What are the Signs of Damage on a Home That Indicate a Pest Infestation?

A pest infestation within the home can be extremely stressful and overwhelming. Unfortunately, many homeowners are unable to spot the signs associated with a pest infestation until it is too late and the damage is done. In this guide, we will share the signs of damage on the home that could indicate the presence of a pest infestation.

1. Property Damage – When determining whether or not you have a pest infestation, you should start with walking around both the interior and exterior of your home and see if you see any unusual marks or obvious damage such as marks that look as if something has gnawed what you are looking it. Evaluate the sides of your home and see if there are any signs of damage on your siding. Go inside of your home and look around spaces that include electrical wires, paneling, and plumbing to see if you notice any signs of pests. If you do, it is time to contact your local pest control specialists for assistance.
2. Structural Damage – There are many types of pests that actually cause structural damage to your home. Examples include carpenter ants, termites, and rodents. These pests are capable of eating the wood that is in your home. Signs include blistering of wood, wood that sounds hollow, paint that is peeling, and the presence of mud tubes on the exterior walls of the home. Look inside of your home and make note of any gnaw marks, holes that are in the walls or in the floors, any debris that resembles that of sawdust.
3. Evidence of Nesting – Insects and rodents create nests. These pests will take anything that they are able to find in or around the home and create their nests. You should look under appliances, in the cabinetry, the ceiling, and other places in the home that are isolated for shredded paper, pieces of insulation, and/or fabric that may be – potentially – being used as a nest. When the nesting is occurring in your walls, massive amounts of damage may occur.
4. The Presence of Droppings – Look throughout the home in areas where you believe pests are present for the presence of droppings. These often look like pellets, coffee grounds, and items that are similar in nature. If you discover something that could possibly be droppings, be certain to have a pest control inspection scheduled. If there are droppings, there is probably urine. Urine could result in the floors becoming damaged in the home.
5. Unusual Noises – If you are hearing weird noises – especially during the night time hours – you may have pests that have taken up residency in your home. These sounds may vary. You may hear scratching, gnawing sounds, scurrying sounds, and sounds that are similar in nature. Nocturnal pests are active during the quiet, night time hours. If certain animals have made their way into your chimney or in your attic, you will hear odd noises coming from those locations within the home. Once pests have infested these spaces, they will often tear up insulation and other areas
6. Yucky Smells – In some instances, you may notice yucky smells before you notice any other sign that pests have taken up residency in your home. For example, rodents have strong urine and dropping smells. An oily smell may be a sign of cockroaches and other insects may leave behind a musky type of smell. These smells may become embedded in the materials in the home such as carpet, tile, and wood.
7. Grease and Dirt – Certain types of infestations will leave behind traces of both grease and dirt. Typically, this occurs around the baseboards, in the windowsills, in corners of the home, and cabinets. You may even discover this behind furniture pieces. If the grease and dirt build up over an extended amount of time, it could result in those areas of the home becoming damaged.
8. Damaged Wood – You should pay close attention to the wood if it is opened on the walls and on the floor. Certain pests will actually gnaw at this wood and cause a lot of damage. Other pests eat the wood like termites. Then, there are pests that nest in the wood, like carpenter ants.
9. Holes in Furniture – If you see damage to your furniture or other items that are made with fabric, it could be that a pest infestation is present within your home. Certain pests like moths and carpet beetles actually eat certain types of fabrics such as wool and cotton. Then, there are wood boring insects that could leave holes in your furniture or your floorboards.
10. Drafts – Pests commonly enter into a home through small access points around the windows, the foundation, and even the doors. They have the ability to get through insulation and even weatherstripping. The gaps created by pests that do this are left behind and make a source for drafts to enter into the home. The larger the space, the larger number of insects that will make it into your home.
11. Electrical Damage – Many homeowners do not realize it, but certain pests – especially rodents – will do damage to electrical wires by chewing on them. Once the plastic is gnawed off the surface of the wire, not only does this expose you to potential electrocution, it also may result in your home being at risk for a fire.
12. Roof Damage – There are many pests like rodents, squirrels, and others that could cause a lot of damage to your roof. You should evaluate your roof about twice a year. Pests can cause shingles to become broken, cracked, and filled with holes. This type of damage could result in your home being susceptible to water leaks and damage, flooding, and subject to developing mold and mildew throughout the attic and on the interior walls of your home.
13. Soil Erosion Near Downspouts – If soil erosion occurs near the downspouts of your home’s gutter system, it could lead to infestations of ants, rodents, termites, and roaches. If water puddles in the area, a breeding ground for mosquitoes will start to form.

What Pests Cause the Most Damage to the Home?

There are many insects that cause the most damage to a home. These include the following:

1. Termites
2. Carpenter Ants
3. Carpenter Bees

Unexplained Health Problems

Many do not realize it, but many pests may be to blame when it comes to unexplained health problems. These include rodents, cockroaches, and dust mites. These all have the potential to cause allergies to be triggered and asthma attacks. Common symptoms of pest-induced health problems include sneezing, coughing, itchy and dry eyes, skin rashes.

In addition to this, bed bugs, fleas, and lice can result in the development of itchy red welts on the skin. There are other diseases that may be passed on to humans, too. These include the hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonella, and some carry bacteria that could cause food poisoning.

How to Prevent Pest Infestations in the Home

If you want to prevent an infestation from taking place in your home, there are several preventative steps that you may take. The following outlines the top strategies as given by pest control technicians:

1. First, be sure to look for and seal up any areas where pests may enter into your home. This includes gaps, cracks, and/or holes.
2. Maintain a high level of cleanliness in and around your home. You should especially keep the kitchen clean. Be certain to store food in containers that are air tight. If there are any spills, clean them up immediately.
3. You should have regular inspections done on your home. These should focus on looking for signs of infestations and what can be done to your home in order to protect it from pests.
4. If you find or feel that there is a pest inspection needed, you may contact us here at All Pest. Not only will we conduct a thorough examination of your home, we will work with you to create a customized treatment plan that will leave your home pest free.

Contact Us

We here at All Pest offer many solutions for both residences and businesses. We do pest control, pre-inspections, and home inspections. We started servicing the community in 1995. We are locally owned and locally operated. We make it a point to ensure that we offer the best value to our customers. We are dedicated to serving this community by offering the best pest control at the most affordable price. When we work with you, we treat you like you are our only customer.

We encourage you to look at our gallery to view pictures of infestations so that you will better know exactly what you are looking for when you are looking around the interior and exterior of your home. You may schedule an appointment on our website, too. For more information or to schedule services, you may call us today by calling the following number: 765-259-0043