House Pests

House pests increase in the summer months. As the weather changes and it becomes warmer insects and animals become more active as the metabolism increases. House pest initially are just troublesome, but if they are not controlled at this stage they can be destructive. Given below is information of common house pests and tips to deal with them.

Termites
Termites eat the woodwork in the house gradually destroying all of it. Termites are tiny cream-colored bugs. Some species of termites fly others do not. Some of them burrow under your house so you may not even see them. To locate termites walk around your house and look for small soil burrows and termite droppings that are the color of wood. Here are a few tips to prevent termites:

Ants
Ants like other house pest become active, as the weather gets warmer. There are as many as 20 varieties of ants that can attack your house. They not only attack your food but the woodwork in your house as well. Ants are the toughest house pests.

Carpenter ants are the ones that cause the most damage. They come in different colors- black, reddish, brownish and sometimes a combination of these colors. These ants flock inside the house. If you find lines of ants inside your house, be sure that there is a nest in your house too. Ants do not eat wood but make their nests in the woodwork. If you tap the woodwork that the ants are entering it will sound hollow, as they have eaten into it. The normally enter the woodwork from where it is damp. Ensure that there are no leaks in the house that can dampen the woodwork. If you have trees around your house, see to it that the branches do not touch the house, as carpenter ants can gain access to the house from these branches.

The other variety of ant, that commonly infest the house, are the smaller variety often called sugar ants. These ants eat sweets and oil and normally infest the kitchen. To prevent them from attacking your kitchen keep all the food in containers, clean the countertop at regular intervals and empty the garbage can regularly. Keep you pet's food dishes clean as well as they will infest it too. The best way to eliminate these ants is to eliminate any source of their food.

Roaches
Though the cockroach is the hardiest of all the house pests, cleanliness and good sanitation in homes, has reduced their menace. Roaches are active in the night. If you spot any in the daytime, in your kitchen, it means the kitchen is infested with roaches. Cockroaches damage the health of the family member by spreading germs.

To prevent cockroaches from entering your house, seal all the gaps that can allow them access, to your home from outside. Do not leave anything that it can feed on in the open. Though this is a difficult task as they eat almost anything and everything.

Bees
These insects have a nasty sting that can land you in hospital if you are attacked by a whole swarm of them. These insects can damage your woodwork as well. Carpenter bees are the ones that will tunnel into the unfinished woodwork in your house. They build their nest in spring; the female has the sting and drills the hole for the nest. If you find a hole with a diameter of about a finger, with sawdust beneath it, then you have found the nest. To prevent these bees from nesting in your woodwork apply a coat of paint on the wood.

All the home pest insects listed above, except for the cockroach, cause damage to the structure of your house. As warmer weather approaches inspect your house carefully and look for telltale signs of infestation. Take precautionary measures anyway. If there is an infestation and you cannot deal with yourself engage a professional pest controller.