You don’t want uninvited pests invading your home. Here are some of the most common pests you may find in your home.
1.Ants
Ants are one of the most common insects found in and around homes. Outside they will nest in lawns, outside walls, tree stumps, and under your foundation. Ant will enter your home through tiny cracks searching for water and food. Ants really don’t cause damage or harm to your home with the exception of Carpenter ants. Which create nests in your home’s wooden structure and cause extensive, structural damage through tunneling.
2. Cockroaches
German cockroaches are the most prolific breeder among all cockroaches. Each egg capsule can contain up to 40 eggs and development from egg to adult can occur in as little as 45 days. Like all cockroaches, it is omnivorous and will eat virtually anything people will and many things we won’t. In homes, this pest will first locate itself in bathrooms and the kitchen, as close as possible to food and moisture sources. It spends about 80 percent of its time resting in cracks and voids.
3. Termites
Termites are 1/8- to 3/8-inch in length. They vary in color from shades of white (worker termites) to brown to black (alates or flying termites). Here are the three most common types of termites in our service area:
Subterranean termites: The most common type in the United States, subterranean termites build their colonies underground and rely on soil for moisture. They build worm-like tunnels along foundations and walls, and even through cracks in concrete, so even slab houses are not immune. These tunnels, which can resemble mud-tubes, allow them to hunt for food while protecting themselves from the open air, which can kill them if they’re exposed to it for too long.
Dampwood: The largest of the three types, dampwood termites live in wet, decaying wood. They need regular contact with water and high humidity to survive. Their need for excessive moisture means that they’re not commonly found inside homes and structures, but any wet conditions inside your house — caused by leaks, for example — or any food sources nearby (like damp firewood) can attract them.
Drywood: As their name implies, drywood termites colonize in dry wood or other cellulose sources, such as paper or boxes, above ground. They require neither the soil contact of subterranean termites, nor the wet wood and water of dampwood termites — making them a particular threat to wood-frame attics, dry crawlspaces and other similar areas in your home.
Termites can cost you thousands and be difficult to get rid of, but that’s why Terminix is here to help.
4. Bed Bugs
Don’t let the bed bugs bite! Bed bugs are small, flat, oval-shaped, reddish-brown insects. They can be found in the cracks and crevices of your home, your mattress seams, your sheets, your furniture, your electrical outlet plates, behind your baseboards and even in picture frames. Hard to detect and even harder to kill, they’re an all-too-common problem — and because they can spread quickly throughout your home, they’re not one you should take lightly, or try to combat on your own.
5. Fleas
Fleas are tiny, reddish-brown, wingless insects with shiny bodies covered in microscopic hair. Although they can’t fly, they can jump long distances. They are ectoparasites that feed on the blood of animals like dogs, cats, and people.
6. Silverfish
Silverfish are pearl-gray, shiny and look like a fish in water when they move, which gives them their name. Silverfish feed on fungal molds and organic matter. They can damage natural fabrics, paper and book bindings. Treatment of cracks and voids as well as attic and crawl spaces is necessary to minimize silverfish. This pest, however, is one of the most difficult insects to totally eliminate even for a professional company.