Home and Garden IPM from Cooperative Extension

Additional Photos and Information:

• Black Flies
• Carpet Beetles (including Larder Beetles and their larvae which are often found in or near a pet’s food and water dishes feeding on any tiny crumbs that are left behind)
• Chiggers (Family of mites: Trombiculidae) (In the U.S. they are found mostly in hot and humid areas in the Southeast, the South, and the Midwest; they are very rare to absent in far northern areas) (University of Kentucky)
• Deer Flies
• Firebrats (in warm places where dog or cat food is stored)
• Fleas
• Horse Flies
• House Flies— see also our page for Cluster Flies, because they look so similar.
• Larder Beetles and their larvae (Found in or near a pet’s food or food dishes)
• Meal Moths (their larvae will infest alfalfa, clover, and stored grains found in the cages of hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc.) (BugGuide.net)
• Mealworms (often found in areas with dry dog or cat food)
• Pantry Moth / Indian Meal Moth (their larvae often infest bird seed, hamster food, etc.)
• Stable Flies (University of Florida)
• Non-insect Possibilities:
  • Spiders
  • Ticks
  • Mites:
    • Bird Mites [will bite people in the absence of their bird host(s)] (University of Minnesota Extension) See also: Bird Mites (NC State Univ.)
    • Straw Itch Mites (Can hitch a ride on a pet that has been outdoors) (NC State Univ.) | Straw Itch Mite photo (Bugwood.org – Univ. of Georgia)