10 Insects That Call Human Bodies Their Home

You might think your body belongs to you alone, but in reality, it’s a thriving ecosystem for tiny creatures. Some of them are harmless passengers, while others feed on your skin, blood, or bodily fluids. Most are so microscopic that you’ll never notice them, but they are very much alive and active.

Whether they’re crawling in your hair follicles, burrowing into your skin, or feeding while you sleep, here are 10 insects living on your body right now—whether you like it or not.

Related: Ten Disease-Carrying Bugs and Creepy Crawlies That Cure Diseases

10 Demodex Mites (The Face Mites Crawling in Your Pores)

If you have eyebrows, eyelashes, or facial hair, then you have Demodex mites living on your skin right now. These microscopic, eight-legged arachnids are invisible to the naked eye, but under a microscope, they look like tiny, translucent worms with stubby legs. Two species infest humans: Demodex folliculorum, which lives in hair follicles, and Demodex brevis, which burrows deeper into sebaceous (oil) glands. Found in high concentrations on the face, they cluster around the nose, forehead, chin, and eyelids, where oil production is highest.

During the day, these mites stay buried inside your pores, feeding on dead skin cells and sebum. But at night, while you sleep, they crawl onto the surface of your skin to mate. A female can lay up to 24 eggs inside a single follicle. Within a few weeks, the next generation hatches and repeats the cycle.

Since these mites lack an anus, they store all their waste inside their bodies until they die. When they finally expire, their decaying corpses release bacteria into your skin, which some researchers believe may contribute to acne, rosacea, and other inflammatory skin conditions.^[1]

9 Head Lice (The Tiny Vampires of Your Scalp)

Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are parasitic insects that live exclusively on the human scalp, feeding on blood multiple times a day. Unlike fleas, they don’t jump, and unlike ticks, they don’t burrow under the skin. Instead, they cling tightly to individual hair strands with specially adapted claws.

A single louse measures about the size of a sesame seed, but infestations can involve dozens or even hundreds of lice crawling through the hair. They move fast, scurrying at speeds of 9 inches per minute, making them hard to catch and remove. Lice infestations spread through direct head-to-head contact, which is why they’re so common in schools, daycare centers, and crowded households.

Female lice lay sticky eggs (nits) near the scalp, gluing them firmly to hair shafts, making them resistant to washing or brushing. The bites from these lice cause constant itching; in severe cases, scratching can lead to open sores and infections. Lice have evolved alongside humans for thousands of years, and despite modern medicine, they remain one of the most persistent human parasites, proving incredibly resistant to treatments and chemical lice shampoos.^[2]

8 Eyelash Mites (Living in Your Lashes Right Now)

Your eyelashes aren’t just home to mascara and eyeliner—they’re also crawling with tiny mites. Demodex folliculorum, a relative of the face mite, prefers to live inside eyelash follicles, burrowing deep to feed on skin cells and oils. These mites are particularly concentrated along the lash line, where the warm, moist environment provides the perfect breeding ground.

Unlike head lice, which crawl on the scalp, eyelash mites spend most of their time head-first inside follicles, meaning that even if you tried, you’d never see them. At night, they crawl out onto the surface of the eyelids to mate, leaving behind tiny eggs and waste inside the follicles. Most people host dozens of mites per eyelash, but in some cases, the population explodes, leading to a condition called Demodicosis—which causes redness, irritation, inflammation, and even eyelash loss.

Some studies suggest that people with frequent eye infections or chronic blepharitis (eyelid inflammation) may have unusually high numbers of mites. The only way to confirm their presence? A dermatologist scraping a few eyelashes and looking at them under a microscope, where you’ll see tiny creatures wiggling around.^[3]

7 Body Lice (Living in Your Clothes and Bedding, Waiting to Feed)

Body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis) are close relatives of head lice, but with one key difference—they don’t live on your body. Instead, they hide in clothing, bedding, and fabric seams, only crawling onto your skin when it’s time to feed. Unlike head lice, which stick to the scalp, body lice prefer warmer, covered areas like armpits, waistbands, and the back of the neck.

These insects feed by piercing the skin and injecting saliva, which prevents clotting so they can drink blood more efficiently. They thrive in unsanitary environments, particularly among homeless populations, prisoners, and people living in overcrowded refugee camps.

What makes them especially dangerous is their ability to transmit deadly diseases, including epidemic typhus and trench fever, which killed millions in wartime Europe. A single infested garment can house dozens to hundreds of lice. Since they can survive for days off-host, they lurk in laundry, bedding, and secondhand clothing, waiting for a new human to latch onto.^[4]

6 Crab Lice (Clinging to Your Pubic Hair)

Crab lice (Pthirus pubis) are smaller, rounder cousins of head lice, with shorter, thicker claws specially designed to grip coarse hair. Unlike head lice, which cling to scalp hair, crab lice prefer pubic hair, though they can also be found in armpits, chest hair, eyebrows, beards, and even eyelashes.

They spread almost exclusively through sexual contact, making them one of the few insects that are considered a sexually transmitted parasite. Crab lice don’t jump or fly—they crawl slowly but stubbornly, digging their claws into thick, wiry hairs. Once attached, they bite and feed on blood, causing intense itching and irritation.

Unlike head lice, which move fast, crab lice prefer to stay latched onto a single location, clinging so tightly that scratching won’t dislodge them. Their eggs (nits) are incredibly sticky, making them difficult to remove without medicated treatments. Even after an infestation is gone, their microscopic bite marks can leave bluish spots on the skin for weeks.^[5]

5 Scabies Mites (Burrowing Into Your Skin to Lay Eggs)

Scabies mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) are among the most invasive human parasites, burrowing directly into your skin to feed, mate, and lay eggs. Unlike lice or face mites, which live on the surface, scabies mites tunnel into the outer layer of the skin, creating thin, winding burrows where they deposit their eggs. The larvae hatch inside these burrows and begin tunneling through the skin, triggering intense itching, redness, and inflammation.

Scabies infestations are highly contagious, spreading through direct skin contact, shared bedding, or contaminated clothing. The itching is unbearable, especially at night, because the mites are most active when the body is at rest. In severe cases, untreated scabies leads to crusted scabies (Norwegian scabies), where thousands of mites infest the skin, forming thick, scaly crusts. The only way to get rid of them is with prescription anti-parasitic treatments, as regular soap and water won’t do anything to kill them.^[6]

4 Dust Mites (Thriving in Your Dead Skin Cells)

Dust mites (Dermatophagoides spp.) are microscopic relatives of spiders that live in mattresses, pillows, carpets, and upholstery, feeding on the dead skin cells that fall off your body every day. A single person sheds about 1.5 grams of dead skin daily, providing dust mites with an endless food supply. A typical mattress contains millions of dust mites, with the highest concentrations found in beds, couches, and fabric-heavy furniture.

Though dust mites don’t bite, they are a major cause of allergies and asthma, as their feces, shed exoskeletons, and decomposed bodies contain proteins that trigger strong immune reactions. If you wake up with sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes, or a stuffy nose, you’re probably breathing in dust mite waste while you sleep. Even washing your sheets doesn’t eliminate them entirely—mattresses and pillows become densely packed with their remains over time, meaning that a pillow just a few years old could be made up of nearly 10% dead dust mites and their droppings.^[7]

3 Fleas (Hiding in Your Body Hair and Clothes)

Fleas (Pulex irritans, the human flea) are tiny, jumping parasites that thrive on human blood. While modern hygiene has made them less common on people, they still infest pets, bedding, and carpets, waiting for a chance to latch onto a human host. Unlike lice, which crawl, fleas can jump 50 times their body length, allowing them to leap from fabric, furniture, or animals onto humans with incredible speed.

Flea bites cause intensely itchy, red welts, and their saliva contains anticoagulants, allowing them to feed without clotting or detection. Some people develop severe allergic reactions to flea bites, while others barely notice them.

Historically, fleas were responsible for spreading the bubonic plague, which wiped out millions in the 14th century. Even today, they carry diseases like murine typhus and cat scratch fever, making them more than just an itchy nuisance.^[8]

2 Bed Bugs (Feeding on You While You Sleep)

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are nocturnal bloodsuckers that hide in mattresses, furniture, and wall cracks, emerging at night to feed on human hosts [LINK 9]. Unlike lice or fleas, bed bugs don’t live on your body—they stay hidden during the day and only come out when they sense warmth and carbon dioxide, which signals a sleeping person nearby.

A bed bug bite leaves red, itchy welts, often arranged in zig-zag or linear patterns where the bug repeatedly fed. Bed bugs inject anesthetic and anticoagulant chemicals into the skin, meaning that most people don’t feel the bite when it happens. These pests are extremely difficult to eliminate, as they can survive for months without feeding and are resistant to most pesticides. A single female can lay hundreds of eggs, leading to full infestations in just a few weeks.^[9]

1 Ticks (Latching onto You to Suck Blood for Days)

Ticks are slow-moving, blood-feeding parasites that latch onto human skin, embedding their heads into the flesh to feed for days at a time. Unlike lice or fleas, which constantly move, ticks attach themselves firmly, using specialized mouthparts to cut into the skin and anchor themselves in place. Their bites are painless at first, as their saliva contains numbing agents, allowing them to feed undetected for long periods.

Ticks are notorious disease carriers, spreading Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other serious illnesses. The longer they remain attached, the higher the chance of transmitting infections. Some species can even cause paralysis by injecting neurotoxins into their host’s bloodstream. Ticks thrive in wooded and grassy areas, often hitching a ride on clothing, pets, or exposed skin, waiting for the perfect moment to attach and feed.^[10]