The Top 5 Household Pests and How to Get Rid of Them
November 21, 2022
Critters and bugs are necessary for the world’s ecosystems to function properly, but when they get into areas they don’t belong, including your home, they not only cause problems by being an annoyance, but they may also transmit illness and do serious damage to your property.
Keeping your home clean and tidy is the very first line of protection against any household pests. Ensure that crumbs and spills are immediately cleaned up, and that pet food and other dry products are stored in airtight containers.
Repair any damaged screens and seal any cracks in the foundation, gaps in weather-stripping, or around incoming and outgoing pipes and vents to reduce the number of ways pests may get into your home.
Listed below are the top 5 household pests
ANTS
Once you discover an ant infestation, get rid of them promptly to avoid a huge infestation, whether they are racing over worktops or marching from outdoors to a lone crumb on the floor.
Bring any containers or items coated with ants outside to clear your home of them. Remove any crawling ants with soapy water and wipe up any food spills or sticky items. Getting rid of the ants in the house, on the other hand, will not prevent other ants from entering.
Fill any gaps in doors with caulk or trim to keep them out. Stop plants and mulch a foot away from the foundation to keep ants away. If the problem persists, use baits outdoors to prevent them from entering the house.
MICE
Mice may not be as big or as unattractive as rats, but they are far more capable than their size suggests. Even if you don’t see them running about your house, their droppings, which resemble large coffee grounds, are a sure indicator that mice are present.
Mice do the most of their damage by urinating and excreting on home goods and clothes, but they have been known to gnaw on books, pillows, and other soft items as well.
Mice can breed up to 10 times each year, that’s why it’s essential to control their number as soon as possible. In addition to ensuring that they do not have access to food inside the house, you also need to ensure that anything they could consider food (e.g. bird seed) outside the house is securely stored in the garage or nearby outbuildings.
Mice can squeeze through even the tiniest openings, so sealing any flaws that could let them into the house or garage is also necessary. To catch and kill mice, homeowners can use traps, rodenticides, or adhesive boards.
RATS
Rats make even the bravest of humans uneasy. If you have visible evidence of them, such as discovering them in your pool, having your cat bring one in, or watching them race across your yard or electrical lines, you should immediately begin control procedures.
Burrows in the garden or compost pile, rustling in the attic at dark, or finding rat droppings are all indicators that you may have rats (which are similar to mouse dropping, but larger).
Rats, in addition to consuming food, prefer to chew on wood, wires (which can cause fires), and insulation, which can result in costly repairs. They may transmit illnesses including salmonellosis, rat bite fever, and typhus, to name a few.
To keep rats at bay, not only should you eliminate their food sources, but you should also rodent-proof your home by filling any openings larger than a quarter inch with steel wool or sheet metal that they can’t nibble through.
If they persist, it is preferable to use traps to catch them, as poisoning the rats might result with them dying in walls or other inaccessible locations, resulting in an unpleasant odor and would need further home repairs.
COCKROACHES
These half-inch-to-2-inch-long bugs contaminate food, damage fabric and paper, discolor surfaces, and may spread bacteria and diseases such as salmonella, coliform, staphylococcus, streptococcus, and the hepatitis virus, depending on the species.
Cockroach sprays aren’t very successful for long-term cockroach treatment, but they can be eradicated with determination. Identify and eliminate any sources of water and food for the bugs, as well as any hiding spots. Setting traps for them will also allow you to keep track of when they resurface and control them more quickly and effectively.
TERMITES
These small white, tan, or black beetles are renowned for biting the wood used to construct homes, but they may also destroy books, furniture, and food goods hidden deeper within the structure.
In a single day, a queen termite may produce millions of eggs, creating severe damage to your property. You may have a termite infestation if you notice swarms of little winged insects in the spring or fall, or if you notice tunneling, darkening, or scorching in wood.
There are many different kinds of termites, and the techniques for getting rid of them vary depending on which one you have. However, regardless of the type of termites that have infected your property, expert removal is usually necessary.
Keep wood 12-inches above ground and ventilate the building adequately to avoid moisture retention, which is a major termite attraction. Because some species of wood are more resistant to termites than others, choose termite-resistant woods like cedar, redwood, and white oak when constructing new homes.
GREEN ARMY PEST CONTROL
If you have a pest problem, contact Green Army. Our technicians are trained to deal with anything: mosquitos, roaches, termites; you name it. We know how they operate, how to get rid of them, and how to keep them from coming back.
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