There is no doubt that humans are pretty bad at sharing their space with others. Other humans and the odd pet are fine, but fleas, beetles and other uninvited guests are very much unwelcome in our homes. Sometimes, getting rid of these visitors can be as easy as a little spray or vacuum, but sometimes you need to get hold of a qualified pest control officer. Here are seven times you need to call pest control.
Catching a Glimpse
The first obvious sign that you may need to call pest control is when you see creatures that usually remain outside, in your house. This can include unusual beetles, rodents and fleas.
Hearing Things
If you think you saw a rodent, listen carefully (night time is a good time to do this, when the house is quiet and rodents tend to come out to play). Rats and mice tend to make their home under floorboards and behind walls, so listen out for scratching or the pitter patter of rodent footsteps.
Teeth Marks
If you have pets, it is not unusual to find gnaw marks in the home. If you don’t have pets, or if your pets aren’t known to chew, gnaw marks are a definitive sign that you have unwanted visitors.
Watch for Tracks
Rodents are creatures of habit, so will tend to take the same route around your house at night. If you notice mysterious grease marks appearing across the floor, they could well be rodent tracks.
Body Watch
Rodents tend to be fairly easy to spot because of their size, but keep an eye out for dead bugs, too. Before you vacuum up dead bugs from your window sill, take a quick look at them; if there are lots of the same type, it is possible that you have an infestation.
Sniff Them Out!
Like all of us, pests have their own unique odour, which it is possible for us to smell. If you use lots of cleaning products or air fresheners, it can be hard to detect the ammonia smell of rodents or the sweet, musty smell of bed bugs, but if you are returning from holiday and notice a smell, it could be that you have had some house sitters while you are away!
Droppings
Droppings are a clear indication that something is living in your house. Not just larger, pellet-like rodent droppings, but tiny black flecks: flea droppings look like black dust, beetle droppings can look a little like tiny seeds.
Don’t Panic!
If you do have pests living in your home (other than the pets and children!!), don’t panic. Call a local pest control expert, who will be able to tell you what is living your house, where they are based, and how you can get rid of them, for good.
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