4 Infestations You Should Deal With Fast

4 Pest Infestations You Should Deal With Right Away

There’s no such thing as a pleasant pest infestation. While all pest infestations are inconvenient, however, some are worse than others. Significantly worse.

These are four examples of the worst kind of pest infestation. Dealing with one of these infestations for any length of time gets expensive, stressful, and frustrating. These are the pests you should call in the cavalry about the moment you notice they’ve made their home in yours:

Termites

Termites can do a lot of damage to your home's woodDid you know that termites never sleep? In fact, they never rest at all. When they have access to food, a termite colony feeds 24/7. That means if they’re chomping down on the wood in or around your home, they’re never going to stop. Termites feed by breaking wood down into cellulose, boring holes through it in the process. These termite “tunnels” can eventually compromise the structural integrity of whatever wood they’re built into.

It’s simple: the sooner you identify and treat your termite infestation, the less damage they’ll inflict on your home. Ideally, you want to stop them before they do any damage whatsoever. Damage to wooden structures can be very expensive or even impossible to replace! The best way to handle termites is to prevent them from ever getting into your home. Failing that, however, you’ll need professional help to drive them out completely and effectively.

Rodents

Rats and mice may cause electrical fires when they bite through wiringNobody wants mice or rats scurrying around unattended in their house. They’re creepy, dirty, and distressing. The real reason you deal with rodent infestations quickly, however, is that they’re surprisingly dangerous. Rats and mice need to chew on something constantly to keep their teeth sharp. That means they’ll chew on anything they can find. Unfortunately, what they can find is usually something you really don’t want them putting in their mouths.

Electrical cords and wires, for instance, happen to be the perfect chew toys. At least until they start a fire. Rats and mice start a surprising number of house fires after chewing on cords or wires. They can also chew through structures, making your home vulnerable to other pest infestations. Then there’s the hygiene problem. Rodents leave behind grime and waste wherever they go, they’re often infested with fleas, and they spread human-transmittable diseases. The minute you think you have a rodent infestation, you should do something about it.

Moths

Pantry moths ruin stored food products, and clothing moths can eat through your clothingThere are two main “categories” of pest moth: pantry infesters and fabric infesters. You want to deal with both of them right away. Pantry moths lay eggs in dry foods stored in your pantry. When these eggs hatch, the larvae feed on this food until they’re old enough to pupate. Then they grow up, mate, and lay eggs… on another nearby food source. Fabric moths do the same thing, except they eat your clothes instead of your food.

All this happens on a larger scale and faster than you might think. Most pest moths complete their entire life cycle within 60-90 days. They also lay hundreds of eggs at a time. Add all that up and it’s an infestation that spreads quickly and does a lot of damage. Plus, moth damage is just nasty. You don’t want to bite into bread and find caterpillars inside it.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs don't inflict major structural damage or transmit diseases, but the psychological damage they can do shouldn't be underestimatedThis one seems particularly obvious. Bed bugs bite you so they can suck on your blood. While you’re asleep. It’s all very upsetting. As if that wasn’t bad enough, bed bugs reproduce, lay eggs, and spread. Bed bug lay eggs in and around beds. When those eggs hatch, the young will feed on the bed’s occupants, too. The longer bed bug infestations last, the harder it will be to reliably eliminate them all effectively.

Compared to the other pests on this list, bed bugs don’t inflict major damage. There’s no evidence that they transmit diseases to humans. They don’t harm structures or property. The damage they do usually isn’t significant at all, in fact. But there is the psychological trauma. Bed bugs are extremely upsetting pests to have and deal with. No one deserves to have to feel paranoid about just getting in bed. The faster you deal with them, the sooner you can get back to having a good night’s sleep.

So: we’ve made the case as to why you should deal with these pests as soon as you find them. But how do you do that? Easy: just call Griffin Pest Control and schedule an appointment. We’re ready to help you quickly and effectively, so you don’t have to deal with any of these problems. Next time you have a pest infestation, call right away. You’ll be glad you did!

The Price of Pest Infestation

It would be bad enough if pests just kind of hung out in your home or business. They’re gross. Nobody wants to live with them. Unfortunately, however, there are even more important reasons to deal with pest infestations quickly and permanently. Pests wreck literally incalculable damage on manmade structures and the natural world alike. Scientists recently estimated that invasive forest insects alone cost the US over $4 billion dollars annually.

Even common pests like rodents or beetles can do a surprising amount of damage to your home surprisingly quickly. Here are a couple of the worst problems pests can make for you if you let them. If you’re worried you have an infestation, take action immediately to save yourself the potentially expensive headache of dealing with stuff like this. Sorry about the scare tactics; we just want to make sure you know what to keep an eye out for.

Ceiling with pest damage
Structural Damage

First, the big one. Wood is still the primary building material used in homes. Pests like termites, Longhorned Beetles, Emerald Ash Borers, ants, and carpenter bees all feed on and/or burrow through wood. That loadbearing 2×4 holding up part of your kitchen floor is just another tasty snack for them. When wood-boring pests eat through wood, they damage its structural integrity, making it ineffective and exposing it to the possibility of cracking or even collapsing.

Though it’ll take time for pests to dramatically damage your home, even minor structural damage should be considered very dangerous. Damage to your home’s framework or foundation can be expensive to repair, and might have a huge negative impact on resale value. If you have a termite, beetle, or ant infestation, it’s crucial that you deal with it quickly and take steps to prevent future infestations.

Electrical wire pest damage
Electrical Damage

Did you know that rat and mice teeth never stop growing? Rodents like these start teething as babies and never stop. That means they need something relatively soft to chew on constantly. One of the telltale signs of a rodent infestation are tiny bite marks on a wide variety of household items. Carpeting, furniture, wood, fabric, and even hard plastics aren’t safe from the incessant gnawing.

Alarmingly, rats and mice love chowing down on wires more than almost anything else. The shape, length, and softness of a power cord make electrical cables the perfect teething tool. Repeated biting and chewing wears down on electrical wires, the same way nervously biting a pencil leaves marks and dents in it. If the rodents keep coming back for long enough, they could expose the internal wiring inside the cord, creating a major fire hazard.

Clothing with pest damage
Fabric Damage

Good news: adult moths don’t eat clothes. In fact, they don’t eat at all! Bad news: adult moths lay their eggs in clothes. And then the hatched babies eat your clothes. Moth larvae feed on fabrics until they reach maturity, doing considerable damage and leaving behind holes in the process. Moths are known for eating clothes, but they’ll feed on any kind of fabric, hair, or fur, including drapes, carpeting, or decor.

Moths aren’t the only fabric-feeders, either. Silverfish and carpet beetles can both do considerable damage to your flooring or wardrobe. Plus, it’s icky. You don’t want to wear a pair of underwear that baby moths have been chewing on. Even minor fabric damage can ruin expensive or difficult-to-replace items quickly, so don’t wait to take care of the moths you find in your closet.

Furniture with pest damage
Furniture Damage

Wow, pests really don’t leave anything alone, huh? Rodents, beetles, moths, spiders, and pretty much everything else can damage or even take up residence in furniture. Most pests prefer dark, hidden areas where they can hide, sleep, and eat in peace. Large furniture, especially sofas and fabric armchairs can be really attractive nests for some unwanted roommates.

Pests aren’t content to just crash on your sofa, either. Given the chance, they’ll use it as a food source, ripping into it and carving out holes. Pests can ruin a lot of wood, fabric, and even plastic furniture faster than you might suspect. Plus, again, it’s gross. You don’t want to sit on a sofa that has roaches in it. Trust us…

 

Remember: a little proactive maintenance always beats a big repair or replacement paycheck. Practice good pest prevention strategies now, and hopefully you’ll never have to worry about damage like this.

If you’ve noticed any of the problems we’ve laid out here in your house, don’t panic! Just give us a call right away. Not only can we get any pests in your house to leave your stuff alone, we can make sure they don’t come back after we kick them out. The faster you take action, the less you have to worry about–so take action now!