Bathrooms provide an ideal warm moist environment for various bugs. Some species deliberately look for bathrooms to live and mate in while others get in bathrooms by chance.
From cockroaches to ants, there are many types of bugs and insects you might find in your bathroom.
Correctly identifying bug species in bathrooms is the base condition to get rid of the pests.
Table of Contents
29 Common Bathroom Bugs
The following bug species might think of bathrooms more than simple places they pass through as they can settle, lay eggs, or hide in bathrooms.
1. Cockroaches – Flying Bugs in Bathrooms
Cockroaches are some of the most common bugs found inside the house.
These bugs are moving along the house and they might be interested in nesting in your bathroom as it provides humidity, food, and shelter.
German cockroaches are a common type of bug in the bathroom since they are mostly attracted to a combination of warmth and humidity.
Their preferred minimum temperature is 70°F.
German cockroaches mostly prefer residential and commercial kitchens as these have more readily available food.
Their small body size also allows them to crawl through small openings into the bathroom, a place where there’s high humidity and warmth.
Mostly growing to an average size of 0.5 inches, brown-colored German cockroaches are oval-shaped.
They leave peppercorn-shaped black droppings around bathrooms.
You need to eliminate all possible food sources for these roaches to keep them out of the bathroom.
This includes decaying food and dirty sewers. Sealing all entry points to the bathroom also helps.
2. Springtails – White Bugs in Bathrooms
Springtails are some of the smallest pests you can find in the bathroom. They grow to 1/16” which barely makes them visible.
One of the distinctive traits of springtails is their ability to jump, which inspires their name.
These little bugs are known for having 6 legs, long antennae, and varying coloring including black.
Springtails are known for their love of high humidity. They live under decaying logs outdoors as well as in damp soil they seek out.
As a result, they might only be seen in bathrooms when indoors as they need high humidity to survive.
One of the good news about these pests is they don’t transmit diseases.
Springtails feed on decaying plants which means they can’t find any good food in the bathroom.
They might still accidentally end up here seeking moisture.
The best methods to eliminate springtails from the bathroom are to reduce humidity levels by using better ventilation.
You should also check for water leaks and broken pipes as these attract springtails.
3. Ants
Ants are some of the most problematic types of pests found in bathrooms.
You need to know ants may not be nesting in the bathroom even if you see them. They might be a satellite nest and the real nest could be outdoors.
This means there’s always a chance of new ants coming into the bathroom even if you kill the ants you see indoors.
Carpenter ants are among the species commonly found in bathrooms due to their preference for high humidity and moist wood.
These ants are known for damaging wood but they only consider moist wood.
Carpenter ants have a black color and a body size of 5/8”.
This makes them easy to spot as they move quickly.
Keeping these ants out might involve checking all walls and the structural wood behind walls for moisture damage and water leak damage.
You also need to seal all entry points and check the area around your house for other nests.
4. Booklice
Booklice are some of the smallest nuisance pests in bathrooms. These small bugs only measure 1mm.
They have a tan or a light brown color.
You should still be able to see these small bugs regardless of their size, particularly on white bathroom walls.
They enter bathrooms affected by high humidity and poor ventilation seeking their favorite food, mold.
Booklice exclusively feed on mold and dealing with it might be the only way to get them out.
Improving ventilation, lowering humidity levels, and fixing any water leaks are the main strategies to get these pests out.
Booklice might be present in old homes and their bathrooms but they can also invade new homes or newly-remodeled homes with poor bathroom ventilation.
Wet painted walls are known to attract booklice as well.
5. Earwigs
Earwigs have different colors from red to black. They are identified by their 1-inch bodies, 6 legs, and thin long antennae.
These bugs live outdoors under leaves where they feed on plants, flowers, and mold.
Earwigs only move indoors when the weather gets bad or when they run out of food.
Their small size allows them to squeeze through small cracks into the house.
Earwigs make their way to bathrooms and laundry rooms by leveraging openings in walls, and cracks, and by the following plumbing.
All cracks should be sealed to keep earwigs out.
Female earwigs might be among the most persistent when seeking a good place to lay eggs in.
They need a sheltered humid place such as bathrooms to lay eggs in.
Earwigs remain with their eggs in a maternal instinct which means females might be seen in bathrooms with their eggs when cold weather doesn’t allow them to hatch outdoors.
6. Silverfish – Bugs in Bathroom at Night
While not dangerous to humans, silverfish commonly infest bathrooms.
These pests aren’t dangerous. They don’t bite or spread any diseases.
However, silverfish are commonly seen in bathrooms as they need high humidity of up to 90% to thrive.
Silverfish are identified by a carrot-shaped small body that’s always shorter than 1 inch.
Moving quickly, silverfish are difficult to catch.
It’s best to reduce bathroom humidity and to seal all entry points to keep them out of the bathroom.
Silverfish love cellulose. They eat almost any type of material such as paper or wallpaper that contains cellulose.
Eliminating food sources silverfish love is also important to keep them out of the bathroom.
Silverfish are particularly known for intruding on commercial buildings such as office spaces and office bathrooms.
There are more books, more paper, and considerably more wallpaper for silverfish to feed on whenever they infest commercial properties.
Still, they are found in residential home bathrooms as well. They typically run away when seeing people, preferring to crawl under bathtubs or to look for another place as shelter.
7. Centipedes
Centipedes are identified by their long bodies that can measure up to a few inches. They are known as bugs with 100 legs.
Centipedes invade homes without any signs as they simply move in.
Moisture and food abundance are known to attract them the most.
Centipedes are predatory creatures. They eat insects and spiders, as well as plants.
Since they’re nocturnal, centipedes don’t have very good vision. The sense of smell guides them around.
This sense might lead them to the bathroom where they might find spiders or other prey.
One of the first conditions to eliminate centipedes from the bathroom is to clean all spaces properly so there are no other insects or bugs to attract centipedes inside.
The second most important action against these multi-legged creatures is to reduce humidity and fix all water leaks.
Professionals also recommend reducing moisture around the house. This includes moving the compost box further into the garden or reducing flower water frequency and lawn water frequency.
These measures aim to reduce overall humidity levels around the house.
8. Crickets
Crickets are common around the house in the summer. They have a light yellow-brown body with dark brown markings on the head.
Most crickets grow to a maximum size of just 22mm which means they easily get indoors whenever the weather gets colder at the end of the summer.
Crickets are also attracted to lights as nocturnal creatures. Leaving bathroom lights on during the night can attract them indoors.
Crickets don’t pose a direct threat to humans but they cause plenty of physical damage. They eat wool and cotton fabrics around the bathroom such as robes, towels, and carpets.
Eliminating crickets from the bathroom is easier than with other common bugs in the bathroom.
You need to seal all entry points to the bathroom and limit the number of times you leave the light on whenever the bathroom isn’t in use.
Crickets don’t survive winters and they should mainly be a problem during the summer months.
You can hear crickets around the house due to their chirping sounds. Male crickets make these sounds with their wings to attract females.
9. Termites
Termites are often found in bathrooms. Dampwood termites are known for invading bathrooms and the walls of bathrooms.
While drywood termites aren’t particularly interested in bathrooms, dampwood termites love humidity.
These termites can affect the entire area of a house. In case of bathroom water leaks, they will head towards the bathroom.
Preventive measures are best against dampwood termites and getting rid of them is complicated and a lengthy process.
You first need to stop the source of humidity such as water leaks and then replace the wood affected by water and humidity in the house.
Other sources of damp wood around the house also need to be removed.
Stored firewood away from the house and covering it so that it doesn’t get wet is also important.
10. Gnats
Gnats grow up to 1.8 inches and they can be found in bathrooms.
They typically enter bathrooms by accident if there’s no food for them. They are more present around the kitchen.
Gnats can also make their way into the bathroom whenever you have dirty drain lines.
These types of dirty drains are known to be a source of decomposing organic matter that might attract gnats.
Some gnats might also be interested in bathrooms mainly for laying eggs as they can be warm humid places compared to the rest of the house.
Leaving lights on at night is also known to attract gnats.
One of the first actions against gnats is to remove all rotting food such as rotting fruits in and around the house.
Ripe fruit from the garden needs to be picked in time to avoid it rotting outside and attracting gnats that can get into the house.
11. Drain Flies – Bugs in Bathroom Sink Drain
Drain flies are highly common in bathrooms. As their name implies, these flies grow in drains, sinks, and other high humidity environments.
These flies are common in the summer when they grow in indoor and outdoor sinks.
In bathrooms, these flies grow in the shower and bathtub area.
Septic tanks are also a breeding spot for these flies.
Drain flies lay eggs on the inner pipes of your drainage only if there’s organic buildup.
From here, you can get rid of these flies and their eggs by always having clean drains with no organic buildup.
Chemicals and natural solutions are both successfully used against drain flies.
Apple vinegar and baking soda are mixed with water and then poured down drains to eliminate bacteria and organic buildup.
Chemicals such as various drain cleaners are also used to eliminate these types of flies.
Eliminating all puddling water in the bathroom is also important.
Make sure to check under the bathtub as this can be an area puddling water often goes unnoticed.
12. Fruit Flies
Fruit flies grow to 1/8 inches and can be identified by their tan color or light color.
These flies develop outdoors, particularly on fruit. They don’t grow in drain liens such as drain flies.
Fruit flies fly indoors attracted to various decaying and fermenting foods.
One of the biggest issues with having too many fruits flies in the bathroom is the possible spread of disease and bacteria that causes various diseases.
The first step to eliminating the problem is to get rid of all fruits that aren’t found in sealed containers in your home.
Fruit flies easily transition from the kitchen to the bathrooms.
Ensuring you install window mesh screens to protect bathroom windows as entry points is also important.
Homes with plenty of fruit trees around are known for attracting a wide range of fruit flies.
Removing all rotting food in and around the house is among the few other easy tasks you can do to keep these flies away.
13. Horseflies
Horseflies are some of the most dangerous flies that can accidentally enter bathrooms.
Unlike drain flies, these are larger flies that grow up to 30mm. More importantly, horseflies can bite and spread diseases.
These gray or black flies mostly bite before breeding. The female horsefly needs blood to reproduce.
Male flies mostly feed on nectar.
Horseflies are very common near bodies of water such as streams, marshes, ponds, and pools.
Homes next to these bodies of water are most likely to attract these flies indoors.
Putting on window screens is important to keep them out.
In case of serious invasions, you can also consider hanging bright-colored clothes around the house.
Horseflies don’t like bright clothes.
If your home is situated next to bodies of water or next to woodlands you can prepare your home before the beginning of each summer to keep these insects out.
14. Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes develop in stagnant water both indoors and outdoors. They can be some of the most problematic insects as they spread diseases and viruses such as the West Nile virus.
These insects are mostly gray. They grow to a size of at least ¼ inches but they can be difficult to spot during the day.
Signs of a mosquito invasion include visible biting areas on the skin of your family members.
Mosquitoes are attracted to bathrooms due to humidity and possible puddling of water inside.
They are known to lay eggs in bodies of stagnant water where the eggs are submerged until they hatch.
If you have a pool or a birdbath around the house you know you need to constantly keep these clean so that mosquitoes don’t easily reproduce.
Mosquitoes growing around the house make their way indoors attracted to light.
Carbon dioxide or human breath is also known to attract these insects.
Body heat is also known to attract mosquitoes so you will need to take more preventive measures against these insects compared to others.
Window screens, reducing bathroom humidity levels, and keeping all areas with water around the house clean are recommended steps to limit mosquito development.
Adding plants mosquitoes hate such as lavender helps as well.
15. Black Worms
Black worms are known to live in bodies of water. They develop in stagnant fresh water and they can quickly populate an area.
These types of worms carry diseases and they are often known for attracting other pests that eat them.
Black worms can be carried into the house during flooding when they establish themselves in humid areas such as bathrooms.
They can also grow and multiply whenever there’s a serious water leak, often connected to outdoor areas of the house or sewers.
16. Spiders
Various types of spiders settle in the bathroom. They prefer dark places where they can easily ambush all types of prey and where others pests hide.
Spiders can also prefer the humidity of the bathroom compared to other areas of the house.
Long-bodied cellar spiders can easily make their way from the basement to the bathroom looking for food, especially if the bathroom only has a small window so that it’s mostly dark.
The Common house spider is also frequently found in bathrooms.
Other types of web-weaving spiders are commonly found in bathrooms where they try to catch pests such as mosquitoes.
Predatory spiders such as Jumping spiders can also make their way to the bathroom chasing various pests.
Even large spiders can follow small roaches such as the German cockroach into the bathroom.
Keeping spiders out of the bathroom is subject to frequent cleaning, vacuuming, and reducing moisture levels.
You also need to eliminate all food sources which attract other pests.
Spiders can only be interested in living in bathrooms as long as they have insects and bugs to feed on. These tend to go away if they can’t find any food in the house.
17. Camel Spiders
Camel spiders have many reasons to hide in the bathroom. They can find carpets, paper, cardboard, and insects to feed on.
But reproduction during the summer is one of the main reasons these large spiders make their way into bathrooms.
These spiders are known for living under various objects in shaded areas during the hot summer days.
They cannot properly reproduce once the temperature gets too high so they seek a dark humid places such as bathrooms to lay eggs.
You can identify Camel spiders by their light brown or brown body color. They can appear larger than other spiders as they can grow up to 30mm.
Known to live in damp areas around the house, these spiders are known to stick together and not live very solitary lives as others.
As a result, they are normally found in high numbers in the bathroom.
Improving ventilation and cleaning the house as well as the outdoor area frequently is recommended to keep Camel spiders out.
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18. Carpet Beetles
Carpet beetles are small round bugs that grow to a size of around 1/16 inches. These bugs are brown, white, and yellow in coloring and they are known for eating carpets.
Carpet beetles eat dead insects, which means they have good reasons to be in bathrooms.
They also eat natural fibers and upholstery which means they can eat almost all types of textiles found in bathrooms.
One of the methods recommended to keep carpet beetles out of the bathroom is to dry clean towels and other soft fabric items in the bathroom before storing them.
You can also consider keeping all of your towels in the bathroom in plastic containers so that carpet beetles can’t access them
Some carpet beetles don’t live in the bathroom but they might make their way into the bathroom to lay eggs.
Larvae can thrive in the bathroom.
Frequently vacuuming and cleaning the entire bathroom is recommended to keep these insects out.
19. Drugstore Beetles
Drugstore beetles are small brown insects that grow up to 3mm. These insects are known to invade homes and to be mostly seen around the kitchen.
Drugstore beetles can easily transition from the kitchen to other rooms of the house such as bathrooms.
These bugs are known to be attracted to food and artificial light guides them toward the kitchen at night.
Typical food drugstore beetles are interested in includes flour and cereal.
These foods need to be placed in plastic containers, even when they’re already packed in their typical paper or cardboard boxes.
In case of serious invasions, you need to eliminate all of these foods from your house.
Applying insecticide is recommended if other methods fail to control drugstore beetles.
20. Flour Beetles
Known for their red or brown coloring, Flour beetles grow to 3/186 inches.
These beetles grow and live in flour and similar dry stored foods as their name implies.
While these foods aren’t found in bathrooms, Flour beetles easily move from one room to another seeking food.
Controlling Flour beetle populations indoors is based on various methods.
The easiest method to keep these pests out is to eat or use the food you store within 4 months. These beetles rarely grow in new food as they only develop in food that’s often stored beyond its shelf life.
If your home already suffers from a Flour beetle infestation you will need to properly clean it and clean it again to ensure their eggs don’t hatch after your remove the adults.
Eliminating infested and non-infested foods are important.
21. Scorpions
Scorpions can get into bathrooms through plumbing. They often use drains and pipes to move along the house and to get into bathrooms.
They like looking for prey in high humidity environments such as bathrooms.
Scorpions are also very good at the following prey.
They often eat spiders and arachnids such as pseudoscorpions. As a result, eliminating the risk of running into scorpions in the bathroom involves sealing all entry points and eliminating pests.
You need to seal all spaces around the plumbing properly.
A bathroom should also be clear of pests such as roaches and flies so that scorpions don’t have many reasons to get inside.
22. Pseudoscorpions
Pseudoscorpions are a type of arachnid that invades homes and bathrooms. They resemble scorpions but they are categorized as spiders.
Pseudoscorpions have a teardrop shape and long forelegs that resemble pincers scorpions have.
These arachnids grow to about 1/5 inches and can be found in homes where they have plenty of insects to feed on.
Silverfish is one of the favorite foods of pseudoscorpions.
This is why you should strive to eliminate all pests from the bathroom as they are seen as food by these arachnids.
Even the smallest flies and bugs can be seen as food by pseudoscorpions.
While the humid environment is comfortable for these arachnids, it’s the insects and bugs they find in the bathroom that is more important to them.
These arachnids are poisonous, but not to people. They use a small amount of venom to paralyze prey such as insects.
23. Ticks
Ticks are some of the most problematic arachnids you can find in bathrooms. They enter your home carried on clothes or carried by pests.
Ticks bite and they help spread Lime disease as well as all types of other diseases.
Various types of ticks can be found in bathrooms, especially on clothes you live on the floor whenever you return from the garden.
Blacklegged ticks, American Dog ticks, and Brown Dog ticks are just a few species seen around bathrooms.
They grow up to half an inch and they can be spotted around the bathroom at different times of the day.
Ticks bite people and animals.
As a result, you need to ensure you don’t bring them over indoors whenever you do gardening by brushing off your clothes outside.
Frequent bathroom vacuuming also ensures ticks don’t get to survive indoors.
24. Mites
Mites are a type of arachnid. They are part of the same group as ticks, but they’re often smaller.
Mites grow around animals outdoors and they rarely reach a body size of 1mm.
One of the biggest problems mites cause is a disease and the spread of bacteria. They are known for spreading serious diseases such as encephalitis.
Chicken mites and the house dust mite are common in bathrooms.
In the case of chicken mites, you need to call professionals to see if your chicken and pets are affected by the infestation.
In the case of house mites, you can act yourself if the infestation is not serious or with preventive measures.
Typical preventive solutions against dust mites include frequent vacuuming and reducing bathroom humidity levels.
Living areas or the most frequented areas of the home also tend to attract a lot of dust.
But areas less frequented such as the attic can also be a source of mites reproduction. These arachnids easily make their way to the bathroom from attics.
25. Weevils
Weevils only get into bathrooms by accident. These small oval-shaped bugs can have different colors from brown to black.
They enter homes seeking flour, cereals, or pasta to feed on.
They sometimes move into the bathroom to look for insects such as silverfish.
Eliminating weevils is mostly a subject to clearing out infested kitchen and pantry areas first.
You need to eliminate flour and cereal affected by weevils.
Preventive measures also include storing all foods in plastic containers or throwing out foods that haven’t been used for months, such as flour, even if unopened.
Weevils can sometimes be removed by hand.
Applying insecticide is sometimes recommended, especially in the case of serious invasions.
Insecticide application against weevils should be planned throughout the house, as these bugs don’t limit their infestation to the bathroom.
26. Slugs
Slugs have many reasons to get inside the bathroom. These garden pests make their way indoors for humidity and shelter.
The high humidity environment of the bathroom is perfect for slugs.
Plenty of puddling water around the shower makes slugs feel right at home in the bathroom.
The diet of slugs is also comprised of many insects and organic matter found in bathrooms.
Dead insects, feces, and decomposing plants are all eaten by slugs.
Getting rid of slugs in the bathroom is a problem of assessing cracks and openings around windows and in walls.
These creatures cannot enter bathrooms when all entryways are properly sealed.
27. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs aren’t very common in bathrooms if they aren’t very common in the rest of the house.
These bugs are famous for feeding on human blood so eliminating them from the bathroom and the house is important.
Bed bugs are identified by their small size. They grow to a maximum size between 5 and 7mm.
Eliminating bed bugs from the bathroom involves eliminating bed bugs from the entire house.
You can start with towels and continue with linen.
These need to be washed at a very high temperature and then dried at a high temperature so that all bed bugs are killed.
Socks, clothes, pillows, and stuffed animals all need to be washed next. You need to ensure bed bugs don’t continue living in your house in other textile objects.
Brushing mattresses with a thick brush is also recommended as you cannot wash a mattress completely similarly to clothes.
However, most people should call a professional exterminator whenever bed bugs are found in the bathroom as it’s an indication of a serious home invasion.
28. Parasitic Wasps
Parasitic wasps are an uncommon bathroom pest. They are only seen around the bathroom whenever there are cockroaches inside as they sometimes depend on them for reproduction.
The Jewel wasp is known for its metallic green body. This parasitic wasp is known to enslave cockroaches.
It injects venom into roaches and then fully controls the bug. These parasitic wasps then lay an egg on each roach that is used as live food by the emerging larvae.
Getting rid of parasitic wasps in the bathroom involves eliminating all cockroaches and pests these wasps could feed on or on which they would lay eggs on.
29. Masked Hunters
Masked hunters are known for their black bodies and fuzzy appearance that looks like dust.
These bugs are common in homes near woodlands where masked hunters live.
Bugs of this genus don’t cause any real damage to homes.
They enter homes and bathrooms looking for food.
Lacewings and earwigs are some of the most common prey of masked hunters. Getting rid of this species involves getting rid of all other bathroom pests.
How to Get Rid of Bugs in Your Bathroom
Bugs love bathrooms and can get inside by purpose or by accident. Keeping them out often requires more than clearing the bathroom of all organic materials.
Fix water leaks
You first need to fix water leaks as these are the most problematic when it comes to high humidity.
Apart from the high humidity, water leaks can lead to puddling water which is a known breeding ground for insects such as flies and mosquitoes.
Water leaks also lead to most wood which attracts all types of bugs such as termites.
Reduce humidity
Humidity levels need to be reduced considerably below 70% so that bugs that like high humidity stay out.
Bugs such as silverfish need high humidity between 70 and 90% to invade bathrooms. Maintaining lower humidity keeps them out.
A dehumidifier and better ventilation are among the first steps to keep these bugs out.
Add window screens
Window screens offer the best minimum protection against flying and crawling bugs attract to light and smells in your bathroom.
Once installed, the filter almost all bugs and they can be the protection barrier from all bugs trying to make their way into the bathroom from outdoors.
Remove all pests
Pests are often attracted to other pests. Parasitic wasps are attracted to roaches in your bathroom and keeping them all out for good is best.
Even nuisance pests such as crickets or earwigs can attract predatory pests.
Once inside the bathroom, nuisance pests can multiply rapidly and act as a continuous food source for other pests.
It’s best to clean the bathroom thoroughly to keep these pests out.
Clean drains
Bathroom drains are some of the most problematic when it comes to organic material buildup.
Dirty drains favor the appearance of insects such as drain flies. They also emit odors that attract bugs that eat decaying organic matter.
Keeping bathroom drains clean is recommended by routinely cleaning the bathroom, including the drains.
Remove foods from the kitchen
One of the least obvious bathroom bug control measures is to remove all foods from the house, particularly from the kitchen.
Many bugs in bathrooms come from the kitchen. Food attracts most bugs into the house and they can easily transition from the kitchen to bathrooms or other rooms.
Foods should be stored in the refrigerator or plastic containers as they are known to attract all types of bugs and flies, including those that spread bacteria and viruses.
Clean the area around the house
Organic matter, plants, and decaying fruit around the house all attract bugs.
These bugs easily move indoors either through the window or by taking advantage of gaps around doors or windows.
Sealing all wall cracks is advised when it comes to keeping all pests out of the house.
Clearing vegetation touching the house or even simple tasks such as clearing gutters can eliminate many types of pests such as roaches from the backyard.
Summary
Bugs are attracted to bathrooms due to high humidity and food availability.
Insects and bugs consider many items around the bathroom as food, such as towels, toilet paper, or hair and nails.
Bugs are also attracted to organic matter building in the drain as well as to any water leaks and the damages it creates such as moist wood.
Predatory bugs are attracted to bugs that feed on these items in the bathroom.
Some bugs only make their way to the bathroom by accident.
They invade homes for the food and warmth they find in the kitchen and then easily move on to other rooms and the bathroom as they start to rapidly multiply.