The scurrying keeping you up at night is not The Borrowers running through the inside of your walls. You’re probably housing insects. And the sooner you deal with this, the better.
Why You Need To Nip It in the Bud
- These pests aren’t just living rent-free, they’re actually making you sick. Some diseases carried by pest vectors will be transmitted to you once you’re exposed you them. Financially, it’ll be advisable to get to them before you catch a rare disease like the Hantavirus.
- Houseflies, as you may remember from elementary school, spread bacteria that give you a runny tummy. They are fond of dirt piles fostering all kinds of imaginable germs and then diving right onto your plate. They sit on every piece of furniture there is and leave spots of their excrement.
- Cockroaches don’t only bring illnesses; they also smell bad! And they’re a significant cause of embarrassment when you’re entertaining guests. They never seem to know what the appropriate time to make an appearance is. They’ll strut over your seven colors meal and leave with everyone’s appetite.
- Rodents don’t even have the courtesy to observe silence as they invade your space. They spread diseases and never seem to know where the bathroom is. While leaving their droppings everywhere, they also eat everything! Your favorite shoes, your groceries, your deserted library collection. You name it. They’ll eat it.
- They’re sucking you dry – They might not be living on your skin, but they’re eating through your walls, weakening them. The walls might be crumbling around you someday, and you will be questioning where it’s all coming from. Small as they are, ants are diligent workers that’ll burrow through cement to make way for themselves. They weaken the walls of your foundation and put the balance of your house in jeopardy.
Tell-tale Signs To Look Out For
There are sure means of investigating the hunch you may have that you’re housing unwelcome guests. Before inviting professional pest control companies, you might try being alert to certain things around your home. Doing this will ensure that when you do decide to take drastic measures, you already know what it is you’re up against.
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Active Bugs
The first most obvious sign to look for would be the actual presence of pests. Common culprits like ants move in colonies and will be easier to spot when caught in transit. But when they build their homes in the cracks of your own home, you might not notice at first. Cockroaches lurk in the kitchen where there’s a constant source of food.
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Dead Insects
Certain pests like spiders will be there, but not to attack your property. If anything, you might b allies because their presence signifies underlying problems. Spiders mean you’re a buffet restaurant for creeping bugs in your house.
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Wispy Wings Floating About
Think of the visitor that gets too comfortable and puts their feet on your expensive glass table. This is what happens when termites make a home out of your home. They shed their wings in heaps like a pile of dirty socks.
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Distinguishable Trails
Find any non-discrete route to house their everyday activities right in the middle of your home. Termites will build a tunnel from the soil along your walls to trace a way they use regularly. Rodents will pee to leave a trail they can follow or residual pellets. Seeing these should be enough to alert you to the presence of invaders.
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A Hollow Sound in Your Floors
As insects make their way around, they clear the way. And what’s in the way? Your expensive floors are built to perfection. You’ll hear this next time you’re taking the walk of shame from the kitchen in the dead of night. In the silence, the marked difference in the sound of your footsteps will be most evident then. Your floorboard will suddenly feel ‘loose’ when you step over it and make a strange sound. Don’t ignore these seemingly insignificant signs. They may be critical to catching out the little monster before they completely take over your house.
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Rat Droppings
Don’t be fooled by the 5-second rule to picking up food (for some extended to 5 hours even). Unless you distinctly remember spilling dark sesame seeds, then do not pick it up! Rodent droppings are just about the right color and size as your healthy seeds. Take extra caution to recognize if these show up in your kitchen.
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Nesting Signs
Mice are known for epitomizing comfort living. In the hidden dark cronies of your hose, you may find piles of shavings or fibers. These will mostly be common in spaces that are left fallow for long periods. So it might be time to clear up your storage room. That lamp that your uncle gave you, it’s been sitting there for five years, you’re not going to use it soon. Get rid of it. It’ll clear up space and reduce places for pests to hide. Hold a yard sale. Donate to a charity. Just get free of it.
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Distinct Pungent Smells
Unless you use ammonia regularly, your house shouldn’t smell like a urinal. Rodents and cockroaches, fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, have strong repulsive smells you’ll quickly identify.
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Signs of Gnawing
If you’re late and they’ve already gone rogue, you may be finding tiny bite marks on your belongings. Plastic, clothes, books, they don’t care. They’ll destroy anything.
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Damaged Leaves
If you have a plant, whether inside or in your garden, the leaves may have suspicious nibble marks. If this is outside, you may still have a chance to tackle it before they invade your house. But you have to move quickly.
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Protect Your Castle
Don’t be a guest in your own house. Take charge! Purge an attack in every room of the house. Your kitchen floors and cabinets. Search the storage rooms. Take out the rubble in your backyard and clean up. Whatever it takes. If you’re looking for effective ways to defend your terrain, then get yourself some fire ant treatments. They’ll get rid of invaders and prevent the collapse of your home from the effects of an “inside job”!
