Do you dread bug season? Are there mysterious noises and curious looking critters around the house that make you shudder with even the slightest thought? Common household pests are something every homeowner should be prepared to handle.

Though it’s true some of these insects can wreak havoc in your home, there are simple steps you can take to both identify them and take measures to prevent them from entering in the first place.

In this article, I’ll explain 10 common household pests and provide some tips on how pest removal service in Epping can help.

10 Common Household Pests

House pests can come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny insects to larger rodents. The most common house pests are:

1. Cockroaches

Cockroaches can be a large nuisance and carry multiple diseases, making it important to take precautions in order to prevent them from entering your home. The most common type of cockroach intruder is the German cockroach, which is brown with leathery wings and long legs.

2. Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are often present in households without being noticed until the appearance of red bites on the skin. Bed bugs live in colonies in the seams and crevices around beds, coming out at night to feed on your blood. These bites can lead to infection which is why it’s important to address the issue quickly and properly.

3. Termites

Termites are destructive pests that can quickly cause significant damage to your property. They are organized in colonies of up to 2 million members, working non-stop to eat through wood, drywall, floors, and door frames. Signs of a potential termite infestation include small holes in wood and the presence of discarded wings.

4. Mice and Rats

Rodents, such as mice and rats, are not only a nuisance but can pose serious health risks to humans. If you come into contact with their urine or feces, you may become sick with hantavirus or rat-bite fever. It is important to recognize the signs of rodent infestation in your home, including droppings, shredded paper, and chewed food packaging.

5. Spiders

Dealing with spiders in your home can be a daunting task. Fortunately, the majority of spiders found in Epping, Melbourne are harmless to people and live alone, so you should only have to deal with them one at a time.

6. Ants

Ants are among the most common household pests and can cause serious damage to your home if left unchecked. While garden or black house ants typically don’t carry disease, they can bring unwanted dirt and germs into your home. Carpenter ants can cause structural damage over time, and fire ants have a painful sting that could be dangerous for some people.

7. Fleas

Fleas are not only a nuisance, but they can also carry diseases and threaten the health of your family and pets.

8. Flies

Flies have the potential to spread diseases such as tuberculosis and typhoid fever. Common adult houseflies have two stripes on the face and four black stripes on the body, while fruit flies have a dull color with bright red or red-brown eyes.

9. Mosquitos

Mosquitoes can be a huge nuisance, both indoors and outdoors. Not only are their bites itchy and annoying, but they can also transmit deadly diseases to humans and pets.

10. Bees or Wasps

Many bees and wasps will wander in through an open door, window, or crack, but it may also be due to a nest just outside your home. Wasp and honeybee species that display aggressive behavior can be distinguished from each other.

While wasps are more likely to sting, honeybees are beneficial for the environment and should be preserved if possible—even if you need to relocate them farther away from your home.

How To Prevent Household Pests

It’s important to be aware of common house pests and their signs in order to prevent infestation or damage. It may be helpful to follow some preventative steps such as:

1. Sealing Entrances

Keeping pests out of your home is an important part of maintaining a safe and healthy environment. To ensure that unwanted pests don’t gain access to your home, it is important to take preventative measures.

Inspect and repair any cracks, gaps, rips, or tears in doors, windows, or screens to prevent pests from entering. Make sure that the screen mesh size has at least 200 holes per square inch for maximum effectiveness.

2. Seal The Cracks

In addition to inspecting your doors and windows for gaps, it is important to check the entire exterior of your home for potential ways that pests could enter. Inspect foundations for cracks, siding for loose areas, roof shingles for missing pieces, and utility lines such as pipes and wiring for gaps.

These openings should be sealed using copper mesh, coarse steel wool, sheet metal, or mortar as they are more durable than expanding caulk, which some pests may be able to chew through. By sealing any entry points with these materials you can help prevent an infestation in your home.

3. Fixing Pipes

Plumbing and pest control are closely linked due to the potential problems that can arise from leaking pipes. Leaking pipes can provide a source of water for pests such as rats, ants, and cockroaches, as well as provide a moist living environment that termites prefer.

It’s important to monitor your pipes for any potential erosion or leakages in order to prevent any pest infestations. Fixing all leaking pipes at home is also essential in ensuring a pest-free environment.

4. Cleaning Regularly

Cleaning your home regularly is the best way to prevent pest infestation. Any fallen food crumbs or spills of sugary drinks can attract pests like cockroaches and ants. To combat pests, it’s important to sweep, mop, and vacuum on a regular basis to ensure your home is kept clean and safe.

5. Maintaining Plants and Mulch

Maintaining the exterior of your home is important in pest prevention. Trim back any tree branches or shrubbery that touch your home to reduce the possibility that pests can use them as a bridge to get onto your property.

Additionally, replace mulch in garden beds with rocks or other less pest-attractive ground covers, as mulch can be a great hiding place for many pests.

6. Food Storage

Storing food in properly sealed containers will help to keep them away, as rodents and other pests have a keen sense of smell. When storing food in the pantry, be sure to use airtight containers or resealable bags, and aim to clean out the pantry on a regular basis to get rid of spoiled food or items you don’t plan to eat. This will decrease the chances of luring any unwanted pantry pests.

7. Dispose of Garbage

Managing your waste is an important part of keeping pests out of your home. Garbage can attract pests such as cockroaches, rats, and flies, so it’s essential to make sure the bin is kept closed and clean.

Investing in a durable trash bin with a lid is key to containing odors and preventing pests from entering the bin in search of food.

8. Clean Drains

It is important to regularly clean and inspect all the drains in your home, including those in the laundry room, kitchen, and basement. This is because they can easily accumulate gunk, debris, and bacteria that can attract pests such as small flies.

To ensure your drains remain clear and healthy, you can make an effective homemade drain cleaner using baking soda and vinegar. When mixed together, this combination generates a foaming action that flushes out any clogs or buildup.

9. Clean Bedding

Regularly washing your bed sheets and pillowcases can help prevent a potential infestation of bed bugs. It is recommended to wash and dry them in the hottest setting (117 – 120 Fahrenheit) in order to kill any bed bugs that may have strayed into the fabric. Taking this precaution will also ensure that your sleeping environment remains clean and free of pests.

10. Use of Light Bulbs

In order to reduce the number of flying insects near your doors and windows, it is important to consider the type of lighting that you use. Standard mercury vapor lights can attract a lot of bugs, so replacing these with high-pressure sodium vapor or halogen lights with pink, yellow, or orange tints will be least attractive to insects.

To further reduce the presence of insects in your home, you may want to re-position any exterior wall lights farther away from your house onto a pole. This will ensure that most of the bugs gather around the pole instead of your house while still providing enough lighting for safety purposes.

11. Mosquito Screens

Mosquito screens can be a great way to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home without depriving it of fresh air. While the initial cost of installation may be costly, there are more affordable approaches to indoor mosquito control.

For instance, you can place indoor traps to catch and eliminate adult mosquitoes. This approach is a less expensive and equally effective way to reduce mosquito populations in your home.

12. Professional Service

Pest removal services in Epping can be an invaluable aid for those dealing with any type of pest infestation. These services offer skilled professionals who are experienced in the elimination of all types of pests, including ants, cockroaches, bed bugs, rodents, and more.

They can provide effective extermination solutions that are tailored to your specific needs and situation. In addition, they can advise you on the best preventative measures to take in order to keep your home pest-free.

FAQs

What is the hardest household pest to get rid of?

Cockroaches are considered to be the hardest household pests to get rid of because they’re resilient, persistent, and reproduce quickly. They can live up to a month without food and two weeks without water, multiply extremely fast, and hide in small cracks or crevices. To eliminate them effectively, you’ll need to find out where they’re coming from and use targeted strategies.

What causes pests in the house?

Pests can enter your house for several reasons, including through open doors, holes and cracks in the walls, windows, and foundation, and gaps around plumbing and electrical openings. Other factors that can attract pests include standing water or moisture, food left out uncovered, pet food left out overnight, and clutter that allows them a place to hide.

What are the harmful pests?

Harmful pests include mice, rats, cockroaches, ants, flies, mosquitoes, fleas, and mites. These pose health risks for humans by spreading diseases such as food poisoning, malaria, and plague. They can also damage property or crops in homes and outdoor gardens.

What are examples of kitchen pests?

Examples of common kitchen pests include mice, rats, cockroaches, ants, flies, and various types of beetles. These creatures prefer areas that have nutritional sources as well as places with access to water. Kitchens are very attractive environments to these pests due to food debris and crumbs left in the cooking area.

What are the most common food pests?

Food businesses may encounter pests such as rodents, insects, and birds. These include rats and mice, cockroaches, beetles, ants, flies, and pigeons.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many common household pests that can be found in Epping, Melbourne. These pests range from harmless to potentially dangerous, but the good news is that with a few simple steps, you can keep them out of your home.

Taking preventive measures like sealing cracks and crevices, maintaining good hygiene practices, and using repellents or insecticides when necessary can all help to stop pests before they even enter your house.