Many homes across Ventura County are hosting unwanted tenants. They do not pay rent, and they definitely didn’t go through screening. They could be lurking in your home right now, out of sight, leaving telltale signs that they have taken up residence. Of course, we are talking about pests—everything from cockroaches to carpenter ants and rodents.
If sights and sounds around your home have left you feeling you’re not alone, this post can help you identify your squatters—and what you can do to safely but firmly evict them.
Signs of Pests in Your Home
Pests may be hiding out of sight, but when they emerge, they can’t help but leave behind their calling cards. The following are the most common signs that you have unwanted guests.
Droppings
Rodents are particularly susceptible to leaving poop behind to show they were there, but cockroaches can also leave behind waste—or “frass,” as it is technically known.
The following descriptions can help you identify the culprit:
- Rat droppings: Look for long, black pellets that are about ½ – ¾ inch in length. They are oblong in shape, have rounded ends, and will be scattered. Rats produce up to 50 pellets-like droppings a day, so their droppings are one of the most sure-fire ways of identifying a rat infestation.
- Mouse droppings: Slightly smaller than an uncooked rice grain at around ¼ inch in length, mouse droppings have pointed ends and are dark brown in color. Mice are also prolific pellet producers, depositing up to 100 pellets per day.
- Cockroach frass: Cockroaches leave behind droppings that could be mistaken for coffee grounds or black pepper. Larger roaches can produce bigger, cylindrical pellets with blunt ends. You will typically find cockroach frass in areas they love to hang out, including near baseboards, under kitchen cabinets, and behind refrigerators.
- Termite droppings: These dreaded invaders also leave poop that looks like coffee grounds.
Droppings are not just gross, they are a danger to your family’s health. Rodent droppings are full of bacteria and can contaminate foods if they get into unsecured food packaging or on kitchen surfaces. Rodent droppings can spread hantavirus, a potentially serious respiratory condition.
Cockroach droppings can trigger allergic reactions, worsen asthma symptoms, and even spread salmonella. Frass also signals to other cockroaches that your home is open to visitors, exacerbating the infestation.
As soon as you spot the signs, call pest control professionals. They can safely handle the mess and get to the root of the infestation.
Trails
Just like humans create desired trails through the woods, pests love to map out their preferred routes around your home. As they run around your home, rodents can leave grease marks along baseboards, cabinets, and walls to show they were there.
Grab a flashlight, get down on your knees, and check all the places pests like to hang out—behind cupboards, refrigerators, and secluded areas. If you see those streaks, sometimes accompanied by trails of droppings and urine, you know you’ve got an infestation on your hands.
Strange noises
Strange sounds, especially at night, are a common, if unsettling, sign that you have unwanted visitors invading the fabric of your home.
A few sounds to listen out for include:
- Rats and mice: Rats and mice are very light on their feet and move quietly, but you may hear scampering sounds emanating from your walls or floors. You may also hear scratching sounds as rats or mice invade new territory or gnawing sounds as they chow down on electrical wires.
- Squirrels: These skittish creatures are most active during the day. You may hear them running around your attic or ceilings, making scurrying, chattering, or grunting sounds.
- Cockroaches: You will need good hearing to pick out the sounds of cockroaches in your home, but you might hear them rustling through trash or scampering around any place you store food, looking for their next meal.
- Termites: Although quiet, it is possible to hear termites working away at night. If you near faint snapping or cracking sounds, it could be termites eating away at the fabric of your home. Also, if you walk across a section of wood flooring that sounds hollow, it could mean that termites have eaten it away.
It could be easy to mistake the sounds of a pest problem for something else or simply not notice them. Regular inspections from a local pest control company are vital, as they can spot signs you may miss and take swift action to bring the infestation to a halt.
Damaged wood
Have you noticed sections of decaying wood as you walk around your home? This could be a sign of termites or carpenter ants. Start by looking around the basement and attic and check your doors and windows.
Inspect exterior wood, such as decks and fence posts, for signs like mud tubes and tunnels that lead you to their entry points. If you suspect a termite or carpenter ant infestation, call pest control services immediately so they can start treatment as soon as possible.
Unusual smells
If your home is not smelling as fresh as usual, a pest infestation could be the culprit.
Cockroaches leave an unpleasant, musty aroma wherever they go. If rats and mice run around your home, leaving droppings and urine, you may notice the unpleasant smell of ammonia. This may be more noticeable if a house has been closed for a while due to a vacation.
Shredded paper
Every family needs a comfortable home, and rats and mice are no different. Rats and mice like to build their nests in warm, secluded parts of your home, such as basements, crawl spaces, and wall voids. They also love to build nests near a food source, meaning kitchens are another popular area.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the preferred nesting materials of rats and mice include:
- Shredded paper
- Fabric
- Dried plant materials
So if you spot any of these in your home and nobody has been crafting, be aware that you could be harboring a thriving family of rodents.
Chew marks
Chew marks on food packaging and garbage are some of the most obvious signs that rodents are invading your pantry. Mice leave smaller, scratchier marks, while rats leave chew marks that are ⅛ inch long. You may also notice teeth marks on the edges of kitchen cupboards, furniture, electrical wires, and flooring.
Damaged clothing
The first sign that clothes moths are infesting your home may be when you get out your winter sweaters and find they have been eaten away.
According to the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM), webbing clothes moths are the most common type. While safe clothes storage methods can help control the problem, UC IPM notes that pest control professionals have the equipment, materials, and experience to eradicate infestations of clothes moths.
How Pest Control Services Can Help
Pest problems are no laughing matter. They pose health risks for your family, both physically and mentally.
For the sake of just one example, a 2018 study even found that the psychosocial stress of having a cockroach infestation can cause depression. Clearly, staying vigilant and calling pest control services as soon as you notice any signs of a pest infestation is crucial to maintain your well-being.
Identify and eliminate pest infestations
When pest control arrives, they will begin a 4-stage process to eliminate your infestation and protect your home from future invasions:
- Inspection: Pest control professionals will thoroughly inspect your home to identify the type of pests and where they are lurking.
- Strategy: The technicians will design a treatment protocol, deciding which methods or materials will be the most effective and how to apply them. You will be consulted to ensure you are happy with the treatment strategy proposed.
- Treatment: Pest control will begin the treatment to eliminate the presence of pests.
- Prevention: Preventative measures may be put in place to prevent future infestations.
If pests have damaged your home’s structure, wiring, or plumbing, a further step may be required. After the inspection, technicians will recommend repair strategies and arrange them as part of the remediation process.
Conduct regular inspections for early detection
Early detection of a pest infestation is always preferable. The sooner an infestation is treated, the less damage the pests can cause to your home and family.
Preventative plans are even better, so reputable pest control companies offer bi-monthly or monthly inspection plans to control crawling pests and check for signs that larger pests are interested in your property.
Choose the right pest control services
When choosing a pest control company to handle an infestation or provide regular pest prevention, look for a combination of experience and customer satisfaction. Pest control services are judged by their ability to treat the problem and stop it from coming back.
If the pest control company has hundreds of positive online reviews, that’s a good sign that you can trust them to fix your infestation and ensure that the pests do not come back.
Let Insight Pest Management Handle Your Infestation
Pest infestations are too dangerous and distressing to leave to chance. You need a pest control company that has built a great reputation by getting it right for decades. At Insight Pest Control, we have 25 years of pest control experience and 6,500 satisfied clients to testify to our expertise.
We provide services to homes and businesses throughout Ventura County. Family-owned and run, we pride ourselves on delivering customer satisfaction at every job.
If you call us before 1 PM, we will be at your door today! So don’t delay in fixing your pest infestation and getting your house back to yourself. Call Insight Pest Management, or contact us online for a free quote today.
