Unwanted Guests: 11 of the Most Common Household Pests

Do you know everything that's living in your home? Besides you or your family, you could be cohabitating with a number of unwanted guests, like mice, ants, or spiders.

Living with pests that go undetected or untreated can lead to serious health issues. If you notice that you don't feel well, have trouble breathing, or an increase in allergy symptoms, you could have a reaction to insects or rodents living in your home. Household pests carry diseases and trigger severe health conditions. They can also destroy the structural integrity of your house.

Are you sure your house is pest-free? It might be time to take a closer look. Here are eleven of the most common unwanted household pets for Yuba City homes. 

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1. Termites

Termites can live in your home and eat through the wood structures before you know they are there. If you see an insect that looks like an ant but is a bit bigger and lighter in color, that's a termite. 
The subterranean variety of termites eat twenty-four hours a day. They can eat through the foundation or load-bearing areas of your home quickly and efficiently. 
You might notice the signs of termites before you see a termite. Watch for:

• Hollow-sounding places in the walls or floors of your home
• Sagging or blistering spots in the floor
• Doors or windows that stick
• Cracks in the walls
  

Left untreated, termites can ruin your house. If you notice any of these things in or around your home, call a pest removal professional.

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2. Ants

Ants have extensive skills to find multiple ways into a house. Sometimes rain or outdoor ant control measures can force a colony of ants into the floors or walls of your home. 

Carpenter ants enjoy chewing on the wood features of your home. They don't eat the wood as termites do. Instead, carpenter ants create hollow spaces and tunnels inside the wood to build nests. If you see piles of wood shavings in or around your home, you could have a carpenter ant problem.

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3. Rats and Mice

Bigger pests can cause bigger problems inside your home and for your health. However, the chances of seeing a rat or mouse in your home are small. Your first indication of a rodent problem will be hearing them, seeing droppings, or noticing holes in your food containers. 

Rodents are bigger than ants or termites, but they know how to stay hidden in your house. The droppings and urine they leave behind can lead to diseases like hantavirus, rat-bite fever, and salmonella. That's why it's critical to keep your food storage areas free of rats and mice. 

When they dig into your food and water sources, you risk exposure to serious diseases. As soon as you notice signs of rodents in and around your home, call a pest removal expert. 

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4. Earwigs

The idea of an earwig crawling into your ear and making itself at home is the substance of nightmares. Fortunately, these insects don't do that. They prefer cool, damp environments like cracks and crevices or moist yard debris. They tend to keep to themselves, but they will use their sharp pincers if threatened.

Earwigs are some of the least harmful pests that can invade your home, but they are unwanted pests. Treat your home if you see evidence of earwigs.

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5. Black Widow Spiders

There's a good chance several species of spiders live inside and around your home. While spiders are generally creepy and unwanted, many species are harmless. 

Black Widow spiders are not one of those harmless species. You can identify a black widow from the two red triangular markings the spider's round, black, and shiny abdomen. They hide in dry, dark, and cluttered environments, like piles of books, newspapers, or wood. 

Do not attempt to handle a black widow, or you risk a painful bite and a long recovery from the wound it leaves behind. Bites are rarely fatal, but you will need to seek emergency medical attention for treatment and to avoid an infection. 

Call your local pest control expert if you see a black widow spider. Remove clutter to keep them away.

6. Ticks

You don't need to have a dog or cat to have ticks in your home, but that's the most common way for ticks to make it into your yard or house. Ticks are some of the more dangerous pests to have around. They carry Lyme disease and other serious illnesses. 

When you discover a tick bite, it's probably already been there for a few days. It's also possible that the tick is still attached when you realize you have a tick bite. You can receive a disease from a tick immediately after they bite, and they can transmit more than one disease at a time. 

If you find a tick on your pet or yourself, you need a Yuba City pest control company to treat your home and yard right away.

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7. Fleas

Your beloved pet can also be the source of fleas inside your home. Once your house becomes infested with fleas, they are challenging to treat and hard to remove from furniture, drapery, and clothing.

Fleas cause itchy bites while they feed on human and animal blood. They can bite multiple times during the same attack. While they're on your skin or in your dog's fur, they also lay eggs. When you see one or two fleas, you know there are many more where they came from. They breed and multiply quickly.

Make sure your pest control Yuba City not only treats to prevent future flea infestations but also to eliminate larvae and remove a current flea problem.

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8. American Cockroaches

They aren't patriotic, but you can certainly find them in many homes throughout America. This species of cockroach is larger than a common household roach. They transmit plenty of diseases and can trigger severe allergy episodes. 

The American cockroach has a red color and very fast when trying to remove one from your home. They prefer the outdoors, like flowerbeds and piles of mulch. However, they will venture indoors when they can't find enough to eat. They are difficult to treat because they lay plenty of eggs and multiply quickly.

Treatment includes pesticides plus sealing cracks around doors and windows and in your foundation.

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9. Wasps

You might not consider wasps as a "pest," but they certainly fall into the category of unwanted guests. European Paper Wasps have a vicious sting, but they aren't overly aggressive. You'll know these species of the wasp by its yellow color, black pattern, and cinched waist. Because of its coloring, it can be mistaken for the yellowjacket.

European Paper Wasps love to make their home in attics, crevices, under light fixtures, and the eaves of your roofs. They'll keep to themselves until disturbed, then they go into defense mode and are likely to sting. They can pose a threat by their aggressive look and tendency to react aggressively when approached.

Before they grow in numbers, have your Yuba City pest control remove nests and treat to prevent future wasp infestations.

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10. Indianmeal Moths

Yes, there are different species of moths. The Indianmeal Moth loves to invade your home and leave traces behind while contaminating your food sources.

They don't bite and don't cause damage to clothing, as some of their sister moth species commonly do. However, they can arrive in your home via food packaging and breed while inside the package. Indianmeal Moths lay eggs that contaminate your food. Discard any food where you find moth eggs. 

Keep food sealed tightly in containers. Use a professional pest control specialist to treat and rid your home of Indianmeal Moths.

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11. Box Elder Beetles

You'll find Box Elder Beetles hanging out in box elder trees. If you have this type of tree, keep an eye out for these beetles that could invade your home if life in the trees becomes inhabitable.

You can spot a Box Elder Beetle by the orange and red markings on its black oval-shaped body. When the temperatures drop, these beetles seek warmer accommodations. They'll venture into homes for warmth. 
While Box Elder Beetles aren't aggressive, they will bite if they feel the need. They also leave their mark behind on surfaces, including drapes, windowsills, or other clothing. The red droppings from this species of beetle can leave a stain behind.

If you noticed unexplained red stains or groups of yellow eggs in the tree bark of your box elder trees, you probably have Box Elder beetles. Call your pest treatment specialist to take care of your beetle problem!

Don't Live With Household Pests!

There's no need to live with household pests—whether you know they're in your home or not. Most homes contain common household bugs, even if they stay hidden.

Choose a Yuba City pest control service that is familiar with treating the common unwanted pests in the area. Joel's Pest Control has the answer for all of these types of pests and more! We've served Yuba City for more than 15 years. Contact us at the first sign pest activity in your home!