We all know the old saying, “Know your enemy.” When it comes to keeping your home pest-free, it can help to see your home as a battlefield. On the other side stands an army of would-be invaders. The better you understand what makes them tick, the more likely you are to keep them where they belong.
Pest behavior varies depending on the species. However, like humans, most pests just want a safe, warm, and comfortable place to call home. Understanding their individual motivations and behaviors is a great way to design preventative measures that keep your home protected.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most common pests and what you need to know to keep them out of your home.
Pests 101: What Drives Critters Into Our Homes
Every living thing has 3 basic needs: food, water, and a safe living space. When your home offers those resources together, even in small amounts, it can attract pests.
Crumbs on the kitchen counter, standing water in a clogged drain, and even a warm space behind the refrigerator are enough to supply everything a mouse or cockroach needs to feel at home. Additionally, common household pests typically have short lifespans. They need to find a safe place to nest and reproduce to ensure their offspring survive.
Social dynamics
To the dismay of homeowners, most pests are social creatures. So when you get one, you get the whole family. Termites and ants have complex social hierarchies. Rats and mice like to build nests so the family can snuggle up together and send out foragers looking for food.
Some pests are territorial. Squirrels of all varieties are known to exhibit aggressive behavior if their nesting sites or territory are threatened. California ground squirrels and American red squirrels are known for their territorial behavior.
Stinging insects, such as yellow jackets, paper wasps, and hornets, can also aggressively defend their homes. When dealing with an infestation of a territorial pest, let professional pest control services handle the problem.
This is one reason why removing one or two critters is not enough. For effective pest control, you need to either keep them out or deal with the entire infestation once they get in. With some species, targeting specific individuals in a colony or using pheromone traps can be a good way to make it clear that they are not welcome.
Seasonal changes
All pests are susceptible to seasonal changes. However, depending on the pest, they are more likely to invade your home at different times of the year. Consider the following:
- Bugs in summer: The summer months speed up the metabolisms of bugs and insects, including ants, cockroaches, and flies. This increased metabolism makes them set off in eager pursuit of food, increasing the likelihood of these bugs entering your home in the summer.
- Rodents in winter: When the cold weather arrives, rodents seek shelter in homes that can offer warmth and protection. They will exploit any entry point, even ones as small as a quarter, to gain entry to your home and nest for the winter.
- Refuge seekers: Other pests, such as spiders, seek refuge indoors whenever there is an extreme fluctuation in temperature. That is why you may see more of them indoors during the peak of summer and the coldest part of winter.
Where Pests Like to Live
To effectively deter pests, it’s crucial to understand where they like to live. The following four groups of pests are picky about their habitats, which can help us develop strategies for effective pest management.
Cockroaches in dark places
Cockroaches prefer warm, dark places to hide. As they also need food and moisture, kitchens and bathrooms are two of their preferred spots. Female cockroaches seek out hidden cracks and crevices to lay their eggs.
However, cockroaches hate peppermint oil. So, lacing the hidden parts of your bathroom and kitchen with this pungent aroma could be one of the proactive measures taken to keep them at bay. Creating physical barriers by blocking off entry points and eliminating food sources can also be effective preventative measures.
Termites in wooden structures
One of the most damaging pests to invade homes in the United States is termites. They live in huge colonies underground, and the only sign of their presence may be mud tubes leading in the direction of your house. Once they arrive at their destination, a colony can chow down on a pound of wood in 24 hours.
Preventative measures include:
- Fumigation
- Soil injection
- Baiting
- Thermal eradication
It is crucial to act fast by calling professional pest control services as soon as you suspect an infestation. Termites can quickly cause thousands of dollars worth of damage, requiring extensive repairs and posing a threat to the safety of your home.
Common rodent nesting sites
Rodents seek shelter in seldom-visited parts of the house where they can bed down in peace and warmth. If you suspect you have some unwanted guests, check out the following areas:
- Attics
- Basements
- Behind appliances
- Burrows under the foundations or decks
That said, rodents are very adaptable and can live in unexpected places. If you notice signs of pest activity, such as gnaw marks, droppings, or nesting materials, but can’t locate the pests, call a professional pest control company to track them down.
Opportunist squirrels
While most species of squirrels are content to nest in trees, some choose to nest in basements, attics, and other parts of the home. Cracks in foundations can provide entry points for chipmunks that can create burrows under your house.
How Pest Behavior Informs Preventive Measures
The most effective forms of pest control combine knowledge of pest behavior with a variety of strategies. If you are a homeowner, there are many proactive steps you can take to protect your home that do not require any specialist chemicals or equipment.
For the rest, a professional pest control company can set up an integrated pest management plan to keep unwanted guests out of your home on a permanent basis.
Preventative measures to protect your home
The following preventive measures cost very little but could help keep your home pest-free:
- Remove food sources: All pests are highly food-motivated. Keep food out of their reach by storing it in sealed containers and disposing of garbage in tightly sealed trash cans. Don’t leave pet food out overnight.
- Keep it dry: Fix leaky faucets both inside and outside the home so there is no moisture to attract pests. Standing water attracts pests, including mosquitoes, which require only a small amount of water in which to lay eggs.
- Reduce clutter: Piles of newspapers, magazines, cardboard, and other potential nesting materials are extremely attractive to rodents. Removing these deprives them of the materials they need to build their nests.
- Seal entry points: Sealing cracks, filling in gaps around pipes, and repairing caulking creates physical barriers that are tough for insects and rodents to penetrate.
What pest control can do
Pest control professionals have an intimate understanding of pest behavior and how to keep them at bay. They understand the importance of assessing your home and environment to understand the type of pests that could be attracted to your home.
Based on this assessment, they can create an effective pest management strategy and schedule regular visits throughout the year to prevent unwanted visitors.
Preventative measures professional pest control services can take include:
- Exclusion/proofing
- Safely apply non-toxic pesticides
- Installing traps that capture pests, allowing them to be relocated
No one who wants to prevent pests can afford to take a relaxed approach to pest control. Regular pest inspections are essential to ensure unwanted visitors stay away.
Understand and Eliminate Pests With Insight
Pests exhibit fascinating instincts and behaviors. Understanding them is the key to gently ushering them out of your home and slamming the door behind them. As our name suggests, as Insight Pest Management, we understand what makes pests tick and how to send them packing.
We take a unique, tailored approach to pest control. We start with an inspection that identifies existing pest issues and potential entry points at your home or business. We then work with you to create a strategy to keep pests at bay. Regular treatments and inspections help ensure pests get the message.
Call Insight Pest Management or contact us online for a free quote for Ventura County residents today.
