Buying a new home is an exciting new step and being aware of potential pest problems can help when it comes to feeling confident in your home purchasing decisions. Being aware of pest problems can ensure that your home remains healthy for you and your family. Here are some helpful tips to help when looking for and purchasing homes.
When looking at a potential home, it is important to perform a thorough inspection. Some things that you should be looking for at this time are any sort of damage left on the structure that resembles gnaw marks, rodent droppings, and nests. This inspection should be done on the inside and outside of the home. The most common areas for bugs are areas where food is stored or areas that receive a lot of moisture. Pay attention to kitchens, bathrooms, and even inside cabinets for any signs of pests. It can also be helpful to look along baseboards for signs of rodents. Rodent’s fur is usually greasy and it can be common for them to leave behind residue on structures they frequently brush against. Baseboards can be a telling sign of rodents from the brown grease mark they leave.
It can also be telling if a home has frequent bugs inside by the amount of spider webs. Spiders serve as natural pest control agents and the amount of webs in your home can help you determine bug activity. Spiders feed off of other bugs and insects that they can catch by either hunting or in their webbing. If an area does not have enough bugs in the area, spiders will not stay. Webs can help you determine that insects and bugs are frequent visitors to this spider’s habitat.
As mentioned above, pests are commonly attracted to moisture. This includes any type of water damage or leaky pipes. Moisture problems can oftentimes lead to mold. Most pests, like rodents, ants, and cockroaches have highly developed senses of smell and are able to smell food from considerable distances. While mold may not be attractive to us, it can attract pests and lead them into your home.
When inspecting a home, pay close attention to the home’s foundation and exterior walls. Because pests are small, many of them can fit through the smallest of gaps and cracks. Rodents are also known to fit through areas the size of a quarter. Look for potential entry points and ensure that areas that you do find are easy to manage and fix.
If you have hesitations about a home, call your local Insight Pest Solutions! We are happy to help and want to ensure that your new home is comfortable and equipped for healthy living.
