Pest Library
Michigan Pest Identification, Signs, Habits & Treatment
Michigan Pest Identification Guide
Use the BTR Pest Library to identify the insect, rodent, or arachnid you are seeing in or around your Michigan home. Each profile covers scientific identification, habits, signs of infestation, Michigan-specific pressure, how BTR treats the problem, and prevention tips. If you need help identifying what you have, send a photo and our team will confirm at no cost.
Rodent
House Mouse
Mus musculus
The house mouse is the most common rodent pest in Michigan homes. A single female produces 5 to 10 litters of 5 to 6 pups per year, meaning one mouse becomes 30 in a few months. Ho...
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Norway Rat
Rattus norvegicus
The Norway rat (also called brown rat or sewer rat) is Michigan's largest commensal rodent. Norway rats spread leptospirosis, salmonella, rat-bite fever, and hantavirus. They gnaw ...
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Cockroach
Ant
Carpenter Ant
Camponotus pennsylvanicus
The black carpenter ant is Michigan's largest and most destructive ant. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood. They excavate galleries for nesting, producing smooth, sand...
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Odorous House Ant
Tapinoma sessile
The odorous house ant is Michigan's most common indoor ant. Crushed workers release a distinctive rotten-coconut or blue-cheese smell, which is how the species earned its name. Col...
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Pavement Ant
Tetramorium immigrans
The pavement ant is the small brown ant commonly seen emerging from cracks in sidewalks, driveways, and patios throughout Michigan. Pavement ants are named for their habit of nesti...
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Biting Insect
Bed Bug
Cimex lectularius
The common bed bug is a flattened, wingless biting insect that feeds exclusively on mammal blood, primarily humans. Bed bugs do not transmit diseases, but their bites cause welts, ...
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Asian Tiger Mosquito
Aedes albopictus
The Asian tiger mosquito is an invasive day-biting mosquito now established throughout Metro Detroit. Unlike native Michigan mosquitoes (Culex species) that bite at dusk and dawn, ...
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Stinging Insect
Yellow Jacket
Vespula maculifrons
The eastern yellow jacket is Michigan's most aggressive stinging insect. Colonies grow from a single spring queen to 4,000 to 5,000 workers by late August. Yellow jackets nest unde...
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Paper Wasp
Polistes spp.
Paper wasps are slender, long-legged wasps that build small umbrella-shaped paper nests under eaves, on porch ceilings, in mailboxes, and inside grill lids. Paper wasp colonies are...
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Bald-Faced Hornet
Dolichovespula maculata
The bald-faced hornet is actually a large yellow jacket, not a true hornet. Despite the name, these wasps build the distinctive gray football-shaped paper nests seen hanging from t...
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Spider
Wolf Spider
Lycosidae family
Wolf spiders are large, hairy, fast-moving ground-hunting spiders that do not build webs. Wolf spiders are Michigan's most commonly encountered large spider. They are not dangerous...
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Cellar Spider
Pholcidae family
Cellar spiders (also called daddy long-legs or long-bodied cellar spiders) are thin-legged web-building spiders common in Michigan basements, garages, crawlspaces, and dark corners...
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Biting Arachnid
Occasional Invader
Not Sure What You Have?
Send BTR a photo. Our licensed Michigan technicians confirm the identification at no cost, then walk you through treatment options.