Every year, people spend thousands of dollars eliminating pest infestations in their homes. Before they move into a new house, people often get their homes pests sprayed so that they don’t have to move in where another family is living. We’re not talking about human families here, but cockroaches, spiders, rats, mice: you name it, it can live in that house.
Most homeowners don’t actually realize that they have a pest problem until it’s far too late.And the damage has been done. Termites, for example, are a pest problem that can put some serious damage into the foundations of a house and cause it to be condemned. You can learn how to get rid of bed bugs and how to spot cockroaches. But knowing the signs that your house has pests in the 1st place is where you begin. If you’ve been worried about pests in your home, then we’ve put together a list of 10 signs that your house is dealing with a pest problem.
1. You’ve Noticed a Buildup of Grime
Of course, grime can happen at any time without needing to be a pest problem, but there are specific signs to look for when it comes to a pest infestation. When you’re dealing with a pest infestation, you’ll often notice a buildup of dirt or grime streaking your walls. It looks greasy, like smudges of dirt. This usually occurs when a rodent’s body rubs up against your walls and furniture because they are also rubbing up against pipe work and electricals. You might notice crumbs being left on the floor, or even hair or droppings left behind as well.
2. You’ll See Droppings
Speaking of droppings being left behind, one of the most common issues that people notice when they’re dealing with pests is a collection of pest droppings around their home. Often this can look like specks of black rice, especially for rat or mouse infestations. You should be able to tell what kind of pest you are dealing with based on the shape, the size and even the colour of the droppings. Rodent droppings, for example, are like rice, as we said, but insect droppings are much smaller.
3. There’s a Smell Out There
Some pest infestations are recognised by strange smells. Whether it’s rotting or stale food, or if you’re smelling odors like urine and droppings, you will notice an unpleasant scent. It’s a common issue because pests tend to carry food and leave pieces of it behind. You’ll likely find rotting bits of food in areas where pests tend to congregate.
4. There is Damage
Sometimes if you have a rat infestation, you’ll notice chewed skirting boards or damage to the fabric items in your home. Holes and scratch marks in your upholstery or in your fabric furnishings can indicate pests that are digging to find some fluff or fabric to build nests. There’s a good chance that you have insects or rats or even other pests that are causing irreparable damage to your belongings if you notice these holes or stains on your clothing or your furniture.
5. You’ve Found Gnaw Marks
Some pests will bite areas of your home, such as floors, walls or edges of the window sills. If you’ve located damage to fabric in your home, you may notice the marks from chewing or gnawing. These can leave small piles of wood everywhere and flakes of paint. You may even find bite marks in cardboard boxes, electrical wires, or in any storage or pantry areas. This is very common if you are dealing with a rat or a mouse infestation, so you have to be aware of what to look for. These are pests that love to chew on things and push themselves into those areas afterwards.
6. Body Parts Are Being Left Behind
This sounds gross, and it is, but did you know that an insect infestation can easily be seen by the presence of discarded skin, wings and even limbs in your window sills or other areas of the home? You shouldn’t just sweep them up and hope that they never come back, but you need to take the issue seriously and call in the pest control companies. They’ll be able to come in and do a sweep and a spray to make sure that you’re not having to deal with anymore Roach legs or fly wings anymore.
7. Your Plants Are Bearing the Brunt
Pests don’t just cause damage to the inside of the home, but to the outside as well. For example, you may notice damage and bite marks to your plants or flowers. If your grass has been uneven or it’s full of brown patches, pests could also be contributing to the issue there too. Rats, skunks, Badgers, raccoons and other burrowing animals may also leave trails behind in the grass, too.
8. You Spot Nesting
Rodents will often build up nests in areas of the house where they’ve taken up residence. Nests can be tucked away in places like crawl spaces, the basement, and attics, but you’ll also find them in crevices, in the walls, and even in broken parts of the skirting that they’ve managed to chew away.
9. Scratch, Scratch, Scratch
You can see scratches, but you’ll also be able to hear them if you have pests in your home. If you’re hearing strange noises and movement along the walls, then you’re soon going to notice when you hear the pests scratching to get out of the walls too. You might hear scuttling, whining or squeaking, especially if you have mice, and you’ll hear these noises coming from up above or down below. You’ll hear scuttling as your pests move in the open spaces in the walls, so make sure that you have a pest company who can look at those spaces closely and ensure that they are able to clear the way.
10. Things Are Moving Around
If you have larger pests like rats, you may notice that some objects along shelving in your home or in your pantry looks like it’s been moved around. This makes sense because they would be knocking these things out of the way as they maneuver around your home.
