How do you know if your house is pest-infested or if the sounds you hear at night right above your bed is not actually a ghost?
It might be funny to think there is a ghost in your house, but having a pest infested home is no joke. They don’t just ruin your furniture, lawn and walls, but they can be hazardous to your health as they carry dangerous diseases. Rat urine can give you leptospirosis and cockroaches carry salmonella Typhi which causes Typhoid.
Your home should be a place where you feel safe, not a place where you have to feel scared to live in because you are sharing a roof with unwanted creatures.
Older homes are more prone to pest infestation than newer ones.
These are a few things you can ask yourself and what to look for if you are suspicious that there are pests in your home:
- Does your home smell “funny”?
- Do your walls have spots?
- Do your furniture have new gnaw marks on them?
- Are there track marks on your floor? (such as rat paw prints)
- Do you hear scratches or tiny quick footsteps around the house?
- Are there small animal droppings around your home?
- Are there dead or live bugs around your house? Notice if the bugs are of the same species, your home is probably their home too.
- Do the walls have holes? Does the floor seem saggy? This may be a sign of a termite infestation.
- Do you always get itchy bites?
These are a few things worth considering for outdoors:
- Note if the immediate premise is clean or if there is unattended garbage nearby.
- If the building is near a body of water like a fountain, a lake or a pond, this might be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Stagnant water like dripping pipes, gutters and an unattended swimming pool can also cause a mosquito problem.
- Be aware of visible insect or any other animal tracks around the premises. Notice if leaves and grasses have any evidence of bites on the edges.
- Check the walls and pavements for any cracks.
- Look if there is an anthill around the premises. If you see an ant trail, follow it as it will lead you to it.
It is also good to look for these tattle tale signs when you are looking for a room or house to rent/buy. You can ask the landlord what their pest control policy is. See if they regularly check for pests and provide pest control treatments or not.
Contacting an expert pest control is your best bet. They have the expertise to check if your house is indeed a pest haven or not, and they know the best way to get rid of them while keeping you safe from dangerous pest-killing chemicals.
Aside from the pesky and gross cockroaches, rats are also very common pests almost anywhere in the world. Luckily, there should be a number of companies that offer pest management and reliable rodent control. They do not just diagnose the situation, but they will also recommend the best way to prevent any pests from returning.
For those that do not have a pest problem at home, hiring an expert pest control is recommended to prevent pest infestation before it starts. It is better to be safe than sorry.