A dirty home can cause health issues, stress, and most of all, pests. That’s why certain areas in your home require more regular cleaning such as the kitchen. You want to keep food crumbs off the floor and keep your kitchen from being dirty in order not to attract pests.

To learn more about pests & how you can eliminate them in your home, keep reading this article.

Household pests are  Insects or animals that may cause damage to your property. Not only do they damage your property, but they also affect your health as well. They will, for example, transmit disease by stinging or chewing. Others have the ability to spread disease-causing bacteria in your home.

It will be very simple to deal with pests once you understand their origin & what causes them. You can handle them yourself or you can hire professionals like the team at Bama Exterminators that are highly trained professional pest control experts.

There are some things you can do to keep pests at bay. There are many ways to eradicate pest-attracting conditions both inside and outside your house, which should reduce the possibility of them ever bothering you. 

One smart idea is by sealing up any holes and gaps in your windows and doors. Check your foundation for cracks, loose siding, broken roof shingles, and holes around service lines such as pipes, electric wires, and cable wiring. All holes must be filled with copper wire, coarse steel wool, sheet metal, or mortar. Since many pests can chew through expanding caulk, it is not recommended for usage.

As previously mentioned, cleaning up the kitchen is important. Check that all of your food is properly stored in appropriate containers and that it is free of crumbs. Properly dispose of your litter & trash, rinse recyclables, and if possible store the bin outside rather than in your garage or home.

Last but not least, keep the humidity as low as possible. Certain pests, such as silverfish and house centipedes, prefer damp environments. Use a dehumidifier if possible. Also, use the right light bulbs in your home. Bulbs that have pink, yellow, or orange tints will be least attractive to the insects. Make sure that there is good lighting in your home so that you can get rid of all the bugs hidden in dark corners.

Termites are the most destructive to homes & businesses in the United States. Just to give you a better idea, they cause $5 billion in damage per year!

This is not surprising given that they live off of wood. As you can expect, this can easily become a serious issue. Ignoring termites is not an option because without the proper termite treatment things will only get worse.

In general, hiring a licensed exterminator is the easiest way to get rid of termites. They know the best approach & treatment for pests. They will also be able to get rid of them for you so you don’t have to deal with property loss in the future.

Flies will enter your home through windows, doors, and other gaps. They can also reproduce in rotting food, trash, and manure.

Since they mature in a matter of days, you may have a serious fly infestation in no time at all.

It can spread a variety of diseases to humans, including those associated with food poisonings, such as Salmonella or E. coli. Other diseases transmitted by flies include typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, and rotavirus.

Ants are among the most common pests in homes. They are social animals that often live in colonies of thousands of members. Carpenter ants, argentine ants, black house ants, and garden ants are among the most common species. 

Garden or black house ants aren’t known to bring pathogens, but you never know where they’ve been foraging outdoors, so you don’t want them marching through your food cupboards. Ants are drawn to sweet scents & will eat almost everything from meats to fats. Ants will travel a wide range in search of food, following trails they have built and congregating around food sources, becoming a nuisance in homes, and businesses. Because of this, it is important to clean up any food spills or messes as soon as possible.

Rats and other rodents will invade your home without your knowledge. They can penetrate through holes and cracks in floors, walls, and foundations.

They’re not only vectors for many diseases (such as leptospirosis, murine typhus, trichinosis, and salmonellosis), but they can also cause harm to your property.

They will, for example, chew on your walls, floors, and insulation. In certain situations, they can also cause fires by chewing on your electrical wires.

Mosquito season peaks in the summer but they can be found year-round. These blood-sucking insects feed on all mammals, including humans. They like warm, humid weather and for this reason, are often found near still water. While most don’t carry diseases, they are capable of transmitting diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, the Zika virus, and the West Nile virus.

Given their size, they can easily make it into your home through cracks, screen tears, and holes. The best way to prevent them from entering is by installing a mesh screen. Mosquitoes are tiny, but statistics show that they are the most lethal creature on the planet.

Cockroaches have been on the planet for millions of years. Experts believe they are between 350 and 400 million years old. These hardy creatures prefer dim, damp environments such as behind sinks, stoves, and refrigerators. 

Cockroaches are very resourceful insects that can live, eat, and breed in your home without you even knowing it. They can also be found inside furniture and under floor drains. If you see one, there are probably more nearby.

Like rodents, they can transmit a variety of diseases such as dysentery, leprosy, and cholera. Not only that, but they are also capable of causing foodborne illnesses.

Except for Antarctica, bed bugs can be found all over the world. They tend to cover themselves in crevices, holes, bedding, and mattresses.

Bed bugs are small brownish insects that feed solely on blood. They are mostly active during the night, and they tend to hide in places where they feed. They prefer to live around beds, sofas, and other sleeping and resting areas at first, but if infestations are allowed to continue, they can spread elsewhere, making removal more difficult. Their bites usually lead to itchy, red spots. In general, bites will occur on exposed areas such as the neck, ears, hands, and shoulders.

House mice are not only a nuisance, but they can also pose severe health and property hazards. Because of their small size, they can quickly pass through even the tiniest of holes or cracks.

Like rats, they can transmit diseases such as salmonellosis, hantavirus, and rat-bite fever. They are well-known for their destructive eating habits and can also cause electrical fire by chewing cables & wires. They reproduce quickly and can give birth to half a dozen offspring every 3 weeks.

Hopefully, we were able to help you better understand what pests are & now it will be easy for you to deal with them. Before you even consider dealing with these invading pests on your own, call Local Exterminator for a free, no-obligation quote to find out how our team of pest control experts can help.