If you can see clearly noticeable insect droppings in your house, then it may be possible that there is a pest infestation in your home. Specks or clusters of insect droppings, also known as frass, are often really tiny and hence we typically see it only when there is a significant deposit of insect droppings inside the house. Such excessive levels of visible insect feces are normally a sign of a large number of insects living inside the house. Some of the common pests that can invade your home include cockroaches, termites, fleas, carpenter ants, and bed bugs, etc. These can be identified via their frass, which are distinctive for each pest, as described below.
Things to check when identifying insect droppings
Some of the features of insect droppings can help identify the type of pest that has invaded your home. These are:
- The shape and size: One of the most facets of insect droppings that can help differentiate between different pests infesting the house is the shape and size of their feces. It is better to know more about the pests that have wreaked havoc, beforehand, so as to be better able to locate them and eliminate them from your home.
- The location of droppings: The place where you find the insect droppings can help isolate and differentiate the type of pests or insects that have created nests in your house. Where do you find the feces; in the kitchen cabinets or under them, in the attic or near the sink? All these can help identify whether it is cockroach poop, or bat guano, or rat or mouse poop.
- The placement or distribution: The manner in which the insect droppings are present can be of great assistance in determining the type of pest in the house. You will need to check whether the droppings are distributed in one line, or scattered all around, or present in one small pile.
- The color: The color of insect droppings is usually dependent on its diet. The color of poop can help verify whether it is that of cockroaches, or animals like a rat, or even a squirrel.
Identification of insect droppings
Presented below are some features of the frass of insects like cockroaches, termites, carpenter ants, bed bugs, and bees, etc
Cockroach droppings
Roach feces deposits can be found on bare wooden facades, cardboard, and/or paper in areas that offer food and water sources, like bathrooms and kitchens. Their droppings appear like black pepper flecks or small black specks.
The droppings of medium or small cockroaches are small and granular and typically look like ground coffee or black pepper. Bigger roaches eliminate black or brown feces which are cylindrically shaped with groves present on their sides. The frass will be scattered across the frequently travelled paths of the cockroaches’ colony nesting in the house. The feces are sufficiently sticky and may be found clinging on the walls.
Identification of roach poop can help located the places they are nesting or hiding and accordingly laying the traps or spraying insecticides. It is important to note that roach feces are quite toxic when it is dry and can cause numerous health issues in humans, including gastrointestinal issues and asthma attacks.
Carpenter ant droppings
Carpenter ant frass typically collects in attics, basements, and crawlspaces near open or bare wooden frames or woodworks. They may also be found in living areas, especially if the ants have been gorging on the flooring, different wooden structures, and other building/home materials.
The droppings of carpenter ants appear like sawdust. They are generally seen accumulated in piles just outside their colony or nest.
Termite droppings
The feces of termites are also generally found in the same places as that of carpenter ants, i.e., in basements, attics, and crawling areas near bare or exposed woodworks, etc. Additionally, if they are eating through different wooden parts of the house, then they may also been observed in living spaces.
The droppings of termites are the as big as poppy seeds. They look like rounded pellets with six sides. They are generally found in piles next to places where they have been or are burrowing or tunneling. The color of termite poop is often the same as the color of wood that they are eating or have eaten, and can be different hues or brown or gray, etc. If the pellets are multicolored, then the frass is often of drywood termites.
Termites are dangerous to the integrity of the structure of your home and can cause extensive and expensive damage to the house. It is therefore important to contact an exterminator and get rid of them as soon as possible.
Bed bug droppings
The droppings of bed bugs are normally found on bed linens or other soft surfaces. They will look like tiny reddish-brown or black spots or specks and may appear as rust.
The feces of bed bugs are comprised of digested blood sucked off the host. Unlike roach feces which feel grainy, bed bug frass is smooth and plain to touch. They are also much smaller that roach feces.
The fecal matter of bed bugs tends to spread easily from their original places of infestation to drapes, mattresses, furniture, sheets, chairs, and sofas, etc., and cause stain marks on them.
In order to identify poop that you suspect to be of bed bugs, you may place the feces on a piece of white paper and add 1 or two drops of water on it. If the frass is of bed bugs, then the poop on the paper will become red as the pest exclusively feeds on blood.
Wasp or bee droppings
The feces of wasps or bees are a liquid yellowish substance, just like squeezed-out mustard. The frass appears as if it was lugged across in long scrawl lines.
Flea droppings
Flea droppings appear as tiny black or deep maroon specks or flecks. They are dry and real hard to touch. Just like bed bugs, it also turns red when mixed with water.
It may be observed near the beds of pets or at other resting places of pets. Flea frass may be seen on the pets’ fur or bodies as well, especially on the lower abdomen skin.
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