Common Household Pests

Because understanding them is half the battle.

Pests come in different shapes and sizes, ranging from the teeniest ant to the large mouse. They can be found in our house, more or less in the food section or the garbage section. Some of them might also enter your bedroom. The indoors of your home always welcome pests, no matter how well-maintained and clean you keep them. There is a variety of solutions such as sprays, baits, and repellents that are used to keep these pests away; however, one has to be highly cautious about their use. These pesticides are poisonous and can cause health damages if accidentally inhaled ingested, or touches. The excessive use of pesticides can cause hormonal damage, cancer, skin irritation, respiratory damage, and eye infections.

Thus, in this article, we would be introducing you to some of the environmentally-friendly, humane, and healthy techniques to get rid of the typical household bugs. Let’s get started…

Ants

Ants are small and fragile, yet the most common type of pests which are deemed as the most nuisance type of pest as highlighted by the National Pest Management Association. These pests can be found scouting around your floor, furniture base, and windows in a single steady line. There are about 700 types of ants that can be found in the world, which can cause damages that account for more than just food contamination and furniture damage. The common types of house invading ants can be prevented by

1. Avoiding the areas of stagnant water
2. Seal the cracks and openings in your foundation
3. Spray cinnamon and peppermint oil along the entrance as ants dislike scouting around it

Bed Bugs

Bedbugs are found in many other areas besides the bed. They are known to feed themselves on humans because the human body is not protected by furs. They are flat and almost the size of an apple seed. They are red in color. After getting fed on human blood, they mostly double in size and become round. You can take the following precautions to prevent their invasion

1. Always vacuum and clean your suitcases after emptying them
2. Always use clean bed sheets and inspect for blood spots
3. Always inspects the second-hand furniture thoroughly before bringing it home

Hornets, bees, wasps, and yellow-jackets

These are known as a homeowner’s greatest enemy. They are reasonably useful in controlling the other pests; however, they have a severely aggressive nature. They can cause harm to the homeowners, and thus, have a bad reputation because of their aggressiveness. They are black and yellow in color and have a striped design. Once they invade, they are tough to control without using the pesticide. You can take the following steps to prevent them

1. Throwing the garbage far away from your house can be beneficial
2. You should consider sealing the gaps and obtuse entrances of your house
3. If they have invaded your home, you should not wear perfume, floral patterns, and vibrant colors around them. You should also avoid swatting around them.

Beetles

Fun fact, over 350,000 breeds of beetles exist in the world, and 120,000 are only found in the United States. They come in all colors, sizes, and shapes, so it would be best if you would not get attracted to an inset that looks highly adorable from a distance. Ladybugs, dung beetles, June bugs, click beetles, all fall in the same category. Beetles have a fine pair of wings, but they are weak fliers and easy to capture. They are usually considered as weaker pests, so pesticides are not recommended to get rid of them. You can take the following precautions

1. Always inspects the clothes, foods, and wooden items before bringing them home
2. Try to control moisture
3. Beetles are somewhat attracted to lights; thus, you can use shades to prevent their invasion

Cockroaches

It is one of the filthiest types of pests which carries around 33 types of harmful bacteria on it. Cockroaches can host more than seven kinds of human pathogens and worm parasites. They can have adverse effects on younger children, such as asthma and allergy. They are average, 2-inches in length. They are flat, oval-like in shape and reddish-brown in color. You can prevent a cockroach invasion using the following precautionary measures.

1. Seal cracks and gaps in your walls, especially the bathroom walls
2. Keep the kitchen and bathroom floors clean
3. Use weather sealing strips and check them regularly

Earwigs

Earwigs are feared because of a myth that says these pests would enter your ear while you are sound asleep and eat your brain. These pests are not venomous and have fewer than 2000 classes. Their primary target is not the human brain, but the plants. They appear to be dark brown in color, and their size ranges from a quarter to three inches. You can take the following preventive measures to clog their invasion

1. You would need to check your drainages and gutters to ensure their drainage
2. Install outdoor lights away from your yard and ensure irrigation system waters the yards in the morning
3. Secure all the possible entry points

Fleas

Fleas are known to be animals’ worst nightmare; however, if not taken precautions, it can invade humans as well. These live in the fabricated areas such as carpets. They lay eggs in these areas, and after thirty days, these eggs hatch, and the cycle starts all over again. They are very hard to eliminate if they nest a home. Their bodies are thin, flat, and hairy. They are very tiny, about an eighth of an inch and reddish-brown in color. Following are some of the precautionary measures that you can take to prevent their invasion

1. You can give medicines to your pets. Vaccinations can also be done
2. Frequent leaning and thorough vacuuming can also help.
3. If you find your house invaded by pests, it is optimal to contact a pest control professional.

Flies, gnats and mosquitoes

These are the most stubborn and filthiest of all the household pests. No matter how packed you keep your house, different types of flies, gnats, and mosquitoes would still find a way to enter your home. They are considered annoying, but they are not harmful. Little do the homeowners know that these pests carry thousands of germs on them. These are associated with over a hundred pathogens. The commonly known types of flies include fruit flies, houseflies, and drain flies. They are known to cause malaria, food poisoning, cholera, gastric upset, dengue, and similar other diseases. The precautionary measures that one can take to prevent their invasion include:

1. Limit the entry points and screening doors for attack. It is optimal to use fly-trap or exploders.
2. Maintain cleanliness and place garbage cans far away. Keep your dustbins clean. Gnats can be collected by vacuum.
3. Do not leave sweets and sweet food in an open area without covering it. For fruit flies, you need to keep your organic foods covered as well.

House spiders

The term house spiders are an umbrella term for almost all the spider classes that are found indoors such as yellow-sac spiders, tiny house spiders, common cellar spiders, hobo spiders, and likewise. They are known for their creepy appearances and annoying web-wastes. They can blend well in their surroundings. It is always optimal to clean the dust as spiders can cause irritation and skin burns. Following precautionary measures can be taken to prevent their invasion

1. Protect your house entrances using silicone caulk.
2. They can be controlled using vacuum
3. Always use pesticides to tackle a spider if it appears wild.

Millipedes and centipedes

These pests are the least dangerous and do not carry diseases on them. They are mostly squeezed under-foot because of their ugly appearance. Some of the types can spread a foul smell that can cause skin irritation. They are small in size and usually shiny black or brown in color. These pests can be prevented using the following set of precautions

1. Ensure weather-stripping on all of your entrances
2. All the entrances should be adequately sealed or closed, especially during the nighttime
3. Check all the boxes before taking them inside your house

Mites, termites, and eremites

Mites and eremites are the top-of-the-list pests, though they are considered harmless. They are counted as the allergens. Different types of mites would do different kinds of damages to your house. They are hard to identify because of their incredibly small size. Termites, on the other hand, are also counted as a type that exclusively eats wood and leaves it hollow. Following are some of the precautionary measures that you can take to prevent their invasion

1. If would be best if you eliminate the moisture problem from your house, specially fabricated areas, and furniture
2. Protect entry points and food sources
3. Keep your home clean, focus exclusively on dust and moisture reduction

Mice and rats

Mice and rats are the pests that look cute only in Tom & Jerry. If you consider pest mice, they can contaminate your food, spread diseases, and has an obtuse chewing problem that can ruin everything in your house. You might have to clean dishes after their use and watch out for pellets on the corners of your shelves and doors, as mice leave waste everywhere. Some preventions that you can take are as follows

1. Store food and all the eatables in rodent-proof packaging
2. Mice do not like the smell of peppermint. You can use peppermint oil at all your entrances to prevent their invasion
3. You should keep your bin clean. Additionally, keep it at least 4-6 inches above the ground.

Summarizing the preventions

In short, if you wish to secure your house from pest invasion, it is best if you always keep your home clean. Focus on moisture and dust reduction, pay special attention to the kitchen and bathroom floors. Find the entrance points in your walls and secure them with caulk or cement. Do not leave food uncovered, and ensure that there is no stagnant water in your house. Lastly, you might have to keep your pets vaccinated and plants a bit away from home.