We all have come across a spider hanging overhead in the laundry room or a stink bug clinging to your screen door on a warm day. These are common places to check for pests in and around your home. Before you chastise yourself for not noticing these pests before, understand that they are very good at hiding, often in plain sight.
Here are 5 of the most common places to check for pests inside and outside of your home.
Kitchen and Pantry
Bugs come indoors for a few reasons. They need food, water, and often a dark place to hide. Your kitchen and pantry meet these needs! Indian meal moths, mice, ants, and cockroaches love to venture inside cabinets and drawers, behind appliances, the top of your refrigerator, and sometimes in overhead lighting.
What can I do to check for pests in my kitchen and pantry?
Take a look at the checklist below, and we bet you can find a few of these things that need to be done or updated in your kitchen:
- Sanitize and clean as you go. Wipe up spills, especially sticky spills!
- Clean up dog/pet food bowls. Do not leave spilled food on the floor.
- Check for leaky faucets or pipes under the sink and get them repaired.
- Check food purchased from fresh air markets and the supermarket. It’s fresh. It may just have a bug or two in the bunch tagging along for a ride.
- Store all loose grains, flour, etc., in plastic, sealed containers to prevent future infestation. (Cardboard is too easy for meal moths to penetrate.)
- Check for crumbs or other discarded food near your toaster, under the fridge, or inside your pantry.
- Take out the trash, clean out the garbage disposal, and not leave food-crusted dishes on or in the sink.
- Check your kitchen windows, doors, and other outside access points for cracks or damage, offering a clear entry point.
Outdoor landscaping
Most homeowners and commercial property owners never think to look outdoors for common places to check for pests. It is not a stretch for pests to start in your flower beds, bushes, and trees before they enter your home. Overhanging trees that drape onto your roof are a welcome sight to squirrels and other pests such as carpenter ants, stink bugs, cluster flies, and ladybugs. Tree branches, overgrown bushes, and plants serve as a ladder to these pests and nuisance wildlife. Once on your roof, they have a bird’s eye view and access to your eaves, soffits, windows, and screens.
Your attic
Pests and nuisance wildlife love a warm attic or crawl space. The average homeowner who does not use their attic or crawl space for storage has probably not visited or inspected the area in at least five years. Most people chalk up the sounds above their head when watching TV or falling asleep as ‘critters on the roof.’ They are on the roof until they enter your home through small cracks, broken attic windows, or gaps in the siding or soffits.
- Cluster flies, bees, bats
- Bird, Pigeons, and bats
- raccoons and Opossum
- Squirrels, Flying Squirrels, and Chipmunks
- Mice and Rats
The garage
An open garage door is an invitation to pests and wildlife looking for a warm place to spend the day or night. Pests and wildlife seek harbor in garbage cans, boxes, rags, and drop cloths, even under the hood of your car! Mice crawl in for warmth.
Mice. Deer Mice are prevalent in rural areas and can enter your garage through a hole no larger than a dime. These mice are particularly dangerous because they are carriers of Hantavirus. Mice are happy to be indoors and warm and can make a meal from almost anything in your garage, from food to wiring, and of course, garbage.
Spiders. We know spiders are great because they eat other insects. True, but a spider infestation can leave numerous unsightly webs and dead insects. Keep lighting at a minimum, or use yellow lights in the garage.
Silverfish. These pests are small and quick. They love paper goods such as old books, newspapers and cardboard boxes, cloth and clothing, and food. They are mainly fond of damp and moist areas such as vents or areas of the garage where rain or snowmelt has accumulated and created a wet corner. Silverfish leave behind yellow stains and pepper-like feces.
Squirrels and Racoons. These garage visitors may be caught inside accidentally when the garage door is open and enter searching for food or shelter. A cornered animal can be aggressive and dangerous. Please contact us 24/7 if you have squirrels or raccoons in your garage.
Lurking in the dark
Cleanliness is, well, you know what they say. Most of us clean our homes in places we can see and rarely look underneath the bed, inside furniture cushions, or in the back of a closet. Bedbugs, fleas, ticks, and carpet beetles love to nest in furniture, untouched floor pillows, and throw blankets too. Spiders, drain flies, and fruit flies live in spare bathrooms under-the-sink cabinets and drains. Mice die inside walls and become a food source for other pests. Look beyond what you can see.
Small pest and mice sightings can turn into infestations before you know it. Let’s get things under control for you.
Are you afraid to look under the bed?
No worries, that’s what we do! Contact us for a free estimate or service in:
Albany County, Columbia County, Fulton County, Green County, Montgomery County, Rensselaer County, Saratoga County, Schenectady County, Warren County, Washington County.
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