5 Most Common Types Of Household Pests In The United States
Household pests can be a problem in every home; every neighborhood; every city, and every country. Insects and pests in one form or another have been around since before the beginning of mankind, and show no sign of leaving the planet anytime soon. Household pests come in all different sizes, shapes, and species. Here’s a look at five of the most common pests we encounter here in the United States:
Ants
Some ants are so small you can barely see them. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Here are some species of ants in the United States: pharaoh’s ants, pavement ants, ghost ants, garden ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, bull or bulldog ants, black house ants, and Argentine ants. While some are destructive, they are all creepy, crawly nuisances. Covering up food when not in use, whipping up sticky messes, treating apparently nesting areas outside, and ceiling obvious entry points can help control and save your home.
Bed Bugs
This is a pest problem that has come to light more and more lately, and can present an infestation problem in not just low-income areas or establishments that have seemingly countless visitors on a regular basis, but in high-end stores, luxury resorts hotels, well-known gyms, and ritzy homes. Bed bugs ride around town on clothing, in luggage, in purses – and when they can’t ride, they crawl. Their bites look similar to mosquito bites but they leave behind telltale signs on furniture, draperies, rugs, bed linen, and mattresses that let you know they’re bunking with you.
Mosquitoes
One would think that a creature that can carry and spread diseases like the Zika virus, malaria, and the West Nile virus should have been eradicated from the face of the earth. As pleasing as that would be to some of us, mosquitoes do have their own little place in the whole ecosystem being the main food source for some larger species. That doesn’t mean they have a place in and around our homes, however. At least partial control is available through insect repellents and insecticides, cutting back tall grassy areas, eliminating standing water, and wearing the right kind of clothing when you’re outside to avoid bites. This is another species that has somehow lasted millions of years.
Rodents
In the minds of many, rats are worse than mice but in the minds of others, a rodent is a rodent. No one wants either one of them in their house. Rats can devastate a home. They can undermine retaining walls and hillsides by burrowing through them. They chew cables carrying electricity which can cause a fire. They chew through walls and floor joists and damage the insulation in your home. Mice have equally destructive habits through feeding and nesting and are known, like rats, to spread disease. Some are so small that they can slip through almost unperceivable cracks and crevices.
Cockroaches
Just the name invokes shivers, the hair standing up on the back of your neck, goosebumps… you name it. These are some of God’s most disgusting, vile, and despised creatures. And for good reason. They have been around since the beginning of time and will be here long after humans are gone. That doesn’t mean, however, that they have to take up residence in your house! Would you believe that researchers have determined that certain cockroaches have actually developed personalities? It’s what may help some adapt to change and survive more than others. Worst of all, cockroaches bring disease: allergies, viruses, fungus, roundworm, tapeworms, dysentery, and food poisoning can all be attributed to cockroaches.
Ridding your home of these pesky creatures will likely mean killing some in the process. That’s too bad, but it is unavoidable in many cases. Few of us feel bad about it, truth be told. There are safe ways to get rid of insects and other pests in the home. Green methods of pest control are already in existence and new eco-friendly methods are springing up every day. Talk to us if you are having trouble with pests, and can’t seem to find the remedy you are looking.
