7 Pest Infestation Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore
Not all insects are harmful, and even a few that are can be tolerated in small quantities. But when your home goes from hosting a few unwanted guests to a total pest infestation, it’s time to call an exterminator.
Here are seven signs your house has (or is on the verge of having) a pest infestation. Use these as your cues to call a pest control and extermination company. And if you see multiple signs, that’s an indication to call right away for emergency extermination services.
We’ll also explain some of the latest innovations in pest control technology that you can use or request to rid your home of creepy-crawly critters.
1. Tapping At Your Chamber Door
If you hear tapping inside your walls (only this and nothing more), it could be a sign of a termite infestation. The noise you hear is the gentle rapping of the termites’ heads as they munch up and down on your wood-based surfaces. Though they may be tiny, weak, and weary, termites in a group are a powerful force and can cause real structural damage to a home. So while you might not see them, listen for their tapping, and make sure to call an exterminator quickly so those termites are nevermore.
2. Ladybugs Moved In
Ladybugs have a reputation as genteel creatures, but don’t let their cheerful colors fool you, these are hardcore predators. In the garden, ladybugs feed on aphids that mess with your plants, so it’s good to see them there. But if you see ladybugs in the house, that means an infestation of scale insects, mites, or whiteflies have invaded. If you spot a ladybug indoors, let it be or help it find its way outside, but definitely call an exterminator for a pest inspection.
3. Something’s Fishy
Termites shed wings resembling fish scales in a pile wherever their swarm last reproduced or nested. Finding termite wings doesn’t mean the pests themselves are still around — they could have gone next door to eat the neighbor’s house — but that’s a risk you don’t want to take. Have a termite exterminator perform an inspection, as they will look for pests where you’d least expect to find them.
4. Seeing Web Slingers
Spiders look intimidating with their eight long legs, and some are poisonous. But spiders also eat other insects and help control the pest population. If you can stand the sight of spiders, they’re usually best left alone. That said, you should take their presence to mean your house has other insects, so it's a good idea to have an exterminator do a home inspection. Rather than killing nonpoisonous spiders, relocate them outside near external doors to help reduce the chances of other pests entering.
5. Exterior Walls Are Muddy
If you find tubes of mud on the exterior walls of your home, it could indicate a colony of termites. Termites construct mud tunnels so they can travel freely and are protected from weather or predators. But one predator they aren’t protected from are pest control professionals. Using top-shelf termiticides, such as Termidor® and Premise, termite exterminators remove drywood, subterranean, and Formosan termites without any risks to your family or property.
6. Ant Hills Nearby
Spotting ants in the vicinity of your home isn’t a cause for alarm. It’s actually normal to find a few ants shuffling across your sidewalk or porch, or even crawling through the kitchen pantry. If you’re too humane to kill them in hand-to-hand combat, try using ant baits, which are pesticides that kill the ants out of sight, so your conscious remains clear. Finding an ant hill is a different story, however. An ant hill is the entry point to an ant colony, which is a polite word for an ant infestation. Once an ant horde gets inside your property line, it’s time to sound the battle alarms and call in reinforcements, i.e., exterminators. Using the latest pest control products, including ant traps and eco-friendly pesticides, exterminators will remove the entire ant colony in one fell swoop.
7. Bedding Is Dirty
For the non-exterminator, memorizing lists of pests or identifying pest droppings doesn’t sound like a fun hobby. That said, bed bug droppings are something everyone should know how to spot. Bed bugs spread quickly and can travel in vacation luggage, meaning your last hotel visit could be the source of your home’s next pest infestation. If you find small spots that are brown, black, or red on your linens, that could be fecal matter or blood from bed bugs. To avoid them spreading to other rooms, call a bed bug exterminator right away. Using thermal remediation, pest exterminators eliminate bed bugs without the need for dangerous chemicals.
These seven signs are just the beginning. If you see, hear, or smell other indications of a pest infestation, don’t hesitate to contact Champion Termite & Pest Control. We offer pest control and extermination services in St. Augustine and surrounding areas in Florida.
