Kitchen Bugs Identification – 7 Most Commonly Found Bugs

It isn’t uncommon to find bugs crawling around in your kitchen, but that doesn’t make it any less stressful, especially when you aren’t even sure what type of bug it is.

Luckily, we have an entire article listing the top seven types of bugs most commonly found in the kitchen and how you can quickly identify each one. 

Here are the topics you will find in this article. Hopefully, it can help you handle your bug problems. 

• Seven common bugs found in kitchens
• How to identify each bug by its appearance
• Are these bugs dangerous?
• Where each bug prefers to call home 
• How to get rid of your bug infestation

The Seven Most Common Bugs Found in Kitchens

While it is pretty safe to say there are way more than 7 types of bugs traveling across your kitchen floor from time to time; however, there are seven specific insects that are most common inside a home and focus mainly on the kitchen.

These seven bugs include:

• Ants
• Cockroaches
• Silverfish
• House Fly
• Pantry Moths
• Weevils
• Fruit flies

Luckily, these bugs really aren’t dangerous and cause more emotional problems than they do health issues. 

No matter how harmless they may be, no one wants them in a space where food is stored, cooked, and served. So, without further ado, here are seven bugs to watch for, identify, and get rid of.

Identifying The Bug Invading Your Kitchen

The first step to dealing with bugs in your kitchen, whether you see a few here and there or you are dealing with an entire infestation, is to identify the pest that’s there.

Ants

Ants have very tiny wastes that section the body into two halves (looks like three when including their heads). Ants have bent antennas and are relatively small at around ⅛ to ½ inch in length.

Ants are often dark in color, usually black or dark brown and crawl around with six legs.

You won’t see a single ant running around without some of their buddies close by. These bugs like to travel in packs and are genius trackers, able to retrace their steps back and forth to a food source over and over.

Cockroaches

Cock roaches have flat, oval-shaped, wide bodies and are light brown in color. Cockroaches have two lines that go down the center of their backs to their wings. They have six legs and are ½ to ⅝ inches long.

Like Ants, Cockroaches feel safe traveling in groups, and it is unlikely one single cockroach will frequent your kitchen.

Silverfish

SIlverfish are tiny bugs that grow between ½ and ¾ of an inch long. They are silver in color and shiny, with a slender body that is shaped like a teardrop.

These bugs have two antennas on their head and three antenna-like appendages at the opposite end.

Silverfish can survive in your home for a very long time, up to eight years; in fact, and can go for quite some time without a meal, staying dormant until an opportunity strikes.

House Fly

The common housefly is a noisy bug that is usually black or grey in appearance with large red eyes. These flies are small at around ⅛ -¼ inches in length. They have white, almost translucent wings and hairy bodies.

House Flies only live for two to three weeks, but they multiply so fast you can have a hard time getting rid of them.

Pantry Moths

Pantry moths are tiny, reddish-brown insects with grey wings and are around ½ inch in length. The larvae are white and are often a bigger problem than the adult.

The Pantry Moth larva can chew through bags and even crawl through the threads of a loose lid. 

Weevils

Also known as flour weevils, these bugs are brown and look similar to a grain of rice. Weevils are one of the smallest insects you can see in a kitchen at around ⅛ to 1⁄16 inches in length and have orange hair on their thorax.

Fruit flies

Fruit flies are tiny bugs with tan bodies and dark underbellies. These bugs grow to around ⅛ inches in length and have small red eyes. 

Are These Bugs Dangerous?

For the most part, none of the seven bugs listed above are dangerous, and most of them don’t bother humans (at least not physically). Cockroaches are the only insects listed above that may bite when their food source runs low. 

While it is very rare for cockroaches to nibble on human flesh, it can happen and will result in painful blisters, rashes, or bumps. 

As for the rest of these tiny pests, the only problems you will come across are food infestation or annoying buzzing sounds wiping around your kitchen.

Where Do These Bugs Like to Hang Out?

You will see these bugs scurrying around your kitchen in all different spots. However, each one has their preference where they like to hang out most often.

Ants 

You will likely find ants circling the sugar bowl, crawling across a sticky counter, or near the recycling and garbage bins.

Although we all know how much ants enjoy sweet substances, they will also eat meat and even other ants.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches enjoy the peace and quiet and can often be found hanging out inside the cupboards, hiding in small spaces near food prepares, or near the garbage.

Cockroaches are up for pretty much anything when it comes to food, grazing often on greasy items, meats, and sweets.

Silverfish

Silverfish prefer moist, humid spaces, so under your sink or near your refrigerator is a likely home for these bugs. They like to eat food and packaging, so it wouldn’t be shocking to find them in your pantry.

Silverfish like to go for anything packed with protein and carbs.

House Fly 

The house fly is most likely to hang around your garbage, pet food dishes, or leaky drains and sinks. These insects like to nibble on decaying materials.

Pantry Moths

It is pretty obvious to point out that the Pantry Moths home of choice is in the name. If you see these little moths flying around your food pantry, you probably have an infestation.

Pantry Moths prefer dry foods such as dog food, cereal, flour, nuts, rice, etc.

Weevils

Weevils are commonly found inside your pantry, more specifically, roaming around inside your food. These bugs are often found inside pasta boxes, rice bags, pet food, cereals, etc.

While Weevils are frequently seen inside your food, they also enjoy moist areas, such as your sink drain or underneath your cabinets.

Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are likely to be just about anywhere in your home if the conditions are right. These little bugs are attracted to the kitchen because of fruit, garbage, and rotting produce, amongst other things.

These insects can’t be fooled and will go where the sugar is. So be careful when tossing that banana peel into the living room trashcan.

How To Get Rid of Your Bug Infestation

If you believe the bugs you see in your kitchen are more than just a passer-by and there is an infestation taking place, you can do many different things to clear your kitchen of these pests.

Keep Things Tidy

If there is no way for these bugs to get into your food supply or garbage cans, they will find a new place to call home. So, keep your cupboards clean from spills or open containers, seal your food bags and lock those lids.

You also want to make sure the cupboards are cleaned frequently, behind the microwave, coffee pot, and any other space spills may have accumulated.

You should also keep the floor swept and mopped, and no food is left sitting on top of tables or counters.

Lastly, always make sure your garbage can has a tight sealing lid, and any leaking pipes or faucets are fixed.

DIY or Over the Counter Insect Repellent

There are many different types of insect repellent you can try when dealing with kitchen pests. Because these little creatures are crawling in spaces near the food you eat, attempting some safer, non-toxic options first is a good idea.

You can try things such as baking soda, vinegar, bleach, tea tree oils, sage, etc. Each bug has its deterrent, so finding what works best for you will be a bit of trial and error.

If those methods don’t work too well, you can order a bug spray from a variety of online retailers, or you could find them in local department stores, home improvement shops, or several other places.

Call in Pest Control

Sometimes there is nothing you can do to control the infestation. Many of these bugs have nests that are hidden away in a small, dark, and hard-to-find location. If you don’t destroy the nest, you won’t get rid of the issue.

Calling in the professionals may be your only hope and is definitely worth the money to avoid future issues. 

Summing Things Up

While there may be many different types of bugs that frequent your kitchen space, the seven listed above are the most common, and now that you know how to identify them, dealing with them shouldn’t be too much trouble.

Alright, that’s it for this article, here are a few hand-selected articles that you might also find interesting reads:

Tiny Black Bugs In Kitchen? What They Are And What To Do!

Small, Tiny White Bugs in My House – What Are They?

How Do I Get Rid of Little Black Bugs in My House? 3 Easy Steps