Crawl spaces: great hiding places
Some homes in Greater Birmingham have crawl spaces underneath them. Does yours? If so, you should know that your crawl space may be the ideal hiding place for insects, earwigs, spiders, and rodents. Why? Here are a few reasons:
- Humidity: Some pests require a high moisture content. When the hot sun dries them out, they find refuge in shaded locations. Your crawl space is likely shaded and humid.
- Water: All creatures need water, from the tiniest ants to the largest rats. Water can get into certain crawl spaces, creating drinking holes for pests.
- Protection: Many pests establish their webs or nests in protected spaces. Your crawl space is perfect.
- Dirt: Insects that establish nests in the ground find the overhead protection of a home ideal.
- Food: It is a bug-eat-bug world. When one pest finds its way into your crawl space, it can attract others.
Basements: dark and humid hunting grounds
If your home has a basement, you should know that insects and rodents prefer basements for many reasons. Here are some you should know:
- Humidity: While not nearly as humid as crawl spaces, basements are more humid than other interior spaces; pests love damp environments.
- Darkness: Many pests are active at night and prefer dark basements during the day.
- Dirt: Basements are often the last place to be dusted or thoroughly cleaned. Some pests prefer gritty, dirty surfaces. Web-building spiders are a good example. When spiders are attracted to your basement because it’s dark and humid, gritty surfaces may seal the deal on their decision to stay.
- Clutter: Basements tend to accumulate clutter, which attracts mice, cockroaches, and other pests that like to hide in tight spaces.
Kitchens: where the buffet is
Kitchens are the perfect zone for ants, cockroaches, and other pests to find a meal. Here are some of the things they eat:
- Crumbs
- Leftovers
- Garbage
- Grease
- Oil
- Sugar granules
- Honey on containers
- Stored food
- Paper and cardboard packaging
- Pet food
- Other pests
Your kitchen is also a source of moisture. Pests may drink out of water collected in dirty dishes and droplets on sink surfaces or out of your pet’s water dish.
Bathrooms: an oasis for pests
Your bathroom provides many resources for pests—some you might not expect. Here are a few factors that make bathrooms pest hotspots:
- Humidity: Showers and baths can raise the moisture in your bathroom and attract silverfish, centipedes, roaches, and other moisture-loving pests.
- Water: Pests drink droplets off shower walls, bathtubs, and sinks.
- Food: It is unpleasant to think about, but some pests find food in your bathroom. They eat dead skin, hair, waste, toothpaste, and more.
Attics: a pest retreat
Many pests will work their way up to attic spaces or start from attic spaces and work their way down. Here’s what makes this pest hotspot so ideal:
- Seclusion: Spiders and other pests that prefer seclusion want to live in your attic, away from human activity.
- Protection: Some pests, like mice and rats, will enjoy your attic for its seclusion and protection. Mice commonly establish nests in dresser drawers, couch cushions, mattress stuffing, and cardboard boxes.
- Heat: Some attics get hot in the summer. While heat can force certain pests out of the attic and into your living space, other pests are attracted to the attic primarily for its heat.
Outdoor areas: the staging area
Before pests enter your home, they will likely establish themselves in your yard. There are many ways they might do this. It depends on the kind of pest. Here are a few examples:
- Ants build nests in soil.
- Spiders make webs in sheltered and shaded areas.
- Roof rats build nests in tree cavities.
- Cockroaches reproduce in garbage or underneath moist, decaying organic matter in landscape vegetation.
- Mice make nests underneath decks, sheds, and other structures.
Along with nesting options, pests find food in Birmingham yards. Here are a few natural food sources to consider:
- Flower nectar
- Plant sap
- Honeydew
- Other pests
While you can reduce the food sources on your property that attract pests, it is likely impossible to eliminate the food.
Eliminate pest hotspots with help from the Birmingham pest control pros
The Acre Pest Control team knows what attracts pests to your property, how pests get in, and why. Contact us for ongoing pest control for your home. Your Acre Quarterly Plan comes with the following:
- Quarterly pest control services
- Exterior wasp nest removal
- Removal of exterior spider webs up to 20 ft.
- Interior treatments as needed
- And more
For additional protection against mosquitoes and fire ants, consider signing up for our Acre Complete Plan. Offering all the same benefits of Acre Quarterly, this robust plan also includes seasonal mosquito treatments and addresses fire ants within 20 feet of the house’s foundation.
Contact Acre Pest Control if you’re looking for reliable pest control services in Mountain Brook, Hoover, Alabaster, Helena, and throughout Greater Birmingham! You can count on our local pest management professionals to eliminate and prevent unwanted pests from taking over!
