Common Pests and Insects Found in the Garage

Mice and rats are among the most problematic pests found in garages. They can squeeze through tiny openings, nest in stored boxes, insulation, and hidden corners, and reproduce rapidly.

They can also cause extensive damage by chewing through stored items and electrical wiring. They contaminate surfaces with urine and droppings, potentially spreading diseases like hantavirus and salmonella. Rodent traps will help protect your home and family.

When you think of insects in garage spaces, spiders probably come to mind. No matter where you live, finding a spider or two in your garage is normal. Common species include house spiders, wolf spiders, black widows, and brown recluse spiders.

Spiders thrive in garages because it’s warm, dark, and safe. There are also typically a lot of other insects, providing spiders with a steady food source. Regular cleaning, decluttering stored items, and removing webs are important parts of effective pest control for garage areas.

Attracted by moisture, steady food sources, and plenty of hiding spots, American cockroaches, German cockroaches, and Oriental cockroaches have been known to infest garages. Since they can survive in various conditions and reproduce quickly, you need to take care of them quickly.

Garages provide cockroaches with cardboard boxes for shelter, organic debris to feed on, and darkness to hide in during daylight hours. They can contaminate your items, spread bacteria, and eventually migrate into your home's living spaces.

Crickets are common insects in garage spaces, particularly during fall when outdoor temperatures drop. House crickets and camel crickets (also called cave crickets) are drawn to the moderate temperatures and shelter that garages provide.

Crickets are attracted to garages with poor weather stripping, ground-level entry points, and abundant hiding spots. Pest control garage strategies that reduce humidity and seal access points can help keep your garage safe from these noisy insects.

Another common garage insect is the house centipede. These predatory insects hunt other garage insects like spiders, silverfish, and cockroaches. 

Centipedes require moisture to survive, making garages with humidity issues particularly attractive. They hide in dark corners, behind stored equipment, and in cracks along walls and floors. 

While they’re typically beneficial insects, since they prey on other pests, most homeowners prefer not to see them. An effective garage pest control strategy will help keep them outside where they belong.

In southwestern regions, scorpions can become serious garage pests. These arachnids seek cool, protected spaces during extreme heat, often entering through small gaps under doors or cracks in foundations. 

Scorpions hunt other insects in garage spaces at night, hiding during daylight hours under debris, in storage boxes, or behind equipment. They're particularly dangerous because they often go unnoticed until someone reaches into a storage area or puts on work gloves. That’s a surprise no one wants to get!