Common Pests That Can Ruin Your Home

The summer months are full of fun and son, but they are also unfortunately the most active time for wood-boring yet common  pests seeking to colonize your home. There are many common pest species of these insects that are very beneficial in nature but can be incredibly destructive to your home. The three main common pests that can damage a home are ants, termites, and beetles, but the damage that they create is completely preventable. Read on for tips on identifying and destroying these common pests and to find out if you need a pest control company to fumigate your home.

Carpenter Ants 

Much larger cousins of the common ants, they can infiltrate a human home much more easily because they are able to create their own entrances with powerful mandibles capable of rending wood. They are often more visible than other wood-boring pests because they also forage for food around your kitchen and garbage, but even if you do not see them there are some telltale signs that you may be suffering from a carpenter ant infestation.

1. Wood shaving near cracks: Since the ants do not actually eat wood their tunnels often leave large amounts of flakes resembling pencil shavings near cracks in your molding.
2. Listen to your wall: Putting a glass to the wall can often be sufficient to hear the ants skittering around inside interior walls.
3. Find the bodies: Ants can often get trapped and die in places like your sink or bathtub, so check for bodies around the drains.
4. Don’t be fooled by color: If you do discover ants, they can be of either the red or black variety, and the common species in California is black.

Subterranean Termites

Perhaps the most destructive of the Common wood-boring pests are termites, small subterranean insects often mistaken for white ants or flying ants. Unlike ants they actually eat the wood in your home, converting it into cellulose to subsist on throughout the winter. They are very efficient in how they attack and consume wooden structures, making exterminating their colonies a priority as they can cause extensive damage in a short time. Here are some signs that you may suffer from termite infestation:

1. Holes in the earth near wood are common: Since the actual colonies are underground, the Termites construct these shelter tubes as an egress route to their food source.
2. Knock on wood: Structures being consumed by termites are often eaten from the inside out, and a hollow-sounding knock on a supposedly solid wooden structure is a telltale sign of termite infestation.
3. Taking the bait: There are several brands of termite bait that can draw out the critters and make the otherwise shy insects show themselves.

Powderpost Beetles

These small dot like holes are actually powder post beetle infestation signs. These common pests infest over and over and should be taken care of immediately

Finally we come to powderpost beetles, a scourge of both coasts of the United States. They can infest a structure repeatedly over several season and generations, making their account relentless and the damage often extensive.

1. Check for powder: The telltale sign of their infestation is the powdery residue around your wood that gives them their name.
2. Obvious holes: Powder residue will usually be accompanied by multiple tine holes in the face of the wood.

If you find evidence of any of these common pest infestations, you should call a pest control company as soon as possible. These common insect colonies are capable of doing immense damage the the structure of your home, reducing it in value or even creating a dangerous condition to live in. Many companies offer a free consultation and inspection, so if you think your home may be infested there is nothing to lose by having it looked at today.       

Common Pests Vs Wood Destroying Organisms. You Decide while Common these pests are no laughing matter. Common pests can do alot of damage.