Do you hear scratching noises coming from the ceiling at night? Perhaps you have noticed strange muddy tubes snaking up one of your walls, or that the food packets in your pantry are frayed?
Though it is easy to put these tell-tale marks of pest infestation out of mind, doing so may put your home and health at risk. To help you stop a pest invasion, we’ve prepared a list of important warning signs to look out for.
We’ve also included a couple of Newcastle pest control experts to put your mind at ease.
Termites
Often referred to as “silent destroyers”, termites thrive in damp, dark and humid environments. They feed on the cellulose found in wood, which is bad news if they take up residence in the foundations of your home.
What’s even scarier is that, despite the popular belief that concrete houses are resistant to termite infestation, there is virtually no home structure that invulnerable to these burrowing terrors.
Signs that termites may be present in your home include:
- Mud tubes on your walls or wood surfaces
- Swarming winged insects and/or discarded insect wings
- Termite droppings (frass) which looks like sawdust
- Difficult-to-open wooden doors or windows
- Hollow sounding timber
- Cracks or strange, trailing marks on your wooden surfaces
- Hollowed out wooden surfaces
If you’ve noticed any of these warning signs, don’t panic. Your local pest control expert will be able to diagnose the issue and tell you the best way to proceed. You can find a list of Newcastle pest control experts on LocalSearch. For more information on termite warning signs, check out our blog ‘5 Signs Your Home Has Termites.’
Cockroaches
Apart from triggering instant disgust, cockroach saliva, droppings and discarded limbs can also trigger asthma symptoms. Roaches tend to favour warm, dark and wet spots, which is why they commonly dwell near drains and pipes. They multiply rapidly and can be a real problem if not eliminated early.
Signs of a growing cockroach infestation include:
- Smear marks along the floor
- A musky odour
- Damage to food packaging
- Cockroach droppings (resembling black pepper grains)
- Cockroach eggs (brown capsules)
Though cockroaches are said to be able to survive a nuclear strike, they certainly won’t survive these Newcastle pest control experts!
Rats
These furry little creatures may look kind of adorable, but don’t forget they once spread a plague that wiped out half of Europe! Feral rats are an unwelcome guest in any home. They can put your pets at risk, leave fleas and disease-causing contaminants in their wake, as well as cause extensive damage with their sharp little teeth.
Signs that you might have a rat problem include:
- Strange scratching noises
- Burrows in your garden, compost heap, garage etc.
- Footprints or dirty rub-marks along your wall
- Rat droppings (dark and rice-grain shaped)
- Chewed-through cables
- Damaged insulation
If you have noticed any of the above, it’s more than likely that a trap and a piece of cheese won’t get the job done. You can find a list of Newcastle pest control experts on LocalSearch.
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