Pest infestation at home – Early warning signs

27 Sep, 2020

Pest infestation at home – Early warning signs

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Many homeowners experience a pest infestation of some sort or another at some time during their home ownership.  A fear of this kind of worry at home can be mitigated by keeping an eye on the darker corners of your home.

Early Signs of Pest Infestation You Should Be Aware Of

pest infestation
Look for signs of food attached by rodents

 

Dealing with pest infestations can be problematic, especially if pests have taken over the house and dealt with irreparable damage to your property. These are times when it’s just too late for you to be physically able to get rid of them. That’s why you’ll have to call in the experts to do the work for you.  If you have a pet, it is best to safeguard your pet during a pest control treatment.

To avoid reaching this point in the first place, early intervention would be the key to do that, but to achieve this, you will have to know the common early signs of infestation. 

So, read this following guide to know more about these signs.

Odors

One of the early signs that you probably have a pest infestation is odors. Usually, infested areas would reek of unpleasant smells. Foul smells, which also indicate a bed bug infestation, are indicators that there’s a possibility of an infestation in the area. Usually, pests will drag the food into their hiding place (under cabinets, into a crack in the wall) and it is around this time that these areas will start to give off rot-like odors.

Pests can also die on floors or in the walls, which will give off a terrible stench. If you suspect that there is a pest infestation somewhere around the office or in your house, make sure to take a good look (or sniff) around these areas.

Pest droppings

One of the easiest ways to determine whether or not you have pest infestation is by looking for droppings. If you don’t already know how to identify pest droppings, the pest control gurus at Pest Solutions say that you should look for cone- or circular-shaped droppings, which usually indicate that you have a rat infestation.

Rats will also leave droppings like nails, grease, fur, or garbage. Because these droppings cannot go unnoticed, you will be able to immediately identify them. Insect droppings, on the other hand, are harder to find, so you’ll need to carefully search the potentially infested area. Insects will shed off their exoskeleton and you might also find them lying around dead. flying insects might drop off their wings, while rodents will leave small bites of food lying out in the infested area.

This is extremely worrying if you are running a food business for example, so it would be best to get commercial pest control services called in right away.

Nest Evidence

Pests, particularly rodents, will make nests out of any place they inhabit. For that reason, if you suspect that there might be rodents infesting your workplace or house, you must look for evidence of nesting as well as droppings. Usually, rodents will use anything to make their nests, like leaves, shredded paper, grass clippings, etc. and you’ll often find these nests in abandoned locations or places that are rarely visited by humans. That’s why it could be tricky to find them. Usually, you will find nests beneath the flooring or between the walls, so make sure that you inspect such locations thoroughly.

Spiders also become a pest in specific locations. House spiders in Florida in particular can cause problems and groups can be found via their nests.

Structural Damage

If you notice signs of structural damage, such as gnaw marks, holes, or damaged furniture, then you might have a pest infestation. You can tell that you have a rat infestation if you notice gnaw or scratch marks on furniture. Damaged wiring is definitely a sign that you have a rat infestation. On the other hand, if your wooden furniture and outdoor decks are damaged, then you have a case of termite infestation. In any case, unexplainable damage to your property means that you have a pest issue, so you’ll need to contact a professional immediately before any more damage is dealt with your property.

Damaged Plants

Some types of insects love to gnaw at grass blades or plants in your garden. This means that they might damage patches of your lawn, making them brown, dead, or uneven. Usually, garden and lawn infestations are caused by moles, crickets, grubs, beetles, or flies. In such cases, growing your plants will be a difficult task, as you will find that your gardening efforts are for naught all because of an unseen infestation. Therefore, it is crucial that you hire professional help, which will examine these signs to determine what type of pest is infesting your garden and deal with it immediately.

Smudges

Due to their poor eyesight, pests can leave a trail in their wake as they make their way through your house. Since rodents walk around in dirty and greasy places, they’ll drag these contaminants along their bodies and on your floors. Insects have smaller bodies, so they don’t leave any noticeable smudges on surfaces. Moths and flees, however, will leave holes through fabrics and clothes they chew on. So, you can tell by these signs that you have an infestation.

Damaged Pipes or Wires

As we mentioned before, rodents love to chew on anything in their way. This includes chewing on wires and damaging them permanently. If you notice that your wires have been getting damaged constantly recently, then that’s a red flag. Be careful, though, as mice tend to chew on electrical wiring down to the active current wires, which can be hazardous to anyone nearby.

Mice also like to chew on gas lines or any piping, so make sure that you check up on these regularly to know whether or not the culprit is a rodent.

Holes or Gnaw Marks

Rats gnaw their food

If you start noticing small holes in the floors and the walls or around your property, then this is a definitive indicator that you have a pest infestation in your house. Burrows are also a bad sign. So if you start noticing these around your garbage or in areas covered in weed, you definitely need professional help to get rid of the infestation. visible holes in wooden furniture or sagging floors indicate a termite infestation, which needs to be effectively eliminated before dealing any more damage to your property. You can also tell that you have a termite infestation by finding shed wings of termites or fecal pellets.

Sometimes, it is difficult to tell if you have a pest infestation until it’s too late. If you’re not sure, but also don’t want to call pest control service over nothing, make sure to take all the necessary precautions of preventing infestations, like storing food away from walls and maintaining sanitation at all times.

 

FURTHER READING ON PETS AND PET SITTING

Pest problem? Top tips and solutions

Does having pets invite pests into your home

Found baby wildlife on your property – Here’s what to do

Prepare your home for the petsitters

What to look for in an ideal petsitter

Shedding pets – Top tips for cleaning up at home


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LamiaW

LamiaW

Founder and Director of HouseSitMatch - I'm a hands-on Admin on the site. Please ask any questions and as soon as I can I'll happily answer and assist where I can.

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