How do I find where pests are getting into my house?
Pests often bypass exterior treatments by slipping through hidden gaps that are difficult to locate visually, leaving residents trapped upstairs in fear of a sudden encounter. Without knowing the exact point of entry, homeowners cannot seal them out effectively, which keeps the infestation active inside main living areas and bathrooms.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 31.2× more often in r/Pestcontrol than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1staying upstairs in the mornings to avoid themDid this help you?
- 2closing all vents and checking windows for gapsDid this help you?
- 3considering setting up an external trap to pull them away from the houseDid this help you?
- 4guessing that they entered to cool down during hot weatherDid this help you?
- 5hoping that seeing them once is the end of the issueDid this help you?
- 6killing them individuallyDid this help you?
- 7spraying them with peppermint oilDid this help you?
- 8covering the bathroom fan vent temporarilyDid this help you?
- 9Call an expertDid this help you?
- 10get some cats they are very goodDid this help you?
- 11using a FLIR gunDid this help you?
- 12Getting a separate cleaner for a deep cleanDid this help you?
- 13Checking for crumb and food debris under appliances and storing food in airtight containersDid this help you?
- 14Applying an IGR insecticide combo product for gap and crack treatmentDid this help you?
- 15cleaning the drains and using specific cleaners for fliesDid this help you?
- 16Hiring multiple different pest control companies for inspectionsDid this help you?
- 17Watching the exterior siding of the house for flying insects during middayDid this help you?
- 18Using a stethoscope on the walls to listen for buzzing soundsDid this help you?
- 19Scanning interior walls with a handheld thermal imaging detectorDid this help you?
- 20Spraying foam wasp spray on suspect exterior siding spotsDid this help you?
- 21Cutting them in halfDid this help you?
- 22Using saltDid this help you?
- 23Waiting until traps are ready instead of using tracking powder or flourDid this help you?
- 24Using the oven to climb up to countersDid this help you?
- 25Setting traps or trying to catch themDid this help you?
- 26Checking behind appliances like the stove, fridge, and dishwasher for gaps or holesDid this help you?
- 27Inspecting inside and on top of kitchen cabinetsDid this help you?
- 28Sealing suspected entry holesDid this help you?
- 29Killing individual bugs as they appear on walls or ceilingsDid this help you?
- 30Using commercial liquid ant baits and bait stations like Terro and Green WayDid this help you?
- 31Vacuuming up ants and wiping down countersDid this help you?
- 32Switching between sugar-based and protein-based baitsDid this help you?
- 33Making custom borax and peanut butter bait mixturesDid this help you?
- 34Using Advion ant gelDid this help you?
- 35Checking chimney dampers and window screensDid this help you?
- 36Setting up wasp traps with luresDid this help you?
- 37Checking gaps around recessed can lightsDid this help you?
- 38killing them manually every dayDid this help you?
- 39covering floor ventsDid this help you?
- 40Vacuuming the beetles instead of squashing them to avoid the smellDid this help you?
- 41Swatting them into the wallDid this help you?
- 42Caulking gaps in siding and window jointsDid this help you?
- 43Setting up beetle trapsDid this help you?
- 44Applying powder-based insecticide along trim and eavesDid this help you?
- 45asking neighbors to trim their ivy away from the roofDid this help you?
- 46reducing vegetation close to the home to make it less attractive to miceDid this help you?
- 47maintaining a minimum half-meter clear gap between any vegetation and the roof edgeDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am a new homeowner (bought our first home a year ago) and I’m finding these insects in my basement garage. I’ve found four today but I have no idea how they’re getting in or how to prevent them from entering.”source ↗
“looks like a bald faced hornet , we've been seeing them as of lately as well .”source ↗
“I have a front and backyard. The house is built on a foundation slab, and this past month I started getting some ants that were coming through an outlet, and I could not find their entryway around the outside of the home.”source ↗
“In any case, what else can I do to kill off the source of these ants? Because I can never find a trail that entered my home.”source ↗
“I had the same issue with Terro and sugar based baits.”source ↗
“How can we find where they are getting in?”source ↗
“So this started happening about 6 weeks ago, where a random individual wasp was in my bathroom... Killed it.”source ↗
“A day later another one turned up in the same spot, killed that one.”source ↗
“Why is this happening? Its only ever 1 at a time and days or WEEKS apart from one another.”source ↗
“Doesnt this whole wheat flower all over the floor equal as a feeding frenzy drawing more out in the open?”source ↗
“Every year at the beginning of fall we get mice.”source ↗
“I live in a 100 year old farm house and I haven't been able to find where they get in from.”source ↗
“The big issue now is that I'm seeing yelowjackets come into the house in the main area.”source ↗
“I just stay upstairs in the mornings, even past lunch, so that it's "safe" to go down. I don't feel safe in the house.”source ↗
“The problem is I have no idea where they're coming in from. I've closed all the vents, and I've checked the windows too (which look fine, I don't see any large gaps)”source ↗
“how do i find where these termites are coming from”source ↗
“I have never had them before or any other bugs/rodents. Im not sure where they are coming from”source ↗
“i have never seen them up until this morning where they where in both upstairs restrooms🥲”source ↗
“I’ve now noticed that there are several weevil bugs coming in through the seams, cracks and gaps in the cabinets and kitchen counter and backsplash.”source ↗
“So I moved back in my mom already a low point I know. But her maid left 3 bags of trash by the backdoor and these fuckers have divided and conquered.”source ↗
“How do I find where they are nesting as the trash is gone and to get rid of them?”source ↗
“They fly on you, your phone, on the walls, crawling through clothes it’s been a hellish week. Help please.”source ↗
“Since July we've had dead and live yellowjackets inside our townhouse in Georgia, mostly in the entryway and by the middle floor back door.”source ↗
“Every single one said they can't help unless I can identify the source.”source ↗
“I don't know what to do because I can't identify the source.”source ↗
“they somehow made it into the piping of my house and have come up out of my shower drain into my bath tub and now their just straight up entering my house and leaving a snail trail in my mudroom.”source ↗
“I do not know what to do I do not have it in me to just straight up cut them in half like the internet says.”source ↗
“I also have pets and I don't know if any chemical things like sluggo are pet safe.”source ↗
“Someone please help. I cannot figure out how mice are getting inside my apartment (I live on the first floor).”source ↗
“I really don’t know how this one got in. Unless it’s been here since before I got the hole seal and I never knew. Any ideas. Please I’m so desperate”source ↗
“Wasps keep appearing on the main level of my house. What to do?”source ↗
“Checked chimney damper, windows are newer with screens. What could be the mystery way these are getting in?”source ↗
“Yes. Any idea what gaps they come in though? I get a lot of those shield bugs as well.”source ↗
“I am finding and killing these wasps in my living room every day for the last week.”source ↗
“I just stepped on one that blended with the carpet and got stung and I am DONE.”source ↗
“What are these little jerks and how do I get rid of them?”source ↗
“I vacuum them. It doesn't make a difference.”source ↗
“Yeah idk. They show up all winter at my place.”source ↗
“I'm in the Midwest and got these Japanese beetles coming from somewhere any idea how to find out where and why the hell is it just Japanese beetles and not other small gnats if they're coming from outside?”source ↗
“So, I've started swatting them into the wall and now I've got a bunch splatted on the wall. I'm going to collect them and take a picture as evidence of the invasion because no one will believe me.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Why do ants keep coming back after I spray them?
- 4Why can't I find where these pantry pests are coming from?
- 55How to identify tiny unknown bugs found inside the house
- 5Exterminators won't treat cluttered or unsanitary homes
- 2Why does my AC blow cigarette and outdoor smells into the house?
- 9Found bed bugs in a new apartment before moving in