The bathroom in your home makes the ideal home for unwanted guests. All the same, things that you use a bathroom for--water and warmth is what attract bugs. Those tiny black pests love the moisture our bathrooms create. It makes an ideal place for them to build their nests and reproduce.
How Do Tiny Black Bugs Get Inside My Bathroom?
Those tiny black bugs you see in your bathroom have a number of entry points. They might come in through the bathtub or sink drains. Or, they might invite themselves in by way of an open window or cracks in the wall.
Other Points of Entry
If you have tiny bugs invading your bathroom, using mesh screens on the window can avert them. The windows of your home make excellent entry points for any creepy crawlers or flying bugs. Another way bugs in the bathroom get in is by way of the trashcan. There are several food sources inside the bathroom trash can; therefore, ensure to empty it frequently. You might also see some little bugs in basement.
What are Some Bugs and Pest Commonly Found in the Bathroom?
There are several species of tiny bugs that love to make your bathroom their home. Here are a few of the bathroom bugs most commonly found:
Cockroaches:
Most commonly, German cockroaches. These pests thrive in temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Therefore, your bathroom is an ideal place for cockroaches in the house to find the shelter, food, and humidity they crave.
Because cockroaches are tiny bugs, they are able to fit through the smallest crevices in search of warmth and humidity.
Thereby making kitchens and bathrooms, and shower areas of preference.
The German cockroach grows to approximately one-half an inch in length. Shaped like an oval and normally dark brown in color. Evidence of their presence is the black droppings shaped like peppercorns.
If you notice cockroaches near the drain, call a pest control professional as soon as possible.
Little black ants
These tiny bugs are likely to be the most troublesome of all the pests in bathrooms. Often nesting in bathrooms near the drain long before homeowners are even aware.
Ants will have a real nest outdoors. Using our bathrooms as their satellite nest to lay eggs. These tiny Insects use bathrooms to lay eggs around drains.
Because of this, the chance of additional ants getting inside the bathroom is greater, although you kill the ones visible. But, if you find piles of dead ants in house, it could mean there are a lot of ants nearby.
The most popular pest species are Carpenter ants due to their loving wood that is moist and humid.
Carpenter ants are attracted to the dust mites that are in the bathroom.
Booklice
Measuring in at a mere 1 millimeter, Booklice are the tiniest of all bathroom pests. They are light brown or tan in color, making them simple to see in spite of their tiny size. They will get into your bathroom in search of their favorite cuisine--mold.
What Makes Them Get Inside My Bathtub at Night?
Lots of species of tiny black bugs relish pipes and sewers to homes. Everything they are seeking is down there. It is moist, wet, and filled with a plethora of food sources.
However, during their search for something to eat, they eventually wind up in your bathroom. They do so as they crawl along those pipes and drains connected to the sewer.
Most little black pests are sans wings. Therefore, unable to fly up and out of the bathtub or sink. They remain trapped in that slippery porcelain bowl until you get up to shower or wash your face.
What Can I Do to Stop Bugs from Getting Inside My Bathroom?
When you see one creepy crawler inside your bathroom, your first instinct is to get rid of it. However, killing one will soon bring more because of the pheromones they release when they're in danger.
Thus, you must figure out a way to make the environment of your bathroom less of a haven for them.
Cut down on the amount of moisture
You might be wondering if this is possible since your bathroom is where you shower and bathe. Yet, it is possible to decrease the amount of moisture by utilizing the ceiling air vents.
If you live in an older home without air vents, purchase a dehumidifier, and let it run while showering or bathing.
Resolve any issues with the plumbing
Possibly you have a problem with the plumbing underneath your house that is making it easy for bugs to enter. Call a plumbing professional to check out the plumbing to verify if there are issues. If there are, have them fixed ASAP.
Clean the bathroom on a routine schedule
If there is a lack of food inside the bathroom, once these pests get in, they won’t stay long. Therefore, ensure to clean the bathroom regularly. Take out the trash daily, and use a cleanser to clean the sinks, toilet, and bathtub.
- Sweep and mop the floor at least once a week. Doing this will eliminate all the food sources that attract tiny bugs.
- Seal off all possible entry points: Repair any torn screens in the windows. Use some caulk to seal all crevices and cracks around the window frame, wall, floor, and doors.
- Be on the lookout: A tiny brown bug might be traveling into the bathroom by way of other rooms in the house. Ensure to also seal entry points and fix the screens in other rooms.
Where did all these Stink Bugs Come From?
Homes in the eastern United States are especially plagued by stink bug home invasions. These tiny bugs--smaller than a penny--invade homes in search of a place to keep warm.
Like the boxelder and ladybugs, structures made by humans attract centipedes, gnats, and worms as places to hibernate or “overwinter” in. Easily getting inside by way of the crevices on the outside of a house.
How Do They Come up Through My Drains?
Because these tiny bugs relish areas that are dark, warm, and moist, they are drawn toward pipes and sewers. Because apartment complexes have homes that share walls, there is a higher likelihood to have pest issues.
An infestation of little black bugs can spread in a number of ways. This section outlines a few.
In apartments with connecting walls
Little bugs love apartment structures! They have multiple ways of getting inside. They can come in through not only the drainage system but all via boxes carried in from another location.
In addition, pests are able to travel easily between each apartment unit through crevices and cracks in walls.
These tiny pests are able to transport their even smaller egg sacs through the smallest of openings that adjoin apartments. Air vents, electricity sockets, and even underneath doors. All of these seemingly small areas are an open welcome mat to a tiny bug.
In a Home that Stands Alone
The great outdoors is typically where tiny bugs prefer to live. They enjoy foraging through the mulch, wood piles, and dark places for food and shelter.
However, when the mercury levels drop to freezing and below, they seek shelter elsewhere. In particular, your stand-alone residential home!
These tiny pests are capable of squeezing through some unbelievably small openings. When you venture out for the day, you might slip inside your grocery bag and get a free ride indoors.
During a heavy rainstorm, large groups of tiny pests might come through the drains in search of a new home.
They feed on sewer sludge and other particles, which makes your home's plumbing a haven of food sources. You will find these pests in areas besides the sinks and bathtubs.
These insects travel to a bathroom in search of food. From the toilet to the sink, even inside cabinets. They also enjoy eating toothpaste!
More Tiny Bugs in the Bathroom
Now you know how attractive your bathroom is to tiny bugs, let's cover some more common bathroom bugs you might notice.
Silverfish
If you have ever seen a silverfish, you will understand why they are quite unmistakable. They have bodies that are elongated and small, with three tails.
They have tails looking a lot like antennae, and their coloring is silver. They move in a rapid manner that looks a lot like how a fish swims.
Of all bathroom pests, silverfish are the most popular. Also found in basements and kitchens. Water damage is the reason behind an infestation of silverfish.
Some people are known to have allergic reactions to silverfish in their homes.
It is this water that creates a way inside your bathroom for these pests. The humidity is required for their survival. Any mold is an added attractant to feed on.
Silverfish are nocturnal insects. Therefore, you probably will not see them during daylight hours. Typically these odd tiny insects are discovered in and near sewers and drains.
They are more of a nuisance than dangerous, particularly when in large groups. It’s best to get rid of them as soon as you see them because they create allergies in some people.
Drain Flies
Drain flies are another species of tiny insects that hang out in a bathroom. They have wings, are tiny, brownish or black in color, and fuzzy. Often people call them moth flies, filter flies, or sewer flies.
The drains are how they get inside a bathroom; hence the moniker, drain flies. An issue with the primary sewer line is where you will see drain flies congregating.
Tiny bugs breed and eat decaying, organic matter, which is why sewers and drains are ideal. The moisture inside a bathroom is their greatest attraction.
If you have not been using a certain drain, these tiny bugs will be attracted to it. Although not harmful, they are pests, particularly if they have created an infestation.
Spiders
Spiders may be found inside a home. However, because of the food sources, a bathroom attracts spiders because of its humidity.
Some people feel a spider is a beneficial insects because they eat tiny bugs. Yet, an infestation of spiders can become a nuisance.
House Centipedes
These odd, somewhat scary tiny bugs are another insect you might find living inside your bathroom. They have many legs, an elongated body, and antennae that are long.
Similar to the house spiders mentioned above, these insects also eat smaller bugs. Therefore, a bathroom with an infestation of tiny bugs is an excellent food source for them.
The majority of a centipede's lifetime is spent in moist, damp places like the basement. Like other tiny insects, they can make their way inside the tiniest of cracks and crevices.
It is likely that a house centipede might be found in your bathroom while they are hunting bathroom bugs.
Why Do I Have Bugs in the Bathroom?
What primarily attracts bugs in the bathroom is the endless supply of water. Between the bathtub, sinks, toilets, and showers, there is plenty of water to keep them satisfied.
Additionally, if your bathroom lacks adequate ventilation, all this water is going to create moisture and mold. A favorite food source for these tiny bugs. Tiny bugs and other pests love an environment that is humid and moist.
In addition, if your plumbing is creating leaks in the bathtub or sink drains, it will also add to the moisture accumulation.
All this moisture attracts smaller bugs, like silverfish, ants, and cockroaches. However, larger predator species, spiders and centipedes, are also attracted because they prey on these smaller insects.
How Do I Get Rid of Bugs in Bathroom?
Bugs in bathrooms the number one question is how to get rid of them. Drain flies and other common bathroom bugs are common bathroom nuisances. Therefore, you need a form of pest control that will be effective.
The first place to look when trying to eliminate bugs in the bathroom is cracking on the floor. Check around the drain and in the shower. Insects are attracted to damp areas.
Carefully look over the area for any cracks and crevices, and make sure you are sealing them completely.
Bathrooms that are extremely humid and damp attract gnats, mites, centipedes, and cockroaches.
One of the best ways to keep bugs in the bathroom away is to repair window screens. Additionally, sealing up all cracks and crevices with caulking will also aid in getting rid of them.
What is in a Tiny Bugs Diet?
The reason you are finding bugs in your bathroom is because of what is in there. Bathroom bugs come into a building when they escape the main sewer line via a break in the pipes. Drain flies breed and feed within the drains where water and organic matter have accumulated.
What Damage do Bathroom bugs Cause?
Carpenter ants are bathroom bugs that do damage to wood. They are also known to carry diseases like Salmonella and Streptococcus pyogenes.
When there have been a flood or water leaks in the bathroom, black worms will make their way in. These worms thrive on water that has become stagnant. They lay eggs in the water pipes and near the drains to your shower.
Silverfish are also known to cause allergic reactions and spread diseases.
When its Time to Call a Professional Pest Control Company
When you have tried home remedies of pest control for getting rid of insects, it's time to call the best. You need to call A.N.T. Pest Control as soon as possible.
Contact A.N.T. Pest Control. We know how to eliminate gnats and other pests. We know how to get rid of dangerous insects in bathrooms.
