Asian Lady Beetles

Not a ladybug, even if they look like one. Orange to red with a variable number of spots and an “M” or “W” mark behind the head. They were b…

Boxelder Bugs

Black with red-orange edges on the wings. Flat oval body. Nymphs are bright red. Fall pest.

Camel Crickets

Wingless. Humped back. Long spider-like legs. Also called cave crickets or spider crickets. They jump at you because that is how they flee.

Carpet Beetles

Three common species: varied, common, and furniture. Adults look like tiny mottled ladybugs. Larvae are the ones that eat fabric — bristly a…

Centipedes

Flat, many legs, fast. House centipedes are yellowish to brown with long legs. They hunt other bugs.

Clothes Moths

Two common types: webbing and casemaking. Adults are small and yellowish-tan. Larvae do the damage to wool, fur, and feathers.

Clover Mites

Smaller than a pinhead. Red to reddish-brown. Eight legs. They look like tiny moving dots on sunny window sills in spring.

Earwigs

The pincers on the tail are the ID. The ear myth is false. They do not crawl into sleeping ears to lay eggs.

Firebrats

Look like silverfish but mottled gray-brown and they want heat — water heaters, ovens, attics in summer.

Fungus Gnats

Tiny black flies around houseplants. Weak fliers. People mix them with fruit flies.

Ground Beetles

Hard-shelled, usually dark, fast runners. Three pairs of legs. They hunt other insects outside and wander in under a door.

Kudzu Bugs

Square, mottled olive-brown true bugs. People think they are beetles. They are closer to stink bugs. Ladybug size.

Millipedes

Many legs under a round, worm-like body. Slow. They curl up. Not an insect — an arthropod. People mix them with centipedes.

Pill Bugs

Gray-brown, seven pairs of legs, two antennae. They roll into a ball. “Roly poly.” Crustaceans, not insects.

Silverfish

Silver scales, teardrop body, long antennae and tail bristles. Fast. They like humidity and paper.

Sow Bugs

Look like pill bugs but they cannot roll into a tight ball. Armadillo segments, flat bottom.

Springtails

Tiny gray, white, or black jumpers. A forked tail flips them into the air. People mix them with fleas.

Stink Bugs

Brown marmorated stink bugs are the fall invader. Shield-shaped, mottled brown, sometimes called shield bugs. They smell like cilantro when…

Occasional Invaders in Tennessee

Asian Lady Beetles

Boxelder Bugs

Camel Crickets

Carpet Beetles

Centipedes

Clothes Moths

Clover Mites

Earwigs

Firebrats

Fungus Gnats

Ground Beetles

Kudzu Bugs

Millipedes

Pill Bugs

Silverfish

Sow Bugs

Springtails

Stink Bugs