Are you noticing more creepy crawlers around your home than usual? Have you found live or dead bugs, eggs, or droppings scattered throughout your home? And most of all, when does it make sense to sound the alarm and call an exterminator?
Understanding when to summon pest control companies is crucial in keeping your home safe and comfortable. Witnessing unusual pet behavior or increased pest activity in your area? These are clear flags that call for our expertise. Let us bring the peace of mind you deserve—ensuring not just elimination, but prevention—for a pest-free home.
1. Unusual Sounds Coming From Your Walls
When the house settles into silence, that’s when you might hear them – the subtle, yet telltale signs that unwanted guests could be sharing your space. Here’s what to listen for:
- Scratching, Gnawing, or Scurrying: These sounds can be more than just unsettling; they can signal that rodents are nearby. Mice and rats are notorious for making such noises as they nest and navigate within the hidden recesses of your home. It’s not just an annoyance; these critters can gnaw through materials, even wiring, which ups the ante to potential electrical fires or structural damage.
- Buzzing and Subtle Noise: You might be hearing a faint buzzing sound coming from your walls or floorboards. This could indicate that you’ve got a termite or cockroach issue. A termite infestation can be a serious problem that will destroy your home slowly, so treat buzzing sounds seriously!
- Woodpeckers Targeting Your Home: If woodpeckers have taken a liking to your house, that could indicate that they’re looking for bugs to eat that are hiding in your home. Woodpeckers love termites, so they are an excellent warning sign.
2. Finding Property Damage
Pests can be a serious hazard to your property if you aren’t paying close attention. If you’re spotting the following damages, it’s a clear signal to contact pest control companies:
- Structural Integrity Issues:
- Rodents like mice and rats are infamous for their destructive nature. They can chew through roof materials, causing leaks and weakening the structure of your home. This can lead to water damage, which in turn breeds mold and mildew.
- Termites are silent destroyers, causing extensive damage to the wooden structures of your home. They can eat away at beams and joists, compromising the safety of your house. Their peak activity is during spring and summer, and swarming termites are a telltale sign of an infestation.
- Carpenter ants and bees are also culprits of wood damage. They excavate wood to create their nests, which can weaken the structural elements of your property.
- Insulation and Wiring:
- Rodents are known to gnaw on insulation and electrical wiring, posing a fire hazard.
- Bees, wasps, and other boreing insects can often make homes in your insulation during the warmer months in the summer. If you hear buzzing in the walls, or are seeing a hole in the home’s exterior with wasps coming out, you might have this problem.
- Issues with Flooring:
- Hardwood floors can get damaged from carpenter ants and termites, especially if they aren’t properly treated or stained. These pests can bore through the wood, necessitating costly floor replacements.
- Foundations, especially lifted wooden foundations, are often at risk of termite and carpenter ant damage. Additionally, excess moisture can weaken foundations, leading to structural issues.
3. Sightings of Pests or Droppings
When you spot pests or their droppings, it’s a solid indication that it’s time to consider when to call pest control. Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
- Rodents:
- Mice: Spotting pellet-shaped droppings, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, is a telltale sign of these critters. Fresh droppings are dark and moist, while older ones appear gray and crumbly.
- Rats: Larger and more distinct, rat droppings are either rectangular or sausage-like in shape, measuring up to 3/4 inch for Norway rats and 1/2 inch for Roof rats.
- Insects
- Cockroaches: Their droppings can be mistaken for black pepper or coffee grounds, depending on the size of the roach.
- Termites: Keep an eye out for frass, termite droppings that look like small, colored pellets or wood-colored grains.
- General Wildlife:
- Squirrels: Their droppings are oblong and may turn white as they age, around 3/8 inches in size.
- Raccoons and Opossums: These can be quite large and dark, resembling dog droppings but with a unique granular texture or tapered, curled shape.
Remember, if you’re finding droppings in your kitchen cabinets or noticing nests in secluded corners, it’s a clear message: do you need pest control? The answer is likely yes. Don’t let these signs go unchecked; reach out to us, your trusted pest control company, to reclaim your peace of mind and a pest-free home.
4. Unexplained Bites or Skin Irritations
Waking up with unexplained bites or skin irritations can be alarming, and it’s often a sign that pests have made their way into your home. Here’s what to watch for:
- Ant Encounters: Ant bites can lead to redness, swelling, and moderate pain. For some of us, these bites might trigger allergic reactions, causing symptoms like sneezing, wheezing, or even dizziness.
- Bed Bug Bites: Look for red welts, often in a line or cluster, accompanied by a burning sensation or itching.
- Flea Bites: These bites are unique – red spots surrounded by halos, typically found on your feet and lower legs. The itchiness is immediate and intense, signaling the need for professional pest intervention.
- Tick Concerns: If you find a tick or a bull’s-eye rash, it’s essential to act quickly. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, making prompt removal and home inspection critical.
- Stinging Pests: Fire ant stings, scorpion stings, and bites from venomous spiders like the black widow or brown recluse require immediate attention. These can cause severe reactions, from painful blisters to serious systemic symptoms like muscle cramps and nausea.
- Scabies and Bed Bugs: Intense itching and skin sores are telltale signs of scabies, while bed bugs leave itchy, red bites typically found after sleeping. Both are clear signs to seek pest control services.
5. Foul Odors
Foul, unfamiliar odors in your home can indicate that there might be a pest problem afoot. Unpleasant smells aren’t just vibe-killers; these odors can be a telltale sign that you’re sharing your space with pests!
- Rodent Droppings: Musty, ammonia-infused odors could indicate that there is rodent droppings somewhere in your home. That, or you need to clean your cat’s litter box. Either way, time to get gloves on and start cleaning.
- Cockroach Clues: These critters emit a musty, trash-like scent, akin to grease. Mix this with streaks on your walls or molted cockroach shells, and it looks like you have an infestation.
- Bed Bug Signals: A sweet, musky odor in your bedroom? That could be bed bugs releasing pheromones, especially if you notice it after waking up.
- Termite Traces: A scent of mildew or mold, similar to decaying wood, can suggest a termite problem. This smell mimics the odor of wet, rotting wood, which is often associated with these destructive pests.
- Other Pungent Pests:
- Stink bugs live up to their name with a skunk-like smell.
- Odorous House Ants release a scent reminiscent of rotten coconut or rancid butter.
- Earwigs often have a disgusting scent, which many people say is similar to the smell of a dead animal. However, a dead rodent in the walls can obviously also cause this, so it’s worth investigating regardless.
Conclusion
Professional pest control can often be costly, but if you have a serious pest issue, it is almost always the most effective and safe way to deal with it quickly. If you don’t have the time or leniency to deal with DIY solutions, or simply don’t have the knowledge, there’s no shame in calling for help!
Our team at Green Magic Pest Control is here to help you keep your Chandler home free from pests year round. Contact us today to get started!
