Finding a bug in the bathtub first thing in the morning is one of those things that can make you wonder what was crawling around the bathroom while you were asleep.
If it happens once, you probably get rid of it and move on.
When it happens again a few days later, that’s usually when the questions start. Why are they showing up in the bathroom? Are they coming out of the drain? Is there something underneath the tub?
At Budget Pest Control Services, we know bathrooms can be tricky when you’re trying to figure out where a pest is coming from. The place where you find a bug isn’t necessarily where it entered the house, and the drain isn’t always the source.
Sometimes you have to look a little farther than the bathtub or sink to figure out what’s going on.
It May Not Have Come Up the Drain
The drain gets blamed pretty quickly when someone finds an insect sitting in a bathtub or sink. It makes sense. There’s a bug in the tub and a drain a few inches away.
But plenty of crawling insects simply end up there.
They may have come through a small opening around a pipe, traveled along a wall or wandered in from another part of the house. Once they get into a smooth bathtub, some insects can have a hard time getting back out.
So before assuming there’s something living in the drain, take a look around the rest of the room.
Open the cabinet underneath the sink and look toward the back where the plumbing goes into the wall.
In some homes those openings are sealed pretty tightly. In others, there’s a noticeable gap between the pipe and the wall or cabinet.
That’s especially worth checking in some of the older homes throughout the Pittsburgh area. Over time, small gaps can develop around pipes and other plumbing openings.
Those little spaces are easy to ignore because most people have no reason to look at them.
It doesn’t take much room for some pests to find their way through.
Don’t Forget About Moisture
The bathroom is obviously going to get wet. Taking a shower and having water around the sink isn’t the problem.
It’s the moisture that stays where it shouldn’t that deserves some attention.
There could be a slow drip underneath the sink that only happens when the faucet is running. Maybe there’s moisture around the toilet, condensation near plumbing or a damp area that never seems to completely dry.
Certain insects prefer damp conditions, so repeatedly seeing them in a bathroom may be a reason to look a little closer.
Run your hand along the bottom of the sink cabinet. Look around the plumbing. Check for dampness, discoloration or anything that looks like it has been wet.
It only takes a minute, and you might find something you didn’t know was there.
What Kind of Bug Are You Actually Finding?
This makes a big difference.
“There’s a bug in my bathroom” doesn’t tell you much about what’s causing it.
A small fly hanging around a drain is a very different situation from a centipede sitting in the bathtub. Ants around a window may require a different approach than repeatedly finding cockroaches underneath the sink.
Spiders are another example.
One spider wandering through the bathroom doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a larger problem. If you’re suddenly seeing quite a few spiders around the house, however, it’s worth paying attention to what other insects may be around.
If you don’t recognize the pest, take a clear picture before getting rid of it. Having a photo can make identification much easier if you decide to contact a pest control company.
And don’t immediately start pouring different products down the drain just because that’s where you found the bug.
If the insect didn’t come from the drain in the first place, you’re treating the wrong area.
Figuring out what you’re dealing with should come first.
Look at What’s Around the Bathroom Too
Sometimes it helps to stop looking at the bathroom as a separate room.
What’s underneath it?
What’s on the other side of the wall?
A first-floor bathroom might have an unfinished basement underneath it. Another bathroom could share a wall with a garage, utility area or another part of the house where pest activity is easier to miss.
Plumbing lines also have to pass through walls and floors. Wherever that happens, there can be openings around the pipes.
If you’ve been noticing insects in the basement and then start finding the same type upstairs in the bathroom, it’s worth considering whether the two are related.
The bathroom may simply be where you’re noticing them.
One Bug Isn’t the Same as Seeing Them Every Day
Homes aren’t completely sealed environments.
Doors open. Windows open. Groceries come inside. Packages get delivered. People carry boxes and other things in from garages, sheds and basements.
Every once in a while, an insect is going to find its way indoors.
What matters more is whether you’re starting to see a pattern.
Finding one bug in the bathtub this month is one thing.
Finding one Monday, another Wednesday and two more over the weekend is different.
The same is true if you start noticing the same pest in several rooms.
At that point, getting rid of each bug as you find it isn’t answering the bigger question:
Where are they coming from?
There could be an entry point that needs attention. There could be moisture somewhere you haven’t noticed. Or there may be pest activity in another part of the house that’s starting to spread.
That’s when it makes sense to take a closer look rather than continuing to deal with them one at a time.
Keep Seeing Bugs in the Bathroom?
Don’t panic over one random bug.
But if checking the bathtub every morning is starting to become part of your routine, there’s probably a reason they keep showing up.
Budget Pest Control Services has been helping homeowners throughout Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania since 1984. We handle ants, spiders, cockroaches, rodents, termites, bed bugs, stinging insects and many of the other pests commonly found around local homes.
The important part isn’t just getting rid of the bug you’re looking at. It’s figuring out what you’re dealing with and why it’s there in the first place.
If something keeps showing up and you’re not sure where it’s coming from, give Budget Pest Control Services a call.
Budget Pest Control Services
Call: 412-318-4912
www.budgetpestcontrolpgh.com
Serving Pittsburgh and surrounding communities throughout Western Pennsylvania
