As a homeowner, making sure of the well-being of your home and associated property is an absolute must. In addition to standard challenges that are faced – such as clogged gutters, HVAC maintenance, and plumbing issues – pest infestations may prove to be exceptionally challenging. Pests – which range from common insects such as ants to more difficult creatures such as rodents may pose highly significant health risks to you and your family and may cause damage to your home.
This is why it is important to have regular pest inspections performed on your home and your property – especially if you reside in or around the Central Indiana region. In this guide, you will learn 20 different reasons why regular pest inspections are an absolute must and you will learn that these inspections will give you peace of mind and may result in cost savings in repairs in the future.
1. Early Detection and Prevention of Pest Infestations
One of the main advantages associated with having regular pest inspections performed on the home and surrounding property is the fact that pest problems or infestations and associated issues may be caught and addressed in the early stages of the problem. Signs of pest activity may be discovered prior to the point of escalation. This allows for quick interventions and prevents pests from taking over your property.
2. Protection of Your Health and Safety
There are certain pests – such as insects and rodents – that carry diseases that can compromise the health and the safety of yourself, and those in your family. By conducting regular pest inspections, you are safeguarding your property and you are ensuring that the living environment that you share with loved ones is healthy. Identifying pest problems in a timely manner helps in preventing the spread of pathogens, allergens, and sicknesses; therefore, reducing the risk of illness.
3. Preservation of Property Value
Pests have the ability to stress the structural integrity of the home – causing damage to the wood, to the insulation, to the wiring, and more. By having regular pest inspections performed, you can help protect the value of the property by identifying and addressing issues that could result in the development of long-term damage. Preserving the structural-based integrity of the home is vital to maintaining the resale value and its overall appeal to potential buyers.
4. Financial Protection
Pest problems have the capability of causing financial-based setbacks. These include the costs associated with repairs, extermination, and similar costs. It must be known that the homeowner’s insurance policy that you hold on your home will not provide any type of coverage or benefits for repairs and damages that stem from pest infestations. The insurance companies look at pest infestations as a maintenance issue which must be handled by you – the homeowner. By having regular inspections performed, you are protecting your finances.
5. Identification of Issues That May Attract Pests
By having regular pest inspections performed, you will be able to identify issues that may – eventually – attract pests and take care of those issues right away. Examples include the development of holes in the home, cracks in the foundation, openings in the screens of windows, gaps around doors due to failing weather stripping. If discovered fast and repaired, you are taking proactive steps to prevent pest infestations around your home.
6. Fire Prevention
Many people do not realize it, but some pests are known for chewing through electrical wiring. In turn, this turns to the risk associated with a developing fire. Sometimes, these pests may chew through gas lines. According to statistics, approximately 25% of the fires that are directly attributed to “unknown causes”. Many of these fires cause injuries and deaths. By having regular pest inspections performed, you will be able to identify if pests are chewing through wires that could result in the development of a fire; therefore, preventing a potential fire from developing in the future.
7. Prevent Wood Damage to the Home
There are many pests that damage wood that are found in and around Central Indiana these include carpenter bees, carpenter ants, and termites. By having regular inspections done, these pests may be quickly identified and eliminated before they damage the wood in and around your home.
8. Preservation of Aesthetic Appeal
If you have a pest infestation, many issues may develop that detrimentally impact the aesthetic appeal of your home. These include wires getting chewed up, wood being consumed and/or softened, and droppings being left behind by pests. By having regular inspections performed, you can identify and address issues immediately that could have a detrimental impact on the aesthetic appeal of your home.
9. Protect Your Belongings
Pest like rodents and cockroaches have the capability of causing immense damage to your personal belongings. Rodents – for example – may chew through storage boxes, boxes, and even clothing. Silverfish may damage clothing and books, too. By having regular pest inspections, you will be able to identify infestations before they do damage to your personal belongings.
10. Protect Your Pets
Many people may not realize it, but certain pests may prove dangerous to pets that reside in your home. Examples of pests that are troublesome for pets include fleas, ticks, ants, bedbugs, mites, mosquitoes, bees, ants, botflies, black flies, mice, wasps, mealworms, itch mites, sticktight fleas, and even cockroaches. If you have regular pest inspections performed, you are taking a step that will protect your home, you and your family, and even your pets.
What is a Pest Inspection?
A pest inspection is when a trained pest control professional comes to your home and thoroughly searches in and around the home for any type of insects or critters that could potentially cause harm to the structure, the people living in the structure, and any pets. During the inspection, the professional will carefully examine both the inside and outside of the structure looking for evidence of bugs, decay of wood, structural damage, and other types of hazards that are commonly caused by pests. The goal is to see if there are any unwanted creatures in the crawl space of the home, the basement, the attic, garage, and near other entry points.
What Do Pest Control Inspectors Look For?
What a pest control inspector looks for will depend heavily upon where the home/property being inspected is located. For example, pests looked for in Central Indiana would be much different than those looked for in the State of Florida. The inspector will be on high alert for pests that destroy wood such as termites, carpenter ants, beetles, and carpenter bees. They will also look for common types of pests that may result in the creation of an unhealthy living environment such as cockroaches and bedbugs.
Additionally, a pest control inspector will examine the property for any evidence of structural damage that is done to various components of the home – examples of these components include the walls, the baseboards, the floorboards, and the siding. The inspector may utilize an assortment of tools to conduct their pest control inspection. These include thermal imaging cameras, meters that measure moisture, and other types of devices that are capable of detecting problems that are not typically visible to the naked eye.
The pest control inspection is typically an exhaustive procedure that targets all of the areas where pests could be found. This includes the rooms of the home, the crawl spaces, the subfloor, the decks, the porches, the attics, the basements, outbuildings, fences, baseboards, cabinets, and closets. The technician will then create a pest report that documents their findings. The report will give an overview of any type of pests that are found, the types of damage observed – if any – and any suggestions that will remedy the problem. The report will bring attention to the pest-related problems that could result in any type of future concern.
How Much is a Pest Control Inspection?
Typically, pest control inspections cost anywhere from $50-$300. The price depends on the location, the size of the property being inspected, and the company conducting the inspection.
What Pests Cause the Most Damage to Homes?
The wood-damaging pests are the most dangerous to homes. The top wood-damaging pest in the United States are carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and termites.
What are the Most Venomous or Poisonous Pests?
There are many venomous and poisonous pests the following outlines those that you really want to stay away from and do not want in or near your home:
- The Cow Killer
- The Red Imported Fire Ant
- Blister Beetles
- Japanese Oriental Wasp
- Black Widow Spider
- Monarch Caterpillar
- Brown Recluse
- Mosquitoes
Contact Us
Are you in need of a pest control inspection on your home? If so, contact us here at All Pest Exterminating today. In addition to this, we offer general home inspections and pest control services to our customers. Contact us today to learn more about that which we offer and to set up an appointment for your home pest control inspection: 765-259-0043
