House pests are never fun to have in your home, but some can be more troublesome than others, especially if they get the chance to infest or multiply inside your home. While prevention plays a huge role in keeping cockroaches, house mice, fleas and other pests out of your home, learning to identify common warning signs of home invaders is important, as well.
In this post, we’ll introduce you to some of the most common house pets you’ll find in your home, common warning signs of an infestation, and the things you can do to treat (and prevent) these pest problems.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are a common household pest throughout the United States and the world. These tiny critters hide in dark places during the day, such as inside your mattress, in closets, and many of the cracks and crevices in your home.
Unfortunately, bed bug infestations are incredibly difficult to deal with for multiple reasons. Firstly, bed bugs can live virtually anywhere — including outdoors, in other people’s homes, and even in public buildings. While they are large enough to be visible to the naked eye, they are nocturnal, so you’re unlikely to see them out and about much.
Often, red or itchy sores on the body are the only sign that people see of this common house pest. While bed bugs are mostly harmless aside from their bites, they can become a larger issue if the bites become infected. Hiring a professional pest control company is the best way to get rid of bed bugs, as an infestation can return even if only a handful of individual bed bugs remain.
Carpet Beetles
As the name suggests, carpet beetles are common house pests that can hide in your carpets, as well as drapes, clothing, rugs, and other similar fabrics. While these creepy crawlies are generally harmless to humans, they can be a sign of unsanitary conditions, and they will destroy the carpets, rugs, and fabrics that they live in.
Dry cleaning, vacuuming, and treating your rugs and fabrics with insecticide can be a great way to keep carpet beetles at bay. However, like bed bugs, carpet beetles can come back from the brink of eradication if only a few are left alive, so trusting a professional to get rid of them entirely is your best option.
Fruit Flies
The good news about a fruit fly infestation is that they tend to disappear quickly when you remove their food and breeding sources. However, the bad news is that the infestation can seem to come out of nowhere. Fruit fly eggs can hatch in as little as 24 hours, so they can appear overnight.
Fruit flies are attracted to many different food sources, such as:
- Soft fruits
- Sticky counter residue
- Soda and food cans
- Other food remnants
To get rid of fruit flies, dispose of their food sources (which is also where they lay their eggs) and clean your kitchen counters, cutting boards, and drains. If you can’t find or dispose of the source, enlisting the aid of a professional is yet again your best course of action.
House Flies
House flies can be a regular intruder in your home, especially if you like to leave your doors and windows open during nice weather. Many homeowners consider the house fly to be more of an annoyance than a real pest to be worried about, but they can be surprisingly dangerous. Not only do house flies spread diseases and pathogens, but they can be an indicator of dirty conditions in the home.
An easy way to keep these pests away is to keep your doors and windows closed as much as possible. However, if you don’t take care of what’s attracting them to your home, house flies will keep coming back with every opportunity. Fortunately, as with fruit flies, if you take away all of their food and breeding sources, these flies will eventually disappear.
Stinkbugs
Stinkbugs are relatively new pests in the United States, but they have been steadily increasing the amount of territory that they cover. Nowadays, stinkbugs can be found in homes virtually nationwide. You’ve probably seen these household bugs hanging out on your walls and around your windows (even in winter) and wondered how they snuck in.
The reason why these pests seem so persistent is that they prefer to spend the winter indoors in cold climates. Stinkbugs will sneak into your home and hibernate for the winter, and one stinkbug will release a smell to attract more, too.
If you see one stinkbug, you can carefully vacuum it up and dispose of it away from your home. However, if you find them in large groups within your home, you may need to call a professional for help.
If you’ve been living with pests in your home, call a professional for advice or removal help as soon as possible. After all, an infestation can affect the health of you, your family, and your home. Call Ortex Termite and Pest Control to get the process started, or you can visit our website to request a free cost estimate.
