If you’re like most people, you prefer to live in an environment that’s sheltered from the elements and has an adequate food supply. Unfortunately, many pests share your desire for a cozy home. Because they are small and often difficult to spot, you can have quite an infestation before you notice that pests have invaded. However, knowing what to look for, you can better defend yourself against unwanted intruders.
Is it an infestation or a minor problem?
Termites come in two varieties: subterranean and dry wood. The subterranean species make their home in the soil, leaving it to feed. The dry wood species prefers to invade wood floors, furniture, and house frames, living out their lives within the invaded structure. Many homeowners never know they have an infestation unless they see them swarming. Other signs are less obvious but may allow you to detect a problem sooner. One such sign is the appearance of mud tubes on your home’s foundation or exterior walls. These tubes are usually flat and about as wide as a pencil. You should also watch for distorted or cracked paint on painted wooden surfaces, dark spots, and blisters on wood floors. Use your ears and your eyes; damaged wood often has a hollow sound when you tap it with the handle of a tool, such as a screwdriver.
Silverfish and their firebrat cousins feast on books, papers, and dry foods, such as cereal or pasta. They’ll eat the starch in your shirts and the paste behind your wallpaper. Signs of an infestation are often difficult to spot unless you inspect your bookcases, textiles, and papers. You might notice a pattern of irregular, unconnected holes in fabrics or papers. Papers may become discolored from fungi associated with their attempts to feed. You might also notice small, delicate, incandescent scales that cling to many surfaces.
Bedbugs were a rarity in the U.S. For many years, They have recently returned with a vengeance. They can hitch a ride in your suitcase when you stay at a hotel, even if it’s a five-star resort. Once they invade, they can hide in the most minor places, coming out at night to feast on your blood. The bites are the most obvious sign of an infestation, but many blame mosquitoes or other causes. You might need a magnifying glass to spot other signs of a bedbug infestation. The bugs are tiny, and the signs they leave behind usually are even more minor. You might notice tiny blood stains on your pillowcase or sheet. They may leave excrement on your walls, sheets, or other surfaces that look like a tiny rust spot. The young shed their skins, sometimes as many as five times during the first month of life, but the skins are often in the bedbug’s hiding place and, therefore, challenging to find.
If you suspect you might have a bed bug infestation problem and are in the Orlando area, the specialists at ABC Home & Commercial Services are ready to assist you.