There's a long list of pests that can infest your home, creating a disgusting or dangerous situation. Not only do some of the most common animal invaders carry harmful bacteria or germs, but they can also physically damage your home.
Knowing where pests tend to reside is the first step in addressing a potential problem. Here are they most important places to look and some of the creatures you might find there:
1. The kitchen
It should come as no surprise that pests will try and colonize your kitchen if possible. There's often free food in the form of crumbs, pantry goods and uncleaned messes, and there is usually an easy source of water as well. Appliances, cupboards and other nooks and crannies also provide sufficient cover. For that reason, ants, roaches and similar insects may quickly invade your kitchen when given an opportunity. Mice or rats can also comfortably survive in this space.
Proper pest prevention starts with keeping a kitchen that is clean and tidy. Don't give pests an added incentive to explore your home by ringing the dinner bell. U.S. News and World Report stated that this means storing all food items securely and minimizing entry into your home by being proactive about any repairs and sealing possible openings.
2. The attic and basement
Some pests see your home as a place to escape the cold and even safely raise their young. For example, it's not uncommon for a family of raccoons to cozy up in an attic or basement when given the chance.
Some insects, meanwhile, are hardy enough to subsist on items that would otherwise seem inedible. Roaches, moths and other species can feed on everything from stored clothes and cardboard to packaging glue or insulation. As such, your attic or basement can be quite inviting to hungry bugs. Keep your best clothes in plastic wrapping or containers and keep an eye out for any signs of a possible pest problem.
3. Inside of walls
Pests can access your home through small openings where the siding meets the roof, along cracks or holes or even through gaps created by electrical wires or plumbing. You should do what you can to minimize entry points, because otherwise pests may not just get inside but can also find their way into the framework of your house.
Having rodents scamper about in the walls is an unpleasant and dangerous situation for homeowners. Mice, squirrels and other creatures may inadvertently gnaw through wood fixtures or wiring and cause serious damage. And if they get comfortable enough, they may breed, greatly exacerbating the problem. The same is true of insects looking for shelter and safe haven.
4. The yard
Pests that enter your home usually started in the yard, and other animals can use the same entry points to come inside. That creates added incentive to plug or block any openings and to also make sure your property isn't too attractive to would-be pests.
Some homeowners do enjoy wildlife in their yard, but there are ways to reduce the population of less charismatic animals. For example, Greatist reported that mosquitos look for standing water in the summer and can plague a property that caters to this need. Elsewhere, an unkempt lawn or piles of leaves and brush give ticks, fleas and other insects the necessary cover to thrive and from there can possibly infest your home. An orderly, well looked-after lawn can still allure visiting songbirds and rabbits while simultaneously dissuading pests.
Across your property, be mindful and active when it comes to reducing run-ins with animal invaders. For more help, reach out to a pest control specialist to learn more about your options.
You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches. If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.
Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats.
During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends. Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. How can you avoid these pests when you're outdoors? Consider these tips to keep bugs out of your campsite.
Carpenter ants can chew through the strongest studs and stringers in a house as they hollow the wooden beams out for nesting. The resulting damage can weaken the home's structural support and require expensive repairs. Professional pest control workers can remove a colony of ants, but the best practice for homeowners is to learn the best ways to keep out an ant colony and prevent the problem before it begins.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
As the middle of summer approaches, you need to be vigilant about keeping your garden free of pests. Many insects breed during the summertime, which means they're on the lookout for great places to lay their eggs. For many bugs, that means near a source of food. In fact, some species of insects will lay their eggs inside budding vegetables and fruit so their larvae have something to eat as soon as they hatch. That's why you have to keep harmful bugs out without damaging the bugs that could help you, such as bumble bees.
You might have noticed that, with the exception of the kitchen, you find more pests in your bathroom than in the rest of your home. This is because insects and rodents see the bathroom as a convenient watering hole. Pests love leaky pipes and standing water because these offer them a hydrating oasis in the otherwise dry biome that is your house or apartment. And if your bathroom develops mold, all the better for pests, who may eat fungus or use it to lay their eggs.
