7 Common Household Pests (and How to Deal With Them)

Few people can shirk the embarrassment of uninvited guests. The scurry of a cockroach across the dinner table while you’re entertaining friends is one of the best reminders to schedule an appointment with the exterminator. 

But what services are most effective in keeping common household pests at bay? Here are 7 common household pests to discuss with your exterminator.

  1. Ants

Ants know no fear. They live in such large colonies that their defenses are high even when you’re on your greatest offense. 

If you’re seeing trails of ants into your home, just know these are just the tip of the iceberg. There are likely millions more beneath or adjacent to your home. 

Luckily, most exterminators have easy methods of deterring and killing off invading ants. Expect these pests to be gone within days of having entry points sealed.

Make sure you help the cause by keeping food containers closed since their primary motivation for invading your home is to find food. Ants communicate in part by scent.

They leave a scent along a trail for other ants to follow. Make sure you thoroughly clean any areas where the ants traveled to eliminate the scent. 

  1. Roaches

Another one of the most common household pests is cockroaches. These are harmful to your health and your home. 

Roaches can carry diseases in their feces and urine that are harmful to your health. They travel in search of food during the night.

You might notice a scurry of tiny black dots when you turn on the kitchen light at night. This is a normal pattern for roaches looking to sneak in a meal after you fall asleep at night.

If you’re ever seeing roaches during the day, beware. Like ants, roaches breed ferociously.

There are likely hundreds of roaches in your walls just waiting for the opportunity to invade your food areas. But roaches also look for sources of water.

Don’t be surprised if you find roaches in your shower or around your sink area. They use these areas to both drink and relieve themselves. 

  1. Spiders

Spiders are a gift and a curse. Though many people are naturally afraid of these eight-legged creatures, others realize they’re actually the ultimate exterminators.

It’s completely up to you whether or not you consider spiders pests. They might be helping you control the spread of roaches, flies, and other insects around your home.

The problem with spiders is usually when they become invasive. Spiders are most plentiful during the fall when you might start to see spiders building webs across doorways and along with the trees in your yard.

It’s normal to find a few spiders around your home but they aren’t typically the same variety. If you’re finding many spiders of the same species, it could be a sign of an infestation.

Talk to your exterminator about solutions to reduce the number of spiders in your home. Fewer spiders mean fewer opportunities for bites.

  1. Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are annoying. They get their name from their prevalence around mattresses and under beds.

But bed bugs thrive in any environment where they can hide easily. Bed bugs have been found in department stores, hotel rooms, and movie theaters.

These bugs aren’t known for carrying diseases, but they are treacherous when it comes to bites. Expect itchy rashes and even high amounts of blood loss in some instances. 

It’ll take some time to get rid of bed bugs once they’ve infiltrated your room. Call the exterminator right away if you suspect these creatures are living anywhere in your house. 

  1. Rodents

Mice just want a place to call home. When the weather goes from cool to crisp, you might start to notice these common household pests leaving droppings around your home.

Mice are tough. They can squeeze through the tiniest holes to find food sources. 

They’ve been known to chew through wood, paper, and wiring to get to what they want. This can be dangerous for your home if left unchecked.

The best way to block the entrance of mice is to get any exterior holes or entry points sealed. Keep any grains or crumbs off the floor where mice travel first to get food. 

Seal off food in your pantry including boxed goods, bags, and sugary snacks which can also guard against pantry moths and larvae

  1. Birds

Most people don’t think of birds as pests. But a pest is any animal that becomes destructive in and around your home. Some birds burrow into the exterior siding of your home during mating season.

Woodpeckers are notorious for doing this. To make matters worse, birds are protected by wildlife laws which means you can only deter them from entering but can’t exterminate them.

There are serious fines in some parts of the country for killing birds. Instead, you have to seal up the holes and find repellants that work for a variety of bird species. 

  1. Ladybugs

Many people associate ladybugs with good luck. They are very commonly found around your home as they can enter accidentally as you exit and enter your house.

But if you’re finding dead ladybugs on every window sill of your home, you might have an infestation. Dead insects lying around are unsightly and unsanitary.

Consider ridding your home of an infestation before your surface areas are covered with ladybug corpses. 

Do I Have Common Household Pets in My Home?

Pests are sneaky. It’s not unusual for common household pests to go overlooked for months.

At the first sight of droppings, assume these pests have been in your house camping out for a while. Go ahead and set an appointment with a professional exterminator to help sanitize your home. For more information and tips, visit our blog for updates. 

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