Do you hear things go bump in the night? Strange sightings smells, and noises in your home may not be as scary as you think. In fact, it is probably a pest problem, and to safeguard your home, you need to know how to get rid of it.
While there are a number of pests that may invade, many of them share similar signs. Below, we discuss signs of a pest infestation and how to get rid of them.
Table of Contents
1-) Droppings
Droppings in and around the home are the first sign of a pest problem. Rats and mice are the easiest to spot, with their small ball-shaped droppings of fecal matter. This will usually be around the edges of a room or wall.
Insect droppings are a little harder to notice. Many of them look like specs of black pepper or salt, dusted extremely finely. If you find them in your bed along with rusty-colored, specks of blood, you may have a number of bed bugs in your mattress.
2-) Sounds and Smells
While they are only small, pests can make a lot of noise. If you have signs of a rodent infestation, you may hear them scurrying across floorboards and in wall cavities. You may also hear them scratching away at wood or even squeaking in certain conditions.
Even creatures as small as termites are audible. They send warning signals by knocking their heads against the wood in walls. If you can hear a mild tapping coming from inside the wall, then you may have a serious infestation of termites.
In addition, each type of pest often has its own smell or odor. Rat and mice infestation is characterized by strong, ammonia-smelling urine. This can transfer a number of diseases and illnesses and is not something you want in the house.
Even insects can leave smells. Bed bugs have a musty odor, while cockroaches have an oily, greasy smell to them.
3-) Damage
As well as being unsanitary, pests need removal from a property because of the amount of damage they cause. You will soon see this start to appear if you believe you have pests and do not address the issues.
Rats and mice love to gnaw and chew at objects. This can be the furniture in your home, or the structure itself. Chairs, cupboards, skirting boards, and floorboards will all bear their hallmarks.
For insects, you should look for small holes that have been bored into wood surfaces. Termites seldom attack furniture but love walls and structural features. If you see black specks around the hole, you have spotted fecal matter and you definitely have a termite problem.
4-) Pest Infestation Tracks
Mice and rats like to travel the same paths every day. In fact, rats are extremely short-sighted and will generally stick to the corners and edges of rooms. Eventually, this will build up as evidence of an infestation.
Signs of a rodent track are drops of fecal matter or trails of urine. You may also be able to see prints in the dust where the creatures have stepped. If you need assistance removing them.
5-) Nesting
To thrive, all creatures need a nest. It is the place they sleep, feed, and reproduce. If you can locate the nest, you can often destroy your pest problem in one fell swoop.
Rodents will use whatever materials they can to build a home. Twigs, leaves, and shredded paper are the preferred materials. If you find these scattered around the house, or see that your papers have been torn up, someone is building a nest.
Get a flashlight and search all the hidden areas of your house. Look for shredded paper in dark, hidden places such as behind appliances, underneath the flooring, and between walls.
6-) Damaged Vegetation
Pests not only do damage to your home and its structure, but to the plants and vegetation in your house and yard. By keeping a check on them, you may be able to locate and eliminate pest infestations.
The first place to check is the lawn. Browned, damaged, or dead areas of grass can signal an infestation. This could be down to a number of creatures, ranging from moles and voles to crickets.
Ants are not usually a problem if you see a few near your home. However, if you spot an anthill then you have cause for concern. This is the heart of the colony, and once it gets inside the home it will cause all manner of problems.
Many people often confuse termites for ants. This is a big mistake, as termites cause a lot more damage. Though they look similar, termites are generally white in coloration.
7-) Shedded Wings
Termites are swarming insects. They take to the air and fly in a large group to reach a new home, where they devour everything they can and build a nest. Once they reach that destination, their wings shed and are left behind.
Shredded termite wings look like tiny fish scales. Finding them does not mean they are in your home already, but it does mean they are in the area. If you can not find any signs of them on your property, you should warn neighbors and check any outbuildings you may have on the land.
Get Professional Help
The problem with pest infestation is that unless you are 100% sure that you have destroyed the source, then they will probably return. Catching the odd mouse or destroying a nest is often not enough. This is the reason you need professional help, so contact a local pest control control expert in Bloomington IL, for example, to assist immediately.
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