Insects may be small, but they can create big problems for a house. Homeowners ignore them at their own peril.
Not all bugs, of course. Ladybugs are probably prettier in your garden than in your bathroom, but they won’t do any damage in there. Seeing a spider in your basement may not be your idea of a good time, but on the plus side, it might feast on other insects. Still, you want to pay attention to what’s crawling or flying around in your home. Some insects you think are merely a nuisance can slowly devour your home or at least chip away at its value.
Which insects are the worst? Here are a few to watch.
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Termites
If you see termites in or around your home, act quickly.
“Termites are one of the most destructive property pests and pose the greatest threat to homes across the U.S.,” says Jim Fredericks, chief entomologist and senior vice president of public affairs at the National Pest Management Association in Fairfax, Virginia. “These pests eat 24/7, meaning that damage to wood in and around a home can happen extremely quickly,” In fact, Fredericks adds, “termites are responsible for an estimated $6.8 billion in property damage in the U.S. each year.”
Fredericks says homeowners who see termites should contact a pest control professional immediately.
“Termites cannot be effectively treated by a homeowner on their own,” Fredericks says.
You can take steps to prevent them, however:
— Make sure your house isn’t damp. Do you have leaky pipes? Is your house often humid? Termites love moisture, Fredericks says.
— Make sure water isn’t pooling around your house. Another reason to have good gutters.
— Look for damaged wood on your home. Does your wood sound hollow when tapped? That can be a sign of termites.
— Store firewood away from your house. A woodpile should be at least 20 feet from the house, Fredericks advises.
— Don’t assume flying insects are not a big deal. Termites can fly. A rogue termite could be part of a termite swarm embedded in your home. “A pro can properly identify termites from flying ants,” Fredericks says.
Yes, some ants can fly. If you had to choose between flying ants and termites, you’d want the flying ants. They won’t harm your house or you. They’ll just you drive you crazy.
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Carpenter Ants
Flying ants are not a major issue for a home’s health, but Fredericks says that in certain areas of the country, carpenter ants are more common and cause more damage than termites.
“Termites do the most damage to a home. Carpenter ants would be a close runner-up,” says David Price, an associate certified entomologist and director of technical services at Mosquito Joe in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Carpenter ants are social insects and carve galleries in wood for their nests, Price says. The good news is that carpenter ants don’t really want to move into your home.
“Their preference is in trees where a branch has fallen or cut off,” he says, explaining that a rip in a tree means carpenter ants have softer wood to burrow into. They have strong mandibles, according to Price, but they like soft wood. So if you have wood that has been weakened by moisture at windows, eaves, roofand crawl spaces that appears inviting to carpenter ants from a nearby colony — maybe in one of your backyard trees — they may begin to carve out a place for a satellite colony.
Fire Ants
“Ants are America’s number one nuisance pest,” Fredericks says, and while the majority of ants don’t pose a significant threat to health and property homeowners, you do not want carpenter ants or fire ants. Fire ants are invasive; they aren’t supposed to be in the United States. But they are, and they can do a lot of damage.
“Fire ants sting when threatened, resulting in painful welts that can be dangerous to those who are allergic,” Fredericks says.
Last year, in Georgia, a woman died after she stepped on a fire ant hill in her yard and is believed to have suffered an allergic reaction.
Fire ants are copper colored and often found in electrical outlets and boxes and in HVAC units. This could potentially be a fire hazard. Use ant repellents around the outlets and seal entry points around the electrical outlets using caulk or weatherstripping to prevent ants from entering.
Cockroaches
Most dangerous bug in a home? Garrett Thrasher says cockroaches get his vote. Thrasher is the vice president and general manager and co-owner of Thrasher Termite & Pest Control of So Cal in San Diego.
Given the name of his business, Thrasher also thinks termites are pretty bad, but he says that at least termites aren’t a health risk. If a swarm of termites flies into your face, you’ll be annoyed but remain healthy. Cockroaches carry disease, he points out.
“Cockroaches crawl through filth and pick up virus and bacteria that they deposit on counters, food and on the tops of cans in the pantry,” Thrasher says. “These disease-causing microbes can’t be seen with the naked eye but remain around long after you flip on the light and witness cockroaches scurry for cover.”
Cockroaches do devour homes, he says, albeit not as vigorously as termites.
“Severe cockroach infestations are damaging to property,” Thrasher says. “Cockroach fecal material has a strong, distinctive odor that impregnates drywall and wood surfaces. Cockroaches consume adhesives, such as wallpaper paste and fabric. In townhouses and multi-unit dwellings, cockroaches will migrate between residences, especially when one unit is being treated and an adjacent unit is not.”
They are attracted to moisture, so it may not have anything to do with how clean your house is. It’s often difficult to know whether it’s a random sighting or an infestation, so calling a pest control company, stat, is likely best for your peace of mind and your house.
Bedbugs
Bedbugs won’t bring your foundation down. They don’t eat wood — humans are their primary food source. They also don’t spread disease and they won’t hurt your water pipes or insulation. In theory, you can live with bedbugs, although the itchy welts they cause may give you anxiety and sleepless nights. Bedbugs can’t damage your house — until you try to sell it. It could impact your home’s value and sour a potential sale. Even mitigating the problem after an inspection may not help.
“These are pests that homeowners definitely don’t want to attempt to manage on their own with, as they are extremely difficult to eradicate,” Fredericks says.
Tips for Battling Bugs in Homes
The best way to win a battle with bugs is to keep them out of your home in the first place. Once they arrive, if it becomes overwhelming, calling an exterminator is worth the cost. According to the home improvement network Angi, an exterminator will run you an average of $172. Bedbug exterminations typically cost between $1,750 and $3,250 and can easily go up to $5,000. Some risky DIY methods can have disastrous results.
Price offers these prevention tips:
— Make sure your window and door screens are in good shape. Otherwise, you’re inviting bugs inside.
— Control moisture. It isn’t just termites. Bugs, in general, like water. “So be sure to direct water away from the foundation,” Price says. Too much moisture around your foundation or around your gutters can create breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Mosquito Joe’s Price says mosquitoes don’t belong on a list of home damaging insects, other than possibly spreading diseases to the homeowner. Otherwise, he says, “mosquitoes are mostly a nuisance.”
— Spiders are a homeowner’s friend. You may not appreciate a spider in your home, but Price says if you wipe away webs outdoors you’re just reducing food sources for spiders, which means they won’t eat as many insects, some of them probably annoying ones.
— You may be able to handle an ant invasion yourself. Try baits and insecticides, Price says. But knowing where to place them is important, and “you may see them inside, but they are most likely coming from the outside,” he says. If they have formed a satellite colony in a wall, that requires a professional, he adds.
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The 5 Worst Bugs For Your Home originally appeared on usnews.com
