What bug is that?

Trail-followers, scavengers, and structural nesters — from sugar ants to fire ants. The Triangle has an unusually diverse ant population, and species ID is the first step in choosing the right treatment.

High concern

Fire Ant

Solenopsis invicta

Aggressive reddish-orange ants with a painful stinging bite that builds dome-shaped mounds.

Moderate concern

Pharaoh Ant

Monomorium pharaonis

Tiny pale yellow ants that bud into new colonies when sprayed — never use repellent insecticides.

Low concern

Odorous House Ant

Tapinoma sessile

Brown ants that smell like rotten coconut when crushed; love sweets and form wide foraging trails.

Low concern

Little Black Ant

Monomorium minimum

Jet-black, smaller than most household ants; nests in masonry and wall cavities with multiple queens.

Low concern

Thief Ant

Solenopsis molesta

Tiny pale ants that nest beside other ant colonies and steal their brood; easy to confuse with pharaoh ants.

Moderate concern

Raspberry Crazy Ant

Nylanderia fulva

Erratic-running reddish-brown ants that displace native ants, form supercolonies, and short out electronics.

Low concern

Pavement Ant

Tetramorium immigrans

Dark brown ants that pile soil at sidewalk cracks; forage indoors for grease, sweets, and meats.

Low concern

Acrobat Ant

Crematogaster spp.

Heart-shaped abdomen raised over the head when threatened; nests in moist wood and foam insulation.

High concern

Harvester Ant

Pogonomyrmex spp.

Large red ants of the western US with one of the most painful insect stings known to science.

Moderate concern

Argentine Ant

Linepithema humile

Light-brown invasive ants that form vast supercolonies and displace native species.

Allergen-spreading, fast-breeding kitchen and bathroom invaders. Durham's warm, humid summers keep roach populations active nearly year-round, especially near water and food sources.

High concern

German Cockroach

Blattella germanica

The #1 indoor roach — light brown with two dark stripes; triggers asthma, breeds explosively.

High concern

American Cockroach

Periplaneta americana

Large reddish-brown roach (a.k.a. "palmetto bug") from sewers, drains, and commercial basements.

Moderate concern

Smokybrown Cockroach

Periplaneta fuliginosa

Glossy mahogany-brown roach common in southern climates; strong flier, attracted to lights.

Mice that chew wires, contaminate food, and squeeze through dime-sized gaps. Fall's first cool nights reliably push Triangle rodents indoors looking for warmth and shelter.

High concern

House Mouse

Mus musculus

Small greyish-brown mouse that squeezes through quarter-inch gaps; chews wires, spreads disease.

High concern

Norway Rat

Rattus norvegicus

Large brown burrowing rat found in urban Durham and Raleigh sewers, alleys, and around dumpsters.

High concern

Roof Rat

Rattus rattus

Sleek climbing rat that nests in attics, palm trees, and dense vegetation — spreading inland from coastal NC.

Houseflies, fruit flies, mosquitoes, cluster flies, cicadas — anything with wings and a buzz. Most breed in moisture or decaying organic matter that's easy to overlook.

Moderate concern

House Fly

Musca domestica

Grey fly with four dark thoracic stripes; mechanical vector for salmonella, E. coli, and dysentery.

Low concern

Fruit Fly

Drosophila melanogaster

Tiny tan-brown flies with red eyes that breed in overripe produce, fermenting liquids, and drains.

Moderate concern

Cluster Fly

Pollenia rudis

Sluggish dark-grey flies that overwinter inside attics and walls in large clusters.

Low concern

Cicada

Cicadidae family

Large stout-bodied insects with transparent veined wings; males produce the famous buzzing song.

Yellow jackets, wasps, and hornets — painful, sometimes life-threatening. Correct species ID matters here more than almost any other pest category, since risk levels vary sharply.

High concern

Yellow Jacket

Vespula spp.

Aggressive yellow-and-black scavenger wasps; sharp bands, smooth body, painful repeated stings.

High concern

Paper Wasp

Polistes spp.

Slender brown-yellow wasps with long dangling legs; build umbrella-shaped paper nests under eaves.

High concern

Hornet (Bald-Faced)

Dolichovespula maculata

Black with ivory-white markings; build large grey papery aerial nests in trees and eaves.

From harmless cellar spiders to medically significant widows and recluses. Most Triangle spider sightings are the harmless end of that spectrum, but a few genuinely warrant caution.

High concern

Black Widow

Latrodectus mactans

Glossy black female with red hourglass on underside; neurotoxic venom — seek medical care if bitten.

High concern

Brown Recluse

Loxosceles reclusa

Uniform light-brown spider with dark violin shape on back; necrotic venom can cause open ulcers.

Low concern

Cellar Spider

Pholcus phalangioides

Pale tan body with extremely long thin legs; harmless and actually preys on other spiders.

Low concern

Common House Spider

Parasteatoda tepidariorum

Mottled tan-brown spider that builds tangled cobwebs in corners; harmless beneficial predator.

Low concern

Wolf Spider

Lycosidae family

Robust hairy brown-grey spider that hunts on the ground instead of building webs; not medically significant.

Bed bugs, ticks, fleas — pests that feed on blood and cause itching, welts, or disease. Early identification keeps a small problem from becoming a much bigger one.

High concern

Mosquito

Culicidae family

Slender biting flies that vector West Nile, Zika, and other diseases; breed in standing water.

High concern

Bed Bug

Cimex lectularius

Flat reddish-brown blood feeders that hide in mattress seams; requires professional heat treatment.

High concern

Deer Tick

Ixodes scapularis

Tiny reddish-brown tick with black legs; primary Lyme disease vector in the eastern US.

Silverfish, earwigs, stink bugs, centipedes — sneak in when weather changes. They're rarely destructive, but large numbers usually point to an exterior gap worth sealing.

Low concern

Silverfish

Lepisma saccharinum

Metallic silver teardrop-shaped insects that eat paper, glue, and starches in damp dark spaces.

Low concern

Earwig

Forficula auricularia

Dark reddish-brown insects with rear pincers; nocturnal, harmless to humans, despite the old myth.

Low concern

Boxelder Bug

Boisea trivittata

Black with three red-orange thorax stripes; clusters on sunny walls in fall trying to overwinter inside.

Moderate concern

Stink Bug (BMSB)

Halyomorpha halys

Shield-shaped mottled brown bug; major agricultural pest, indoor nuisance, releases pungent odor when crushed.

Low concern

House Centipede

Scutigera coleoptrata

Fast yellow-grey predator with 15 pairs of long banded legs; preys on roaches and silverfish.

Low concern

Millipede

Diplopoda class

Cylindrical dark brown segmented arthropod with two pairs of legs per segment; harmless detritivore.

Low concern

House Cricket

Acheta domesticus

Light yellow-brown crickets that chirp at night; chew fabric and paper, attracted to warmth.

Subterranean termites, carpenter ants, and borer beetles — silent structural damage. NC State Extension entomology guidance points to an annual inspection for homes in our region.

High concern

Carpenter Ant

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Large black ants that excavate smooth galleries in moisture-damaged wood — a sign of structural issues.

High concern

Subterranean Termite

Reticulitermes spp.

The #1 wood-destroying pest in the US — colonies of millions silently consume structural timber.

High concern

Powderpost / Borer Beetle

Lyctus / Anobium spp.

Small reddish-brown beetles whose larvae tunnel through hardwood floors and structural timber for years.

Clothes moths and pantry moths that ruin garments and contaminate dry goods. Both are more common in Durham homes than most people expect, especially in closets and pantries.

Moderate concern

Clothes Moth

Tineola bisselliella

Small straw-yellow moth whose larvae chew irregular holes in wool, cashmere, silk, and fur.

Moderate concern

Indian Meal Moth (Pantry Moth)

Plodia interpunctella

Small two-toned moth that contaminates flour, cereal, dried fruit, and pet food in pantries.

Aphids, scale insects, leaf chewers, wood borers, grasshoppers, locusts — primarily landscape concerns. Left unchecked, several of these can also become an indoor nuisance in the Triangle.

Low concern

Grasshopper

Caelifera suborder

Green or brown jumpers that chew garden plants and crops during high-population years.

Low concern

Locust

Locusta migratoria

Grasshopper that swarms into massive migratory flocks during outbreak years; not present in NC.

Low concern

Aphid

Aphidoidea superfamily

Tiny soft pear-shaped sap-suckers on leaf undersides; tended by ants for their honeydew.

Low concern

Scale Insects

Coccoidea superfamily

Immobile waxy bumps on stems and leaves that suck sap and produce honeydew like aphids.

High concern

Wood Borers (Tree)

Wood-boring beetle larvae

Larvae of metallic green and bronze beetles that tunnel under bark, killing ash, fruit, and ornamental trees.

Low concern

Leaf Chewers

Caterpillars / beetles / sawflies

Caterpillars, beetle larvae, and sawflies that chew irregular holes in garden and ornamental leaves.

Low concern

Beetles (Coleoptera)

Coleoptera order

Largest insect order — huge variety; some are pantry pests, some lawn pests, some structural.