There are many good reasons to seek out residential pest control if you believe that you have an infestation. In addition to health risks, pests can cause extensive property damage to your home that can be costly to repair. The larger the infestation, the greater the damage can be. Here are some problems to look for if you suspect an infestation.

Holes in Siding or Soffits

An infestation in your home can’t begin until the animals get inside. Sometimes they find an opening to squeeze through, such as cracks in the foundation or gaps around doors and windows. However, if pests can’t find a way, some are equipped to make one. Rodents, in particular, are well equipped to make holes in siding or soffits by chewing on them. Their front teeth never stop growing, and if they didn’t keep gnawing to file them down, their teeth would grow so long that they wouldn’t be able to eat.

While rodents such as rats and mice could make a new hole in a soffit or siding, they are more likely to look for an existing vulnerability that they can exploit. They don’t need to do much to enlarge a hole enough so they can fit through because a mouse can fit through an opening the width of a dime, while a rat can fit through a hole the size of a quarter.

Structural Damage

Once the pests get into your home, they can damage the underlying structure that supports it. Rats and mice may chew on wooden supports and joists because their need to file down their teeth doesn’t go away once they get inside. Additionally, your home’s wooden framework is at risk for insect pests. Two such insects are termites, which actually feed on the wood itself, and carpenter ants, which don’t eat the wood but tunnel through it to build nests. As a colony of carpenter ants grows, it can eventually hollow out wooden supports so that they are no longer strong enough to effectively bear the weight of your home.

Furniture Damage

Furniture provides several things that rodent pests need. It provides hard surfaces that they can gnaw on to wear down their teeth as well as soft padding that they can rip up for nesting materials. In fact, mice or rats may be able to make a nest right in a cushion on a piece of furniture or use it to hide food that they want to store for later. As the food goes bad, it may draw other pests.

Bed bugs can also use furniture as a hiding place. These are small, brown, oval-shaped insects that bite you while you sleep to feed parasitically on your blood. They are able to squeeze into very tiny spaces, such as the seams of mattresses and chair cushions, to wait during the day until you go back to sleep again. Bed bugs aren’t as destructive to your furniture as rodents can be, but they can stain fabrics with their reddish-brown feces.

Electrical Damage

Electrical damage is most likely to come from a rodent infestation. Rats and mice are known to chew on wires because the twisted strands of metal are effective at wearing down their teeth. If they sever the wires completely, it can cut off the electricity to your home.

Mice and rats are also attracted to the insulation surrounding the wires, which is often made of a plant-based material that is edible to them. If they strip off the insulation, the wires can spark and cause a house fire.

Hire Truly Nolen for Residential Pest Control

Professional pest removal is much more effective as a long-term solution to an infestation. We understand the way animals behave at different times of the year and use that knowledge to help us remove them effectively and keep them from coming back in. Learn more about the services we offer to homeowners.