Summer brings vacation, late nights spent enjoying the mild temperatures outdoors, pools and beaches, and…bugs. Most people would probably agree that one of the worst things about the warm weather is the bugs that emerge. From ants to mosquitoes to beetles to roaches, bugs love the warm weather.
If you can contain the heebie-jeebies, read on to learn about 5 different types of pests you might have in your home.
1. Ants
Ants are everywhere. In fact, there are over 700 different kinds of ants identified.
Take a look outside and chances are you can quickly find an ant. Unfortunately, they also end up inside our homes too. If you want to get rid of ants in your home, you have to figure out what kind you have so you know what they are attracted to.
Some of the common ants that you might find inside your home include:
- Carpenter ants
- Sugar ants
- Little black ants
- Odorous house ants
- Ghost ants
- Crazy ants
While ants might not pose a health threat, they can contaminate food sources, cause damage inside your home, and are in general a nuisance.
2. Cockroaches
Cockroaches are a fact of life in most southern and warm-weather states. No matter how clean your home is, you still might find a cockroach or two inside. They cause serious allergy issues and carry disease, so they are certainly not welcome in your home.
They are attracted to dark, damp places (and generally feed at night). They like spots under refrigerators sinks, stoves, and cardboard boxes that you might have in your garage or shed. They’re also attracted to sweet liquids and foods, so recycling cans with unwashed soda cans or bottles are favorite spots for them.
3. Spiders
Spiders are generally unwelcome in our homes, especially if they are of the poisonous variety, such as a black widow or brown recluse spider. Many others are harmless and kill other bugs, but if you have a large number of spiders in your home, you will want to contact an exterminator, especially to prevent them from laying eggs.
A brown or gray house spider can lay up to 9 egg sacs at a time, and each sac could contain up to 200 eggs. Do the math: that’s potentially 1,800 baby spiders running around your home!
4. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans and animals. They are tine, their bites are painless, and they usually only come out at night, making it difficult to detect them. If you wake up with tiny red bites, you might be experiencing a bed bug infestation, as they like mattresses, furniture, and other textiles.
5. Flies
Whether they are fruit flies or houseflies, flies are pesky and can carry disease. Fruit flies are attracted to fermented alcohols, like wine and beer, as well as rotted fruit. They emerge and multiply quickly and a female can lay up to 500 eggs that hatch 24 to 36 hours later.
Both types of flies contaminate food quickly and carry bacteria and germs.
5 Types of Pests You Should Avoid
Pests happen. There’s no way to completely avoid any type of pest infestation, but being proactive and quick to address any outbreak will help make sure you and your family stay healthy.
If you found this information useful, be sure to explore some of our other content to help you keep your home healthy and safe.
