About and sources

Bugs In The House is a field guide to the bugs and spiders people find inside their homes in the United States. It is built for the moment you spot something on the wall and want two answers fast: what is it, and do I need to worry?

Every species page starts with a danger rating, then shows real photographs, the features to check, what to do now and how to keep it out. State pages show which of those species are actually recorded where you live, and room pages group them by where they turn up in the house.

How a page is made

1. Choosing the species. We started from research-grade iNaturalist sightings in all 50 states and kept the arthropods people most often record in and around houses. Research-grade means the sighting has a photo, date and place, and at least two people agree on the species. The person who posted it counts as one, and more than two-thirds of everyone who identified it must agree.
2. Rating the danger. Each rating needs at least two published sources that agree, and at least one has to be the CDC, another government agency or a university extension service. When sources disagree, the page uses the more cautious rating. Every Get advice rating was checked a second time by a separate reviewer.
3. Checking the range. For dangerous species, sightings alone can mislead, because a photo can be misidentified and bugs travel in luggage and moving boxes. So we compare each state against published range maps and say plainly when a species has been recorded in a state but is not known to live there.
4. Writing the advice. The steps on each page follow what extension services and public health agencies recommend. Each page lists the exact sources it used at the bottom.
5. Picking the photos. Every bug photo is a real photograph from iNaturalist, shared under a CC0 or CC BY license. We only use photos where the identification is confirmed, and each one is credited to its photographer.

What this site won't do

• It won't tell you what bit you. Many bites look alike, and some skin problems blamed on spiders are something else. For a bite or sting that worries you, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, free and open at any hour, or see a doctor. Call 911 for trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat.
• It won't sell pest control services, and no company pays to be listed or recommended.
• It won't scare you into buying something. Most bugs in a house are harmless, and the pages say so.

Updates and corrections

Sighting counts were pulled on October 18, 2026, and state lists are refreshed from new records over time. Each species page shows the date it was last checked. Photo licenses are rechecked every quarter.

If you find a mistake, a misidentified photo or a bug we should add, please tell us through the contact page. Corrections to danger ratings or medical information are handled first.

Where our sources come from

Most facts come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, state health departments and university extension programs, including Penn State, Utah State, the University of Minnesota, Oklahoma State, the University of Florida and the University of California. Sighting records come from iNaturalist, a nonprofit community science platform.

Photos and images

All bug and spider photos are real and credited; the full list is on the photo credits page. The illustrations on the home page and the room scenes are made with AI and labeled as such. No AI image is ever used to show what a species looks like.

How the site is paid for

The site is free to use and supported by ads from Google AdSense and by Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Product suggestions are chosen by type to match what extension services recommend, and pages always say to follow the product label. Advertisers have no say in what the pages say.