Household Pests: Inspect before you move

Household Pests: Inspect before you move

Moving can be exciting at times, for example, when moving in with your spouse, upsizing, or moving into your dream neighborhood. But beware of common household pests. These home pests can be a big problem if not addressed appropriately. It is much better to discover household pests before you move in so that you can avoid exponential expansion of these home pests during your sleep. Here are some tips to help you learn whether or not you have any common household pests in your new home.

First Household Pest Inspection

The first task you want to complete is a line of sight inspection. You should be concerned about household pests if:

• There are glue traps or insect monitors with household pests trapped in them
• You see spiders, carpet beetles, pantry pests or roaches
• There is dust along walls, around doorways or behind appliances

A few things to note are that small beetles may be carpet beetles and they attack fabrics. If you see a few spiders you might have a moisture issue. Keep in mind a few insects are to be found in most environments, especially in older buildings. If you see dust around the walls, it might be an insecticide powder or a rodent tracking powder, both of which should be carefully removed and not by vacuuming. In some areas building owners are required to give a building bed bug history of the past year so check if that is true for your city and state. Also, note that just because you might not see a lot of household pests, identifying monitors and traps is an indicator that there may have been prior issues with home pests.

Second Household Pest Inspection

The next level inspection would be the behind and under. You want to:

• Look up for dead home pests in light fixtures, or spider webs
• Look down for roach fecal material around cabinet hinges
• Look down for mouse droppings, under the sink or along walls

Be curious about holes sealed with steel wool, copper mesh or foam—and don’t forget location! If the apartment is adjacent to a compactor, trash room, or overlooks a refuse storage area, be careful, those may be potential pest harborages. If you suspect a home pest issue, there are a number of DIY products to help resolve the problem, but you may also want to consider hiring a household pest control company to identify and treat any home pest infestations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]