All About Pest Infestation in Your Home and What's Causing It

Pest infestation in your home, as well as around it, can be quite a nuisance, to say the least, if not taken care properly. Usually, people deal with these troubles alone by applying some quick solutions. However, pests are best dealt with pre-emptively. Knowing what causes them and taking care of it will help you control this problem in the future, and even take care of it completely.

1. Put your food away

Food is very attractive to pests. Actually, it’s one of the main causes why you have them. So in order to chase them away, clean after yourself after meals and pack your food properly. Don’t leave any leftovers in the open and place them in the refrigerator or sealed containers.

Business photo created by yanalya – www.freepik.com

Take out the garbage at night, and don’t leave any outside. This is an open invitation for the rodents and insects. Keep the garbage bin away from home and with a heavy lid. Also, at least once a week, wash the garbage bin to avoid the smell which is also a means to attract the pests.

2. Branches and shrubbery

It’s great having greenery around the house, but it’s also helping the pest infestation. Ants or rodents will use branches to access the roof. This is a perfect strategy to avoid pesticides and gain an alternative entrance into your home. On the other hand, shrubbery directly positioned against your outer walls creates moisture and intensify the rotting. This attracts pests and is a perfect home for those who like moist places. Seal all food and eliminate indoor attractions, then consider professional pest control services to effectively manage infestations.

To avoid these problems, you should plan the position of your plants beforehand. Another great solution is to cut down tree branches which are in the proximity of your home. In some cases, this may require more extensive works like removing whole trees and entire shrubbery.

3. Cracks are home for termites

Termites can be a challenge to get rid of once they infest your home. This is also an expensive process and needs lots of toxins. The extreme cases will even require you to leave your home for a few days.

Examine your home for any cracks in the structure and foundation since that’s the place of entrance. These are a perfect opportunity for termites to enter the subterranean levels and create tunnels under the house. Reapply caulk where needed and look for any damaged seals where the installations enter the house. Even the smallest fixes and repairs can help you keep the termites away.

4. Clean the gutters

If you don’t clean your gutters regularly, you will have several problems and one of them are pests. Full gutters overflow and the water running down the sides of your house can destroy the structure. This is a perfect invitation for the pests. As is the stagnant water in gutters, especially for mosquitoes. So, clean the gutters from time to time, even if you don’t have trees around. The wind can bring a lot of debris from your surrounding which can cause the overflow.

5. Repellents

Using repellents are one way for pest and termite control. However, they work best if all the preventive measures are in place. Bug lights and sounds may only work for one type of insects. For example, yellow lights attract fewer bugs, but won’t chase them all away. Candles and torches also do a partial job and nothing to eliminate them.

However, bug zappers attract flying insects and electrify them on the spot. Protective mesh on the doors and windows is also a good way to remove flies, mosquitoes and similar flying nuisances. Even rodents will have trouble entering then. Still, repellents are most effective if paired with preventive actions.

Finally

Keeping your house in order and repairing all the damages immediately will help you control the pests and rodents. Nevertheless, even with regular maintenance, you should still implement prevention and minimize the possibilities for pests to infiltrate your household.

Pest Infestation in Your Home and What’s Causing It was last modified: April 18th, 2025 by Hannah Thomas

Written by Hannah Thomas. December 29, 2017

Hannah Thomas is a gardening and home décor enthusiast. Garden is the place where she feels most comfortable, that’s why there are always a lot of books and empty coffee cups on the back porch. Always learning, exploring and smiling.

Your opinion matters, leave a comment

Comments

October 29, 2018 Log in to Reply
JOPESTKIL KENYA
Pests are ever unwanted in households and commercial premises. Pests will infest readily and if not controlled in enough time, will continue to wreak havoc reaching high level infestation which may be complex to eliminate completely such as bed bugs….
Bedbugs! These insects invade homes and wreak havoc wherever they will intentionally attack. Effective bed bug control may seem impossible when it comes to a high level stubborn infestation, but there must be light at the end of the tunnel to eliminate these small, pesky pests.
Bed bugs are tricky bugs. When they get into a home or business, they can get into hard to reach locations, not just your beds. These insects can dwell in outlets, wall voids, electronics, behind baseboards and anywhere close to resting and sleeping human sites. They can also be deep inside upholstered furniture or under rugs unsparingly. The trick to beating these hitch hiking, tricky bugs is understanding their habits and habitats. Bedbugs are for sure are real nuisance. Bedbug infestations seem to be increasing around the world at an alarming rate not even being threatened by available control measures, possibly due to insecticide resistance. Resistance to pyrethroid insecticides is already widespread in the whole world. The bedbug infestation occurs in aggregations when conditions are favorable, but the arthropods disperse when conditions are unfavorable. Active female dispersal can potentially lead to treatment failures and should be taken into account when using control methods.
New tactics against these bugs are needed for this escalating public health concern in locations with high occupant turnover, such as hotels, hospitals, and nursing homes. Indeed, in the past decade bedbugs have become a worldwide urban pest, with the number of households affected markedly increased.