What is it, and does it need a company?

Chosen when: What did you notice: Winged insects inside the house; What have you checked: Equal wings and straight antennae

The EPA says termite wings are equal in length and the antennae are straight, while ants have front wings longer than hind wings and bent antennae. A match on those two features is a reason to book an inspection, not to treat anything yourself: the EPA says termite treatment can only be properly performed by a trained pest management professional. In Michigan that work falls under category 7B. Ask the company to show you the insects or the damage before it names a plan.

Try first: Put a few insects in a sealed container, and photograph one on white paper beside a coin.

Does it need a company? Yes: the EPA says termite treatment needs a trained professional.

Termites · Carpenter ants or termites in a Michigan house: how to tell and who to call

Chosen when: What did you notice: Winged insects inside the house; What have you checked: Front wings longer, antennae bent

The EPA says ants swarm with front wings longer than hind wings and bent antennae. Ants in the house are usually a food, water and shelter question first. If they are carpenter ants, Penn State Extension, a Pennsylvania source, says they excavate moist, rotting wood for satellite nests, so the useful question is where the wood is wet. Carpenter ants fall under Michigan's category 7B. Many other ants fall under 7A.

Try first: Photograph the insect, then look for damp wood and for spills or open food.

Does it need a company? Sometimes: for carpenter ants or a large indoor swarm, an inspection helps; for a few ants at a spill, the EPA says to remove food, water and shelter first.

Ants and roaches · Carpenter ants or termites in a Michigan house: how to tell and who to call

Chosen when: What did you notice: Winged insects inside the house

Winged ants and termites are easy to confuse, and they need different handling. Put one on white paper and look at two features the EPA gives: if the wings are equal in length or the front pair is longer, and if the antennae are straight or bent. If you still cannot tell, photograph it beside a coin and ask a company to look at the photo before it quotes anything.

Try first: Capture one in a sealed container and take a photo.

Does it need a company? Not yet: the identification comes first.

Termites · Carpenter ants or termites in a Michigan house: how to tell and who to call

Chosen when: What did you notice: Bites, blood spots or small bugs around a bed; What have you checked: I found a live bug or have a specimen

MDHHS says the only way to be sure you have bed bugs is to find a live one. If what you have looks like a bed bug and is alive or in a container, you are at the point where an inspection makes sense. MDHHS says foggers do not kill bed bugs, and the EPA says control takes time and patience and recommends a professional to inspect and treat. If you rent, MDHHS says to report to the landlord and not apply insecticides yourself.

Try first: Keep the bug in a sealed container, photograph it next to a coin and do not use a fogger.

Does it need a company? Yes: MDHHS and the EPA both recommend a professional for bed bugs.

Bed bugs · Bed bugs in Michigan: how to confirm them, what works and what does not

Chosen when: What did you notice: Bites, blood spots or small bugs around a bed

MDHHS says bites alone cannot confirm bed bugs. Oakland County's health division lists blood spots and cast skins on sheets, pillows and mattresses as signs, and the EPA says bed bugs are visible to the naked eye. Keep looking along mattress seams and the bed frame with a flashlight. Bed bugs are not a sign of a dirty home, and neither agency says they spread disease.

Try first: Check mattress seams and the frame for a live bug, blood spots or cast skins, and photograph what you find.

Does it need a company? Not until you have a live bug or clear signs.

Bed bugs · Bed bugs in Michigan: how to confirm them, what works and what does not

Chosen when: What did you notice: Droppings, gnaw marks or nesting material

The EPA lists droppings near food, nesting material and chewed holes in walls and floors as the signs of a rodent problem, and says to remove food, water and shelter and seal holes with steel wool or a patch. A company is worth hiring when you cannot find or reach the entry points. Michigan's category 7D covers vertebrate pests such as rats and mice, and 7A covers pests in and around dwellings.

Try first: Seal food, photograph the signs, and note where they are.

Does it need a company? Maybe: when you cannot find or reach the entry points.

Rodents · Mice in October: seal first, then decide who to call

Chosen when: What did you notice: A tick on a person or a pet

MDHHS names five common Michigan ticks: the American dog tick, the blacklegged tick, the lone star tick, the woodchuck tick and the brown dog tick, and identifies ticks from a photo or specimen at no charge. The American dog tick is active early May to November, and blacklegged ticks are active whenever outdoor temperatures are above 40 F. The blacklegged tick carries Lyme disease, which MDHHS says is the most common vector-borne disease in Michigan. If a person was bitten, a health professional is the right contact.

Try first: Photograph the tick or save it, and send it to MDHHS for identification.

Does it need a company? No: a pest control company does not identify a tick for you.

· Mosquito and tick season in Michigan: what the state has counted

Chosen when: What did you notice: Biting insects outdoors; What have you checked: Black and white stripes, biting in daytime

A September 2025 Wayne County advisory, quoted on the City of Livonia's website, says the Asian tiger mosquito is new to Michigan, has a black-and-white striped body and bites during the day. Wayne County asks residents to report unusual daytime biting to Wayne County Environmental Health at (734) 727-7400. The notice says current disease risk in Michigan is low.

Try first: Capture the insect if you can do so safely and call the number above.

Does it need a company? No: the county is monitoring it.

· Mosquito and tick season in Michigan: what the state has counted

Chosen when: What did you notice: Biting insects outdoors

MDHHS says West Nile virus has occurred in Michigan every summer since 2002, and Oakland County says risk is highest from late July through September. A yard company works under category 7F. We found no source on how well yard treatment works, so ask a company for the months, the visits and the product label, and remember that Michigan bars calling a treatment necessary for a pest that is not present or likely.

Try first: We have no sourced yard steps, so check the current MDHHS arbovirus summary.

Does it need a company? Optional: a company is a choice, not a requirement.

Mosquitoes · Mosquito and tick season in Michigan: what the state has counted

Chosen when: What did you notice: Noises or an animal in the attic or walls

Wildlife in Michigan is a DNR matter: a business removing nuisance animals needs a DNR permit and may remove only listed species. DNR says it does not authorize live capture and release of raccoons, skunks, squirrels and opossums. If it may be a bat, and there was contact or a bat in a room with a sleeper, DNR calls that a potential rabies exposure to report to the local health department. Do not seal the entry while an animal may be inside.

Try first: Write down when and where you hear it, and do not seal anything yet.

Does it need a company? Usually: a permitted business, unless DNR allows you to act yourself.

Wildlife removal · Raccoons, skunks, squirrels and bats in a Michigan attic

Chosen when: What did you notice: Many small bugs clustering on a sunny outside wall or window

The Michigan Invasive Species Program says brown marmorated stink bug adults seek overwintering sites, including inside buildings, from September, and the EPA says they do not bite or damage buildings. Extension services in other states say the same of cluster flies and boxelder bugs, and name sealing gaps and repairing screens as the best control. The sources recommend sealing over hiring a company.

Try first: Seal gaps around windows, doors and pipes, and repair screens.

Does it need a company? No: the sources point to sealing.

Ants and roaches · Mice in October: seal first, then decide who to call

Chosen when: What did you notice: A nest, or stinging insects

We found no Michigan government page on wasps, hornets or bees, so this answer is practical. A nest by a door or play area, inside a wall or near someone who has reacted to stings is a reason to call a licensed company, and a reaction in progress is a 911 call. Treating a nest for hire is pesticide work, which needs a certified or registered applicator and a licensed business.

Try first: Photograph the nest from a distance and note where it is and how high.

Does it need a company? Often: when the nest is hard to reach or someone reacts to stings.

Wasps and bees · Wasps, wildlife and Michigan rules: which agency covers your pest

Chosen when: Any other answers

If none of the options fit, the best next step is a photograph with something for scale, a note of where and when you see it, and a specimen in a sealed container if you can do that safely. A company that names the pest and shows you the evidence before it quotes a plan is working the way Michigan's MCL 324.8313(12) expects.

Try first: Photograph it, keep a specimen and note the place and date.

Does it need a company? Not until it is identified.

Emergency pest control · When is pest treatment necessary? Michigan law and what a fair inspection says