Searching For A Family Home? Check Out These Pest Infestation Signs First
What do you consider before purchasing a home? The cost? Location? Age? Curb appeal? Interior and exterior décor? Amenities? Size? The number of bedrooms and bathrooms? The list goes on!
But have you ever decided to check the house for pests before closing the deal? Oh, yeah, that’s a good point. If, for example, you suspect that the property you're considering buying in Texas may have a pest problem, it's essential to consult professionals in lewisville wildlife removal for a comprehensive assessment and potential solutions. These experts specialize in identifying and removing wildlife infestations, ensuring a pest-free home and peace of mind for you and your family.
So, if you want to tackle a situation yourself, how do you know a home is teeming with all sorts of pests? Unfortunately, the homeowner may not tell you, so it's left to you to don your detective hat and look out for these signs.
1. Pest droppings
Pests often leave a trail of their droppings in their wake. These droppings, some noticeable, are signs of a pest problem.
You can spot pest droppings in areas like cupboards. Mice or rats’ droppings, which are a common sign of rodent infestation, can be found in areas like:
Kitchen cabinets
Utility closets and areas around appliances and water heaters
Bathroom cabinets and closets
Attic and crawl spaces
Parts of the home where there are air vents, exposed pipes, or holes in walls
Rodents aren't the only pest that leaves trails of droppings in their wake. Insects do as well. But how do you identify an insect dropping? By their size.
Most insect poops appear like tiny pellets. However, large insects often produce larger droppings.
2. Active Pests
This is the most common way to determine if a home has pest trouble. All you have to do is pay attention when inspecting the apartment.
If, for instance, you see a colony or termites marching up towards the roof of your house-to-be, it's a clear indication of termite infestation. The same applies to other insects, ants.
You should conduct a thorough inspection to ensure that these pests aren’t present in the home. Remember, they are pretty good at hiding. So you’ll need to check possible hiding spots to determine if they are present or not.
Common pests hiding spots are:
The ceiling
Furniture
Garage
Around moldings and baseboards
In closets
In wall cracks
Around sinks, drains, and exposed pipes
3. Holes and Gnaw Marks
Are there small holes at the base of the wall in your kitchen or the exterior below your window? Did you notice holes in your attic? All these are signs of a possible infestation. You can also add burrows in weedy and garbage areas near the property to the list.
In addition to holes, keep an eye out for gnaw marks. Rats are responsible for those marks, which are telltale signs of infestation. You should also pay attention to chewed-up electrical wires and other properties or accessories that rats might have damaged.
If you find any of these signs, you can decide against purchasing the house or call in pest control for a quick assessment of the situation. These professionals can tell you what you are dealing with and offer the best solution to the infestation.
4. Strange Smells and Sounds
Is the home basement giving off a pungent, musty, or oily smell? If so, you must be careful; a cockroach may scurry past your legs or fly straight at your face!
If your nose picks up a sweet, musty odor, it means the home is hunted by bed bugs. Scary, right?
You should also pay attention to the musty urine smell. If you perceive these odors, the chances are that rats are lurking around the corner. Roaches, one of the oldest pests known to man, have an oily odor, similar to fecal soy sauce.
In addition to smells, you need to pay attention to noises. Not all noises are caused by wind or expanding/contracting home components. Some like scratching sounds on the walls, gnawing, squeaking, or scurrying, may indicate the presence of rodents. Big bugs make sounds, too. Again, you'll need to pay attention to notice them.
5. Evidence of nesting:
After chewing through your wood or munching the leftover pie in your kitchen, pests like rats or mice retreat to a safe post to rest. But, because they cannot employ the services of builders like we humans, they tend to make a nest out of whatever they can find.
With the help of a good flashlight, search all the areas of the apartment. Check behind appliances in the kitchen and inside cabinets for signs like shredded paper that might be used for nesting.
Conclusion
The last thing you'd want as a new homeowner is to share your new home with an unwanted guest. So, you should do the necessary research before closing the deal on a property, as this gives you the ability to know what to expect and what not to.
You can decide to call off the purchase if you notice signs that indicate the huge presence of pests. Or, you can request that the property owner take care of the pest trouble as a requirement for purchasing the property.