5 Household Pests That Aren’t Rodents and How to Get Rid of Them

An infestation can happen anytime of the year but is more likely to happen if vermin find cracks and gaps in your walls and windows. Moreover, some are very persistent in their pursuit to find food—rodents can even climb up to your roof and squeeze their way into a broken vent or ransack your rubbish bins.

Whenever pests are the topic of discussions, mice and rats come up on top as they are the most common and usually  the most annoying—especially when they make scratching noises in the small hours of the night. These creatures wreak havoc on anybody’s home, leaving behind an ammonia-like scent from their urine, droppings that are infectious, and dirty oil residue from their fur. 

In the UK, however, mice and rats aren’t the only pests that you have to deal with. You might experience a swarm of other pests depending on what time of the year it is or how the weather is. 

Here are five household pests, other than rodents, that you need to watch out for all throughout the year. In addition to the  list are some ideas on how you can control or completely get rid of them:

Flies

These flying insects reproduce so swiftly that they can go from egg to adult in about seven days. In the UK, moderate levels of infestation occur in April and May, peak in July, and gradually decline in August. When you notice a swarm of flies, it means there is something decaying in the area and/or there is rubbish piling up somewhere. They carry pathogens that can cause diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, and eye infections if you ingest food that flies have landed on.

You can prevent flies from entering your home by sealing cracks and gaps in the external walls and windows of the property. You can also use an insecticide to kill adult flies, or request your landlord that they help in contacting professional pest eradicators.

Moths

Cloth moths come out in March but don’t increase in number until April and May, and then disappear by June. These pests can severely damage textile, fur, and leather. 

Moths feed on the animal fibres found in fabrics. Therefore, keeping your clothes clean and washed regularly can help prevent larvae production within the fibres. Another solution for moth infestations is fumigation, though this involves hiring a professional. 

Cockroaches

These insects are known to be the oldest living pests in the history of the world; they are about 350 to 400 million years old. Unlike other pests that infest on a schedule, cockroaches can enter your home all year long. They are known to carry a host of diseases that are very harmful to humans such as asthma, polio, skin allergies, trichinosis, food poisoning, and dysentery.

You know there are cockroaches lurking when you smell the strong, musty odour that they leave behind. They breed rapidly, so an infestation must be addressed as soon as you see signs of them like their eggs, droppings, and shed carapace.

Aside from keeping your home clean all around all the time, you can use a child-safe insecticide to get rid of cockroaches.

Ants

These hardworking insects march around your home to search for and harvest food. You can track where they come from by studying where they enter and then cover up their entry point. 

If you have sweets or any food source on your table and a means to climb up, the ants will most definitely infest your food in no time. Store your food in sealed or air tight containers and keep your table and countertops clean.

Ants come out at the beginning of March, with the army increasing in numbers by August and dying down by November.

Wasps

Getting rid of wasps can be very tricky as you risk getting yourself stung, which is very painful and can cause allergic reactions. So, before going near them, wear protective gear. 

To prevent a wasp infestation, seal any openings or gaps in your exterior walls. Wasps may build their nests inside your home once they find an ideal spot. They may nest on your roof, walls, attic, or any nook and cranny that will provide a safe place for them to construct their hive.

Watch out for wasp infestation from the spring to the summer months, especially when it gets warmer. The best way to get rid of wasps is to remove the nests from your home. However, this can be dangerous for you. It is better to get help from pest control experts.

Protect your home

If you live in a rented home, you can control or get rid of the infestations in your home if your landlord is not ignoring your repair requests. If they do ignore you and refuse to help you, the experts at DisrepairClaim.co.uk can help you lodge a complaint so the disrepair in your home and the infestation can be fixed.

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