Four hundred–odd pages of identification, acquittals, and honest advice live in this library, and this is the index. Find what you saw, click its file, and get the verdict — who it is, whether it matters, and what (if anything) to do. Can’t find it? Text us the photo: identification is free, always.
Spiders
Common spiders of Ohio · Venomous spiders · Black widows · Wolf spiders · Jumping spiders · Orb weavers · Fishing (dock) spiders · Cellar spiders & daddy longlegs · Hobo spiders (not here) · Spider bites · Spiders in winter · Getting rid of spiders · Getting rid of wolf spiders
Identification is the free part. When you would rather the thing were gone than named, that is pest control in Dayton.
Wasps, Bees & Hornets
Wasp vs. hornet · Nest identification · Hornets of Ohio · Red wasps · Great black wasp · Cicada killers · Tarantula hawks & spider wasps · Mud daubers · Velvet ants (“cow killers”) · Bees of Ohio · Types of bees · Bumblebee vs. carpenter bee · Ground bees
Ants & Termites
Ants in the house · Carpenter ants · Fire ants (mostly not here) · Termites vs. flying ants · Termite swarmers · What termites look like · Termite droppings (frass) · The termite queen
Roaches & Bed Bugs
Roaches of Ohio · The “palmetto bug” · Water bugs vs. roaches · Baby roaches & eggs · Where roaches come from · Bed bug lookalikes · Can bed bugs jump or fly?
Rodents
Droppings identification · How mice get in · Deer mice · Roof rats · Mouse hours · What mice eat · Baby mice · Mouse math
Flies, Gnats & Mosquitoes
House flies · Blow & flesh flies · Fly lifespans · Drain flies · Gnats · Do gnats bite? · Phorid flies · Fruit flies · Crane flies (“mosquito hawks”) · No-see-ums · Horse & deer flies · Asian tiger mosquito · What mosquitoes eat · Dobsonflies & hellgrammites · Lovebugs (not here)
Pantry & Fabric Pests
Pantry moths · Clothes moths · Flour weevils · Flour beetles · Drugstore & larder beetles · Carpet beetles · Silverfish · Firebrats
Basement & Occasional Invaders
Camel crickets · Crickets indoors · House centipedes · Millipedes · Pill bugs & sowbugs · Springtails · Earwigs · Boxelder bugs · Asian lady beetles · Stink bugs indoors · Do stink bugs bite?
Yard, Garden & the Gentle Giants
Garden pest ID · Stinging caterpillars · Japanese beetles · Cicadas · Cicada killers · Locusts vs. grasshoppers · Mud daubers · The scariest bugs in Ohio (ranked) · Scorpions (not really) · Jerusalem crickets (not here)
Still Guessing?
Photograph it (top-down, something for scale), text it to (937) 569-3330, and a licensed local technician names it — free. If it turns out to matter, you’ll get the honest version of what to do next; if it doesn’t, you’ll get the acquittal. Either way beats the search results. Serving Dayton and all of Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Clark, Warren, Butler, Preble, and Darke counties.
Related: Squash bugs and leaf-footed bugs, the two most confused garden look-alikes.
Related: The black-and-orange ones people photograph most.
Related: Assassin bugs, which look alarming and mostly are not.