Bug infestations can occur in any house, regardless of age or condition. They can cause various problems for homeowners and pose health risks to the household. For these reasons, homeowners like you must know how to do pest control to prevent and manage these infestations.
The US pest control market is booming and is expected to reach a revenue of 17.4 billion USD in 2023. This data suggests a high demand for pest control services among households facing bug infestations.
Household bug infestations can be challenging to manage. If you’re a homeowner dealing with pests, keep reading to learn about the common bugs in your house and how to get rid of them.
Key Takeaways
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Common Bugs in Your House
The most common house bugs are usually harmless. They don’t necessarily affect you and your home’s structure, but you wouldn’t want them sticking around. At most, DIY pest control treatments can suffice. Still, harmful bug infestations can happen.
Here are the common types of bugs you may encounter in your home:
Ants
Ants can be seen in most houses, crawling from tiny cracks and openings. Some ant species include carpenter ants that can damage wooden structures. Generally, ants are attracted to sweet smells, typically produced by food sources.
Flies
Flies could be around the household when you hear buzzing sounds. Beware because they can carry disease-causing pathogens and leave bacteria on surfaces they touch. Some fly types include fruit flies, gnats, houseflies, and drain flies.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are blood-sucking insects that can give you itchy bites and transmit diseases to humans and animals. There are many mosquito types, making it difficult to determine them, so you should take precautions when bitten.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are characterized by their black or brown oval-shaped flat bodies and long antennae. If you see one, there may be more hiding somewhere because they can reproduce quickly. The common ones you may see are German cockroaches. They are also called roaches.
Spiders
Spiders are part of the arthropod family called arachnids. For some, they are creepy crawlies and unsettling to see because of their eyes and pairs of legs. Most are harmless and serve a significant purpose: eating harmful insect pests. You’ll know you have spiders around through cobwebs.
Termites
Termites, called “silent destroyers,” are frightening household bugs for homeowners. They feed on wood and come in two types: workers and swarmers. The former are creamy-colored, typically seen when the wood damage is open, while the latter are black or brown with wings. The swarmers become wingless shortly after emergence. Both types infest in large numbers.
Bed bugs
Bed bugs are tiny, flat, reddish-brown parasitic insects that feed on your blood during sleep. Their bites are itchy and can cause excessive scratching, which results in secondary skin irritation or infection.
Fleas
Fleas are often mistaken for bed bugs because of their similar looks. However, unlike bed bugs, fleas are smaller with oval-shaped bodies. Their ability to carry diseases such as flea-borne typhus and tapeworm infections sets them apart.
Aside from these, other critters that may infest your home are mites, centipedes, silverfish, stink bugs, house crickets, weevils, earwigs, wasps, millipedes, pillbugs, and yellow jackets.
Signs of Household Bug Infestation
You may see more bugs than usual in your home, but you can’t tell if there’s an infestation already. It can be noticeable in different circumstances. To help you identify them, here are the household bug infestation signs to watch out for.
Too many bites
Bug bites from outdoors can naturally happen, but if you wake up with bites or get them indoors, there could be an infestation in your house.
Waking up with bites is likely caused by bed bugs. If so, inspect your bed, couches, chairs, and other furniture with soft surfaces.
Live and dead bug sightings
Seeing more live insects than usual is an apparent sign of bug infestation. This infestation may be significant when you see them frequently. At the same time, it becomes alarming when you spot different bug types roaming around the house. Constant dead bug sightings can also indicate the same.
With more live bugs, you may also find eggs and larvae lying around dark and damp areas. Noticing them in areas uncommon for insects to thrive could mean a worrying infestation already exists.
Structural damage
If your home has an ant or termite infestation, its structure can be compromised. Wood is among the main features of your house, and carpenter ants and termites feed on it. When left unattended, these bugs can cause significant damage to your house’s structural foundation. You can tell these infestations are present when you notice sawdust around wooden furniture and baseboards.
Droppings
Droppings are insects’ tiny fecal matter that can be black, brown, round, or oval-shaped pellets. When there’s an infestation, you can find them on countertops, closets, wall crevices, baseboards, and hidden corners of your home. They also differ for every insect, which helps determine what type potentially has been growing in your house.
Causes of Household Bug Infestation
Bug infestations don’t happen without underlying causes. Here are the potential reasons for your household bug infestation:
Dirty surroundings and food waste
Bug infestations usually happen because of dirty surroundings; dirt and clutter can attract bugs seeking shelter. Food waste from leftovers, kitchens, and trash cans may also be their perfect hiding place. These become places for them to lay eggs and reproduce more.
Seasonal changes
Seasonal changes affect insects as much as they do humans. During cold seasons, some will find suitable shelter to hibernate, save energy, and avoid harsh conditions, while others may seek warmer climates. You can mostly expect a heightened household bug presence during winter.
Hidden corners
Your house often has hidden corners and crevices that are easy to miss. These areas can be the bugs’ entry points, allowing them to create colonies that will infest your home.
Pest Prevention and Control Tips for Bugs in Your House
Fortunately, you can prevent household bug infestations through pest control methods. If you need to familiarize yourself with where to start, this section will guide you on what to do.
Identify the pest type
First, you must identify what bugs are infiltrating if you think your house is already infested. Pest identification is necessary because different bugs require different treatments. Proper identification can make it easier for you to determine the appropriate methods. At the same time, the treatments will be more effective.
You shouldn’t keep this step to prevent unnecessary harm to your loved ones and the environment.
You can identify pests using identification tools and sheets from legitimate online sources. If you don’t have the time or need assistance, contact a professional pest control company.
Keep your house clean
Keeping your house clean is a significant step in preventing and controlling bug infestations. Although cleanliness doesn’t entirely prevent them from happening, you at least have clean, safe, and healthy surroundings that will not attract bugs, minimizing the likelihood of infestations.
Here’s how to deep clean your home:
- Sweep, vacuum, and mop the floors – Tons of dirt and debris are caught by the floors daily. Ensure to sweep, vacuum, and mop them so insects don’t have enticing organic materials to swarm over.
- Clean everything in the kitchen – Don’t leave your food containers, countertops, and sink with food waste. Wash the containers, wipe the counters, and clean the sink afterward. If you have pets, use sealed containers for pet food. Clean your kitchen appliances, too.
- Wash the trash bins – Even with garbage bags, trash residue can still build up inside the bins. This sticky residue is what bugs are attracted to. Dedicate cleaning time for these bins so the bugs won’t consider them their homes.
- Dust around – Areas you don’t usually clean, such as corners and windows, accumulate dust and debris over time. Dust and clean them regularly, depending on how quickly the dirt builds up.
- Don’t forget the basement and attic – Attics and basements are storage areas you can easily neglect. Check them occasionally, remove unnecessary things, and thoroughly clean the area.
- Take care of the outdoors – The outdoors is where insects usually start infesting your house. You should mow and rake grass growths and remove piles of leaves and wood to keep the pests away.
- Indoor plant maintenance – If you have houseplants, regularly maintain them to prevent pest infestations.
- Unclog the gutters – Dirt build-ups in the gutters can be home for bugs. Clean them to keep the pests away, protect the roof, and ensure smooth water flow.
Seal the gaps and fix the leaks
The gaps in your home can come from windows and doors, as well as wall cracks, holes, and crevices. You should seal them with weather stripping (for windows and doors) and rubber caulk, acrylic, or silicone sealants (for cracks and holes). Sealing them is necessary to block entry points the bugs may use.
Fixing any leak from the plumbing system also helps prevent water accumulation since excess moisture can entice bugs. Caulking is ideal for these leaks to create water-tight seals. Moreover, indoor humidity levels could rise when water leaks occur, so using dehumidifiers helps.
It’s vital to know that sealants can wear off and break over time. You should regularly check and replace when needed.
Use bug traps
Bug traps are mainly used to control and eliminate pests surrounding your home. You can include them in your DIY pest control to prevent infestations and monitor the current indoor pest population. Some bug traps include light traps, bait traps, and live traps.
Non-chemical bug traps can be the ideal alternatives for insecticides. Unlike insecticides, you can put bug traps in areas unsafe for chemical treatments, such as kitchens, food storage, and places children and pets frequent.
Try pesticides
Sometimes, bug traps and natural pest control methods can only do so much. With this, you can try pesticides.
You must use pesticides safely and appropriately. Since their formulation includes toxic and harmful chemicals, you should apply them in targeted areas only, not the whole house.
Here are the following precautions when using insecticides:
- Keep your children and pets away when applying pesticides. Additionally, store them in unreachable areas.
- Read the safety warnings and follow the instructions written.
- As much as possible, don’t use pesticides that require mixing. If using one, ensure to dilute the product in a well-ventilated area.
- Only use pesticides safe for home. You can see these details in the safety precautions.
- Don’t use outdoor pesticides. Their chemicals are only meant for outdoor use and can be dangerous indoors.
- Use personal protective equipment to cover your body from pesticides. This protection can prevent exposure, ingestion, inhalation, and absorption of the chemical content.
- Dispose of pesticides appropriately. The instructions written will provide you with the proper disposal steps.
- Never use empty insecticide containers as storage. Even if you wash them, chemical remnants can remain.
Get professional help
Manual pest control can be overwhelming and time-consuming. You may need help to keep up with everything you need to do for regular pest control maintenance. For these reasons, hiring professional pest exterminators is an option.
Exterminators can be contacted through pest control companies. They have the expertise to identify the bugs in your house and provide treatments based on the root cause. They also use safe and appropriate methods to prevent and control pests effectively.
Many pest control companies are available, so you should look for one that is licensed and certified. This is to guarantee that the exterminators performing pest control treatments are legitimately knowledgeable, especially with the chemicals used. If you’re looking for eco-friendly ways, ask these companies if they use environment-friendly pest treatments.
Hiring a professional pest control company can also be cost-effective. Instead of paying for different pest control materials, you can get an all-in-one treatment package from them.
Pro Tip
When using pesticides, pesticide spills can happen. Prepare paper towels, garbage bags, sawdust or kitty litter, and non-absorbent gloves to prevent it from spreading. Don’t use too much water as it may further distribute the spill, harming the environment.
Prevent Bug Infestations for a Pest-Free Home
Bug presence in your house can be irritating. When infestations happen, your quality of life can be affected. By learning how to do proper pest control, you can better address the infestations’ root causes.
You can navigate the pest control process easier with the help of Pest Guide. We provide information to help you get the services of effective pest exterminators, ensuring long-term results to protect you and your house.
Get an efficient pest control service from Pest Guide. Visit our website and learn how we can help prevent and control your household bugs today.
FAQS on Household Pest Control
Frequently Asked Questions
Pest control treatments can take days to weeks to show results. However, it generally depends on the infestation type and its seriousness.
Pest control often includes harsh chemicals that can harm children, pets, and the environment, especially when you DIY. Don’t worry because professional pest control services can offer safer and eco-friendly alternatives. They also know the proper use of chemicals to prevent any harm from happening.
Pest control treatments typically last around 90 days. Outdoor applications can be reduced to 60 depending on factors like heavy rains. Meanwhile, insecticides for flying insects can last for 30 days. Generally, these treatments are better reapplied every 90 days.