Home Pest Control: What to Know

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Certain pests can be annoying, but are unlikely to cause much destruction in your home. Others meanwhile could cause a lot of damage, chewing through the structure of your home and contaminating food. These are the pests that you should never ignore. Below are five of the most destructive pests and how you should deal with them.

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Termites

A termite infestation can be potentially dangerous. These insects feast on and nest in wood. If they get into wooden joists and floorboards, they can weaken them, sometimes resulting in floors and ceilings collapsing. If your home contains wooden siding and window frames, these can also be damaged by termites.

Once you identify an infestation, it’s worth calling pest control immediately. There are DIY solutions for termites, but these may not always be effective if there is a nest deep within your home. Once the infestation has gone, you could consider hiring a flooring company or exterior remodeling contractor to repair any damage – which could include new floorboards or siding if the extent of the damage is bad.

Mice

Mice can also cause a lot of destruction. They love to rip apart insulation and use it to build their nest with. They can also chew holes through drywall and even chew wires (which may lead to electrical fires). On top of this, they can easily get into cereal boxes and packets of rice, contaminating your food. This is why it’s important to tackle a mouse problem the moment you identify it.

There are various ways to get rid of mice – including humane options for those that don’t want to cause these animals harm. For serious mouse infestations, it’s usually best to get help from a professional pest control service. To prevent future mouse infestations, seal up any entrances around your property.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches typically don’t cause structural damage, but are known for contaminating food sources (they are common spreaders of bacteria like E. coli). Aside from their creepy looks, this is why you shouldn’t let them run riot in your home.

Bait stations and glue traps are some of the common solutions people use against cockroaches. As with other pests above, you can always use a professional pest control service to get rid of them if you want to be extra vigilant. Keeping your home clean of crumbs and containing all food sources may help to prevent future infestations.

Honeybees

Bees may play an important vital role as pollinators, but they can become a nuisance if they decide to build a hive in your home. Bee hives can rapidly expand – both the honey and the weight of the hives can be enough to damage and pull down a ceiling.

Removing a bee colony is definitely something you should leave to a professional. Repairs may then need to be carried out after, including cleaning up any residue left by honey and beeswax.

Ants

Ants are attracted to two main things in our home: sugar and electricity. This can cause ants to wreak havoc once they get into our homes – they can quickly swarm a cake left out on the counter or they can infest air conditioners causing them to become faulty.

You can often get rid of ants by sealing off entry points. If an infestation has already got into your property, you may want to call pest control to deal with it.