Many homeowners don’t become aware of a pest infestation until they catch sight of the intruder in the flesh. However, pests often go out of their way to remain hidden, especially in daylight hours, and can live in your home undetected for a long time before you discover their presence.
To get ahead of an infestation before it reaches critical mass, look to these common pest hiding spots to see if they’ve invaded right under your nose.
1. In Cluttered Spaces
Pests, like people, need a safe and undisturbed space to call home. Invasive bugs, rodents, and spiders often find ideal living quarters in dark, quiet areas that allow them to stay tucked away, which means piles of old papers, unkempt storage rooms, and garage clutter make perfect residences for these intruders.
2. Near Trash Cans
Pests may find their way into your home while they search for food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, a trash can with a poorly fitted lid or nearby spills and messes are powerful pest attractions. Not only can pests grab a bite to eat, but they can hide out behind the bins – often for a long time.
3. Inside Furniture
Mites, bedbugs, carpet beetles, fleas, and closet moths are all commonly inside of upholstered areas in your home. Some of these pests hide out while they wait to bite people and pets, while others shield themselves and feast on the fibers of furniture, beds, and carpeting.
4. In Walls and Baseboards
If you’ve ever heard the sound of scratches or scutters inside the walls in the middle of the night, you may have a few pests behind the drywall. Rodents, cockroaches, beetles, ants, crickets, and box elder bugs not only take up residence inside your walls, but they also hide within the gaps in baseboards and trim, too.
5. In Cabinets and Pantries
Any dark, cluttered cupboards, especially those that also house leaky plumbing or food products, may also be home to unwelcome bugs and rodents. You can confirm that you have pests hidden away in your cabinets if you also notice signs of nesting or chewed food packages.
6. In Houseplants
Because pests primarily live outdoors, they often like the same conditions in a space that is free from weather patterns and natural predators: your indoor plants. Spiders, flies, gnats, and even scorpions can hide in the soil and leaves of your decorative foliage.
7. In the Closet
Closets are quiet spaces that let pests live relatively unbothered. A variety of pests, including closet moths, carpet beetles, crickets, and silverfish, may inhabit your closet, hiding out in the dark to feast on the natural fibers of your clothes.
8. Near Drains and Pipes
Because many pests can swim, climb, and voyage long journeys to find dark and moist spaces, drains and leaky pipes are common pest hotspots. Drains lead directly from inside to outside, and many invading pests make the entire trek from the outdoors straight into your kitchen or bathroom.
9. Under Appliances
Refrigerators, ovens, stoves, and other appliances create warm and dark places for bugs to live out their days inside of your home. These areas often see added moisture and dropped crumbs, too, so bugs such as cockroaches, centipedes, spiders, silverfish, and ants frequently make themselves at home beneath these units.
Whether you have inspected these areas yourself and caught the signs of an infestation or you’d rather leave it to the professionals, give a qualified pest control professional a call. The specialists at A-Alert Exterminating Service Inc can inspect all common pest hiding spots and treat your home to banish existing intruders and prevent any more from infesting your space.