Some seem harmful, while some don’t. But in reality, house pests are a nuisance and can cause damages to your home. As per a report, eighty-four percent of American homeowners faced a problem with house pests. Depending on the pest, it can cause massive financial losses and spread various diseases. Researchers from North Carolina State University found five hundred and seventy-nine living and dead arthropods from fifty North Carolina houses.
So, here’s a look at the top five house pests that can cause damages to your home, and thus, you should be aware of them.
Termites
They are the most commonly found pest across the world. They are also one of the most dangerous. In the USA alone, termites cause about five billion dollars in damages each year. The damage caused by them is also very rapid and difficult to contain. They continuously keep eating on wooden furniture, paper, plastic, and drywall.
Termite control is not for amateurs. Thus, if you have a termite infestation at home, you must quickly call a professional pest exterminator company like Diamond Exterminators. Some signs that you can look for termites at home is the presence of termite swarmers or alates. You can also look out for discarded wings on walls and window sills.
Ants
Like termites, ants too are commonly found in almost every other home. There are several types of ants found in a single home. Most of them are harmless and will only steal leftover food from the kitchen. But the most dangerous ones are the carpenter ants. Like termites, these ants, too, can cause damage to wooden items in your home, causing significant damages.
Signs of carpenter ants include sawdust near wooden items like doors and windows. You can also hear noises of the ants from the walls where they are present in high numbers.
Rats
Rats and mice are some of the most unhealthy and damaging pests you can have in your home. A house mouse can carry about two hundred human pathogens that can cause various diseases to you and your loved ones. They also like to chew on anything that they can. They are infamous for chewing wiring, electrical appliances, plastic household items, rubber, among others.
You can use rodenticide to get away from rat and mice problems. It often results in the creatures dying in undesirable locations like the attic or behind heavy furniture. The dead body can spread a bad smell across the room and even lead to other insects being attracted to the home to feed on the dead body. You can, instead, use a snap trap to catch them alive and dispose of them to a far-off location.
Squirrels
While they look cute, squirrels, too, can cause damages to your home. They have strong teeth that help them to chew on almost anything. Firstly, they can cause damage to the trees in the yard or lawn areas. Secondly, once they get inside your home, they can destroy your loose soffit and fascia, chew on PVC piping and other plumbing items, and damage the electrical wiring in your home.
Some ways to get rid of squirrels include:
- Scaring them.
- Stop feeding them.
- Removing the source that attracts them like fallen fruits, nuts, and seeds.
- Spraying your lawn and yard with a squirrel-repellent spray.
- Installing one-way doors to prevent squirrels from entering your home.
Bed Bugs
They are notorious for spoiling your sleeping experience. They are found in sofas, bed mattresses, and other soft furnishings. Hence, the name bed bugs. They are tiny and hard to find and can reduce the livability of any home. While they won’t cause damage to your house, they certainly can cause you trouble. Bed bugs feed exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals, especially humans. They are also known to bite and feed on house pets’ blood like dogs, cats, and birds.
If you experience unexplained red bites when using your bedding, it may be due to a bed bug bite. Carefully examine to find signs of bed bugs or egg sacks. Female bugs can lay up to a thousand eggs at a time, quickly developing into mature bugs. You can clean your infected bedding with hot water and dry them to the highest level possible to get rid of them. You can also vacuum clean the affected area to get rid of the bugs and the eggs.
House pests are unwanted and unwelcome. It is important to take the necessary steps to get rid of them as soon as you spot a pest infestation. You can try to get rid of them on your own. If the problem persists, it would be best to call experts who can quickly solve the problem.
