Insect Pests You Didn't Know Could Infest Your Home
You may already know the signs of a rat
infestation, and if you started getting lots of itchy bites in bed at night you'd
suspect bedbugs. But some types of pests are less well-known for a variety of
reasons, so you may not be aware what to look out for, how to identify these
intruders, or whether they pose a health and safety threat.Here are some types of insects that can infest
your home and may cause unpleasantness, damage to belongings, or worse. 1. Crickets
You probably don't often hear the words
"cricket infestation" unless you're a professional exterminator. Yet
crickets can indeed infest homes, and can cause significant damage to some of
your belongings. Specifically, they tend to feed on clothing and other fabric
items.Crickets typically live outdoors when it's
warm enough. Cooler weather during the winter months may cause the crickets to
move into your house for shelter, resulting in an infestation. 2. Powderpost Beetles
You've probably heard that termites and
carpenter ants can damage any portions of your home made of wood. But although
they're less common, powderpost beetles can also damage wooden materials.These small beetles can cause a slow
infestation, as their life cycle takes longer to complete in an indoor
situation. However, they can damage the structural elements of the home, and as
such should be treated seriously. Treatments can include fumigation, insecticide
applications, or removal of affected lumber. 3. Lady Beetles and
Asian Beetles
Lady beetles, also known as ladybugs, are a
highly beneficial insect in gardens. They eat aphids and other scourges of
gardeners everywhere. However, seeing a familiar orangey-red spotted beetle in
your home is not necessarily a good thing. One reason is that a lookalike bug,
the Asian beetle or Asian lady beetle, often invades homes and is much less
pleasant.Asian beetles, unlike native ladybugs,
actually bite humans. Even worse, some people can develop pink eye from these
bites. The bugs also make a nasty odor when threatened and, when squished, may
stain surfaces in your home.You may be able to tell Asian beetles apart by
their appearance: they're typically less red and more orange than ladybugs.
Native ladybugs can sometimes end up inside your home; however, if you have
hundreds of ladybug-like insects in your home, you likely have Asian beetle
infestation. These invasive insects are even pushing ladybugs out of their
habitats.A professional exterminator can help you to
oust these insects from their hiding places and release the grip they have on
your home. 4. Clover Mites
These tiny bugs may look like spiders or even
ticks. But unlike those types of pests, a clover mite is relatively innocuous.
When these bugs infest your home, they're probably just looking for shelter
from the weather (such as very wet or hot conditions).Because these bugs don't bite humans, aren't
poisonous, and mainly eat weeds such as clover, they're not considered
dangerous. They can, however, be inconvenient if too many show up in your
house, and they leave red stains when crushed.If you see many tiny spider-like creatures
with a bright red color, clover mites may be in your home. However, be sure to
have a professional exterminator assess the situation to ensure you don't have
a more dangerous type of bug. A professional can both correctly identify the
insects and help you get them out of your life for good.These are some of the lesser-known types of
insect infestations that could occur in your home. However, this list is far
from comprehensive, since dozens of insect pests exist. Be sure to hire a
professional such as Gainesville Pest Control LLC
for high-quality extermination of any
insect pests you find in your home.
