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

Everyone prefers for pests and insects to stay out of their house, and they might even know a thing or two about getting rid of more significant pests like mice.

However, they may not understand why they are finding tiny white bugs in their home nor how to get them out and prevent them from coming back once they see them.

But that does not mean you have to give up or spend a bunch of money on a pest control service.

Here are some of the questions you will need the answer to before getting rid of your unwanted guests:

• What is this tiny white bug?
• Are they dangerous?
• Why are they there?
• What should I do if they’re living on my pets?
• Are the flying bugs different or the same?
• How do I get rid of tiny bugs in my house?

What is this tiny white bug?

There are plenty of bugs that fall under the “tiny white bug” category. Usually, bugs find their way into your home with plants, and you might not notice them at first since most of the time, they look like dust or lint.

The most common types are mold mites, dust mites, woolly aphids, whiteflies, and mealybugs. 

Mold Mites

Mold mites or grain mites are minor clear and white bugs that make their homes in moist and damp places. The dampness causes molds and fungus on your walls and floors in the kitchen, bathroom and basement.

You are likely to find them around appliances that use water, like dishwashers and refrigerators.

While mold mites don’t bite and are harmless on their own, they can be a sign that there is a mold problem in certain areas of your home, leading to other pest problems or illnesses. 

Dust Mites

Dust mites or house mites feed on dead and dry skin, which means they can quickly multiply thanks to the constant food source.

You are likely to find them on soft surfaces like beds, mattresses, sofas, carpets, rugs, and clothing. Preferring soft surfaces and having a white color means that dust mites are often mistaken for lint. 

Dust mites do bite, and you may feel a slight pinch on your skin when they do, but their bites are harmless.

However, they can worsen allergies and asthma because their mounted skin and feces cause allergic symptoms and asthma attacks. 

Woolly Aphids

Woolly aphids are outdoor insects with fuzzy white wings, making it easy to mistake them for lint or dust. They are most common in Flordia, Texas and Illinois or yards and gardens with Chinese Hackberry trees.

Woolly aphids create honeydew and a pale wax which can leave a sticky substance on plants, but they don’t cause any severe damage to the plants and have no ill effects on humans or pets. 

Whiteflies

Whiteflies will cause damage to your plants as they suck the sap out of vegetable and flower plants.

They are most active in warm weather and, like woolly aphids, produce honeydew leaving sticky substances on leaves and branches of plants. 

Whiteflies aren’t going to cause any harm to humans or pets in your home, but they will cause the leaves of your plants to turn yellow and die. 

Mealybugs

Mealybugs are another plant pest and will form in clusters on the leaves and fruits.

They look a bit like balls of cotton on the plant. They are most active in June when their eggs hatch but will die out once the temperature rises in the summer. 

There is nothing harmful in mealybugs themselves, either for humans or pets, and they aren’t going to cause any lasting damage to your plants. 

Where is this tiny white bug?

All over my bathroom

In most cases, the tiny white bugs in your bathroom are mites that, while unpleasant to think about, aren’t dangerous by themselves.

However, if someone in your home has allergies or respiratory issues, mites can cause more frequent and more severe attacks. 

Whether they have attacks due to the mites’ mounted skin or feces, or the mold issue that is drawing the mites into your bathroom, both can be hazardous for those with respiratory problems if left for too long. 

You should consider a deep clean of your whole bathroom, and if you live in an older house, you might want to check inside the walls for moisture building up and causing mold. 

In my kitchen

You are most likely to find tiny white bugs around your dishwasher, refrigerator, and even your laundry machines if they are in your kitchen. Bugs are drawn to these areas because of the moisture and in the case of a dishwasher, the heat from the device while it is running. 

Having herb gardens or other vegetable plants in your garden can also attract mealybugs and whiteflies, so if you notice a waxing covering on your plants, you might want to check for clusters of these bugs that could be making them their home. 

On my pets

If you’re finding tiny white bugs on your pets, they are most likely dust mites.

They aren’t going to cause your pets any pain or make them sick, nor are they likely to multiple simply because you have a lot of pets in your home since any form of dead or dry skin will do for their food source. 

You may find that your pet is scratching more, as they can probably feel the little pitch of the mites’ bites without knowing what is biting them.

Unfortunately, there’s no good way to get rid of them, either, simply by removing them from your pet. You will need to do a deep clean of the infected area and thoroughly clean your pet’s fur. 

Flying around the house: are these the same or different?

If tiny white bugs are flying around your house, they are probably whiteflies or woolly aphids since they are the only ones listed above with wings.

Both types of bugs live on plants, so it should be easy for you to investigate which of your houseplants are infested and removing the branch or leaves. 

Woolly aphids are less likely to appear in your home since they live mainly on Chinese Hackberry trees, so unless you have one of these plants in your home, you’re probably dealing with whiteflies.

Whiteflies prefer vegetable and flower plants, so you can start searching those plants for any signs of infestation. For small infestations, you can remove the leaves or branches that the whiteflies are on.

For larger infestations, fill a spray bottle with a mixture of dish soap and water and spray the leaves or branches, making sure to get the underside of the leaves. 

Ensure that you aren’t spraying the plant’s soil and do not use insecticides to get rid of whiteflies. Insecticides with kill insects like dragonflies, spiders and centipedes, which eat whiteflies and will help prevent recurring infestations. 

How do I get rid of tiny bugs in my house?

The best rule of thumb is to keep rooms like bathrooms and basements well ventilated, so moisture doesn’t build up in those areas and cause mold. Most insects thrive in damp conditions, so keeping those problem areas dry will help keep most infestations from happening.

Dealing with mold mites: If mold mites are the issue, locate where mold is forming in your home and use a mold remover spray to clean it away. You might also want to purchase a dehumidifier that will remove moisture from problem areas and cause mold mites to die.

Dealing with dust mites: Regularly dusting and vacuuming your home is usually enough to get rid of dust mites. You will want to also clean bedding and other soft surfaces weekly in warm water to kill off any dust mites living on them. A steam cleaner is an excellent purchase to clean soft surfaces that can’t simply go in the laundry machine. 

Dealing with woolly aphids: Cutting off the infested leaves and branches is the easiest and most effective way of getting rid of woolly aphids. You don’t need an insecticide to deal with them since they don’t cause any permanent damages to your plants. 

Dealing with whiteflies: Using a mixture of dish soap and water and spraying your plant’s leaves and branches is enough to eliminate any whiteflies in your home. Avoid insecticides since they can cause more damage. 

Dealing with mealybugs: Mealybugs tend to gather in clusters, so in most cases, you can cut off the infected leaves or branches to get rid of them. For larger infestations, you can use a mixture of dish soap and water and spray the infected area. Mealybugs will die on their own once the weather warms up in the summer, so waiting it out is also a good tactic. 

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

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