It’s not always so evident that you have a pest problem. Here are 6 tell tale signs you can look out for, to identify if you have a pest problem, before it is too late.
Damage to your property
When small holes or gnaw marks in your house and on your furniture start popping up all over, you most likely have a pest problem. Also large Americana cockroaches often “eat” away at ceiling boards and cornicing and the glue that holds cornices in place, leaving marks similar to a rodent. Small holes, even as small as a coin, are big enough for a mouse to crawl into. Inspect lower level areas such as skirting and floor boards. Also look out for piles of wood dust, which can be an indication of wood borers feasting on your wooden floors or furniture.
Foul smell or droppings
One of the most obvious signs that you have a pest problem are the sighting of droppings or the smell of urine. With rodents and bats you can look out for droppings that are darker in colour, it is fresher and thus more likely that you have a current pest problem.If the wood dust (or frass) is lighter or beach sand in colour it indicates active woodborer infestation. A period of time after treatment the dust dropping will slowly turn darker brown or black, indicating old or previous woodborer infestation. Don’t forget to look behind items standing on your kitchen counters or on the floor.
Dirt marks
Unlike humans, some wild creatures don’t clean themself on a regular basis. This, especially when it comes to rodents, will let pests in your home leave grease marks and tracks wherever they roam. You can even follow this track of filth, if you want to locate their entry point or nest!
Things that go THUMP in the night
Pests, especially rodents, are more active at night when there is not so much human activity. If you hear scratchy or squeaky noises at night, you might have rodents nesting in your roof or walls!
Sticky situation…
Termites create moisture when tunnelling through wood – they literally eat it from the inside out without you even knowing they are there. This can cause door and window frames to warp and become sticky. If you notice this on one of your doors or window frames, tap on the joinery firmly and see if it crumbles under your finger when you poke it. You should also check other areas of your house for more evidence.
Itchy and scratchy
Do you wake up in the morning and have mysterious itchy bite marks on your body? You might have a bed bug infestation! We have seen a significant increase of bedbug infestations this year – the threat is real! They are easy to bring into your home without knowing – bed bugs are NOT necessarily a sign of a dirty house!
If you are still unsure if you have pests lurking in your home or business, give Service Master a call . WhatsApp us, on 072 224 1116, some pictures of the droppings or damage, and we will help identify the pest problem for you. Common pests that we deal with are: cockroaches, rodents, ants, bedbugs, fleas, mosquitos, termites and wood borers.
