Identifying the Signs of Insects in Your Home

Most homeowners are used to the occasional creepy-crawly in their home. Maybe a spider has made its home in the corner of a bedroom or a cricket hopped inside while a door was open. However, while a spider or a cricket can easily be picked up on a piece of paper and returned to the great outdoors, an infestation isn’t quite that easily managed. Homeowners should always be on the lookout for the signs of an infestation in their home to catch it as early on as possible, especially if they are selling their home. Here are some of the common pests found in homes and the signs they leave behind.

Signs of Crickets

Most people don’t associate crickets with infestations, but they can cause quite a lot of problems in homes if left unchecked. The first sign homeowners will notice is the unmistakable sound of crickets chirping inside the home. It can be easy for crickets to crawl into homes through cracks, and they’re attracted by garbage and food scraps. If chirping can be heard in the home, try looking in the garbage for crickets. To keep them away from the home, fill in large cracks between bricks and siding with caulk and keep the home clean so getting into the home isn’t worth the effort.

Signs of Cockroaches

Cockroaches are easily one of the top pests homeowners do not want to find crawling around in their home. Just one cockroach can be dealt with, but an infestation is something else altogether. If there’s an infestation of cockroaches, there will be multiple distinct signs of its presence. First, the larger the number of cockroaches, the worse they smell, so homeowners shouldn’t ignore strange scents in their home. Cockroaches are most active at night, and when they come out they will leave behind old shed skins, feces, and even egg shells. 

Signs of Ants

Most homeowners have an experience with ants in the home, especially during the summer. They’re commonly found in kitchens around sinks and counters because they’re attracted into the home by the smell of food. The easiest way to prevent ants is to keep food off the counters and always clean up after cooking. However, once ants have gotten into a home, they can be  difficult to get out. Fortunately, most hardware and general stores offer ant lures that contain poison for homeowners to buy. These lures can be placed in the problem areas, and the ants will take the poison and return to their nests with it, killing any ants who consume the poison.

Signs of Termites

Termites may look like ants, but they’re much more destructive. It’s easy to identify damage caused by termites because they only go after wood and leave very distinctive grooves. Contrary to popular belief, termites actually prefer things like old newspaper and firewood to the woods used to make furniture and hardwood floors, so homeowners should be careful about composting newspapers or stacking firewood against the home because these sorts of things can lead to termites entering the home where they will then turn to eating furniture due to the lack of their preferred woods. Termites also like moist and dark places, so homeowners can help prevent termites from making a nest in their home by using a dehumidifier in basements and other areas that match this description.

River Heights homeowners should always be keeping an eye out for signs of infestations in their home. The sooner homeowners can identify the signs, the sooner they can call for help and get rid of it and make their home a safer and healthier environment.