you ever see a silverfish, it is probably in your sink where it has become trapped during its midnight ramblings. Even if you wash it down the drain, though, it will probably survive.

Is it Necessary to Eliminate Silverfish?

Not exactly. Contrary to popular belief, both silverfish and centipedes are essential to your home's all-night housekeeping crew. They consume dead insects and organic debris that drifts down to the basement and lowest levels of your house. Even though they may creep you out a little, they're actually on your side.

If silverfish become problematic, though, you'll need to address this issue promptly. Some of the most effective options include lowering humidity levels, sealing entry points, and decluttering your home.

German Cockroaches

• Identifiable Traits: Small insect with a brown (sometimes tan) coloration. This species also has two dark stripes along its pronotum.
• Attracted To: Food, water, and warm environments.
• Prevention: Seal entry points, store food in airtight containers, and clean regularly.

There are many species of cockroach, but the German cockroach is one of the "bad ones" that can become a major pest in your kitchen. Most of us already know a cockroach when we see one. This species is just like the others. In general, they have brown bodies, long legs, and leathery wing covers.

How to Get Rid of Cockroaches

Cockroaches are incredibly successful animals that have been around for millions of years (longer than humans). There's a reason for that—they can live anywhere, eat anything, and survive any catastrophe. As a result, they are extremely difficult to eliminate.

Roaches hide from light and spend most of their time reproducing. If you see one, you likely have hundreds or even thousands in your home. When this happens, it's time to call an exterminator, as it's virtually impossible to clear out an infestation.

Scorpions

• Identifiable Traits: Arachnids with elongated bodies, large pincers, segmented tails, and a venomous stinger.
• Attracted To: Warm, dry environments that provide ample hiding spots (i.e., piles of cardboard and other debris).
• Prevention: Usually unnecessary. In severe cases, though, you'll need to seal entry points, remove debris/clutter, and trim vegetation near your home.

Everyone knows what scorpions look like, but most will never encounter one. I met my first scorpion in Panama when it dropped from the thatched ceiling of the kitchen where I was chopping onions. So, even if scorpions aren't technically limited to kitchens (or the realm of insects), I chose to include them in this guide.

Is it Necessary to Eliminate Scorpions?

During the daylight hours, scorpions spend most of their time hiding. At night, they prowl the floors and countertops of your home, looking for roaches, crickets, and other small insects. Their sting is painful, similar to a wasp, but they mainly use it to kill the bugs that creep around your house. So, yes, scorpions are beneficial! For this reason, it's usually unnecessary to eliminate them (unless they become prevalent in your home).

FAQ About Kitchen Bugs

What are the most common bugs in kitchens?

Some of the most common kitchen bugs include ants, cockroaches, fruit flies, meal moths, and beetles. These pests are typically attracted to food residues, spills, and grains. To prevent infestations, you'll need to properly store your food in airtight containers. Regular cleaning can also help, as it removes food odors, reduces moisture, and disrupts their natural hiding spots.

Why are there bugs coming out of my sink faucet?

In most cases, this indicates the presence of a drain fly infestation. Common names for this pest include drainage moths, filter flies, sewage flies, or phorid flies. To eliminate them, pour vinegar, boiling water, or drain cleaner into the infested pipe. If the issue persists, though, you might have to contact an exterminator.

What causes sink bugs?

Sink bugs are attracted to organic matter that accumulates in drains. This includes food particles, grease, and other debris. Clogged drains are perfect environments for these pests, as it provides them with a moist environment to lay their eggs.

How do I get rid of bugs in my kitchen naturally?

It's always best to eliminate bugs naturally, as it's less harmful to you, your family, and the environment. Aside from sealing cracks and removing food debris from your kitchen, I recommend cleaning with vinegar or lemon juice, as they contain strong scents that bugs hate. You can also apply essential oils (i.e., peppermint or lavender) to strategic spots, as these have a similar effect.

Another pest-control option is diatomaceous earth. This non-poisonous substance is highly abrasive and damages the exoskeletons of insects, including ants, fleas, cockroaches, and carpet beetles. This, in turn, causes insects to "dry out" and die.

What smell do bugs hate the most?

There are several scents that bugs dislike. Some of the most effective ones include peppermint, citrus, lavender, eucalyptus, and vinegar. When sprayed strategically, these scents act as natural repellents and help control ants, mosquitoes, flies, and various spiders.

What kitchen bugs come out at night?

Common nocturnal insects include cockroaches, ants, silverfish, pantry moths, and flour beetles. At night, these pests emerge to scavenge for food sources (i.e., crumbs and pantry items). Due to the presence of sinks, kitchen environments also provide them with a source of water.

Sources

• Clemson University. "Silverfish & Firebrats." 2 January 2001. Clemson Cooperative Extension. Accessed: 29 March 2024. Web.
• North Carolina State University. "A Guide to House-Invading Ants and Their Control." NC State Extension. Accessed: 29 March 2024. Web.
• Pennsylvania State University. "German Cockroaches." 19 June 2023. PennState Extension. Accessed: 29 March 2024. Web.
• University of Florida. "Indianmeal Moth." UF Entomology & Nematology. Accessed: 30 March 2024. Web.
• University of Maryland. "Fruit Flies." 1 March 2023. UMD Extension. Accessed: 30 March 2024. Web.
• University of Minnesota. "Humpbacked Flies (Phorid Flies)." UMN Extension. Accessed: 29 March 2024. Web.
• University of New Hampshire. "Kitchen Pests: Fact Sheet." UNH Extension. Accessed: 30 March 2024. Web.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.