What Makes Your Home Attractive to Pests?

The Unseen Dangers in Your Home

Everybody dreams of having a perfect home. However, there is one thing that will surely ruin it — a pest infestation.

Home pests can destroy your beloved house and give your family members allergies and asthma attacks. These house pests can also spread diseases like salmonella, typhoid fever, leptospirosis, Lyme disease, and rabies, to name a few. Just the thought of living with these hazards is enough to give you nightmares.

So, before anything unpleasant happens in your home, make sure to learn about the common household pests and how to do pest management 

Types of Pests in the Home

The key to having a safe and clean home is early detection. When you have properly identified which destructive pests are inhabiting your home, you can then take measures to eradicate and prevent them from coming back.

• Ants - There is a wide variety of ants, but we’ll discuss the common ones that can be found inside our homes.
  •   Nuisance ants - Little black helpers cleaning away crumbs that fell on the table. You’ll see them crawling all over your countertops, trying to get into jars of sugar, biscuits, and cereals. You’ll find your snacks’ packets perforated and invaded by these critters. Your food gets stale and contaminated.
    • How to spot them: If you see some ants, they usually walk in a line. Following their trail could lead you to where they are passing in and out of your house. They often make nests outside houses, so be on the lookout for mounds in your garden.
  • Carpenter ants – Aptly named critters, they can easily work wood digging tunnels and creating nests in the wet wooden parts of your house. This can compromise the structural integrity of your home.
    • How to spot them: Look for leaks and damp wood around the house. They love nesting in those.

• Roaches – Everybody’s familiar with these common household pests. They will eat even the tiniest morsel in the kitchen.
  • American cockroach – The largest and most common of them all, also known as a water bug, even though they are not aquatic. They can cause allergies, diarrhea, typhoid fever, and a lot of other diseases.
    • How to spot them: Look for them under the fridge, inside cabinets, and boxes where it is dark and warm.

• Rodents – These tiny mammals like to gnaw on wood and your food. They carry a host of viruses like salmonella and hantavirus.
  • How to spot them: Listen for scratching or scurrying sounds. Look for tiny footprints or droppings around your kitchen. They also like nesting in boxes.

• Termites – These insects can decimate the wood and foundation of your home.
  • Drywood termites
    •  How to spot them: Try knocking on wooden walls and floors to check if they sound hollow. Look out for dark brown pellets nearby.

• Fruit flies – Just as the name suggests, they love fruits, fermented items, and trash cans. They can carry bacteria that cause food poisoning.
  • How to spot them: Look for little red insects hovering over your fruit basket or food wastes.

• Carpet beetles – These critters chew holes on your, you guessed it, carpets. Though they do not cause illnesses, they will ruin your fabrics. They can also trigger allergic reactions.
  • How to spot them: Look for holes in your carpet, upholstery, or even clothing.

• Bed bugs – Very tiny creatures burrowed deep in your bed. Unlike other pests that cause illness, these do not. Their bite just causes redness and itchiness.
  • How to spot them: Look for brown or reddish spots on your blankets or mattresses.

• Stink bugs – These brown insects release foul-smelling chemicals. They don't cause illnesses, but they will stink up your home.
  • How to spot them: Check out the sunny parts of your house, they gather in large numbers there. If there's a foul odor in your house, it's probably caused by these little stinkers.

Early home pests identification can prevent a full-blown infestation. Now that we’ve discussed the most common home pests, let’s find out why and how they infiltrate your home.

Why Pests Find Your Home Attractive

These creatures have the same needs as humans — food, water, and shelter. Having these in your home is an open invitation for them.

• Food lying around
  • Before and after eating, if food is left out without a cover, expect to have flies infesting your kitchen. Also, expect other pests; they'd love to have some food, too.
• Dirty dishes
  • Just like having food lying around, leaving dirty dishes in the sink can attract a host of pests. Because they’re small, they only need scraps from your plate to satiate their hunger.
• Clutter
  • Piled-up stuff is perfect hiding spots for roaches and mites. Untouched boxes in the attic or basement can also house rodents and roaches.
• Water
  • Leaky faucets and pipes provide drinking water for pests in your home. They also soften wood which attracts termites and carpenter ants to nest.
• Holes and cracks in the walls
  • Cracks and crevices allow rodents and other insects to easily enter your home.
• Damaged screens
  • Screens are put in place to prevent pests from going inside your house. If they have tears or holes, nothing is keeping the pests from passing through.
• Indoor temperatures
  • If your house is humid because of leaky pipes and poor ventilation, it becomes a paradise for pests.
  • During winter, your warm home will also attract these creatures.

How to Manage Pest Problems

Follow these tips to avoid having pests in your home.

• Maintain cleanliness.
  • Wash dishes after meals.
  • Wipe surfaces clean.
  • Organize your stuff and throw away unused items.
  • Keep garbage bins closed.
  • Immediately store food items, preferably in closed containers.
• Regularly do house maintenance.
  • Seal gaps and cracks with silicone caulk or foam sealant.
  • Fix or replace damaged screens or door sweeps.
  • Fix leaky faucets and pipes.
  • Clean chimneys, gutters, and drain pipes.
• Store firewood outdoors at an elevated place to keep rodents from nesting in them.
• Since light attracts insects, it is better to use yellow lights.
• Install bug zappers to safely remove pesky insects from your home. These are environmentally-friendly and totally safe for your family and pets.
• Install pest repellers that use high-frequency electromagnetic waves to ward off cockroaches, rodents, and other pests. These are safe even for the pests; it just makes them leave without hurting them.

 If you find yourself amid a terrible pest infestation, contact a pest control company for help.

Armed with the knowledge of what attracts pests to your home, you can make sure that you never have to deal with an infestation. Your dream of a perfect home is as simple as having a pest-free home.