Spooky pests to watch out for

It’s that time of year when we tend to think of creepy and spooky pests for our home décor. But we should really be worried about real-life threats that creep and lurk in the dark. Below are some real-life pests to watch out for during October.

Rats – These big, hairy, nocturnal rodents can enter your home through openings as small as a quarter. They carry disease with them and can create damage throughout your home such as gnawing on electrical wires. Rats and mice target joists, studs and door corners. If your home already has an existing gap, rodents will enlarge the gap to make an entrance. Click here to learn more about Rodents.

Bats – These flying mammals have a bad reputation. Some may even convert to Dracula… just kidding. Bats live in caves, yes, but they also live in attics (where they love to nest), steeples, belfries, under fascia boards, possibly haunted houses just to make it sound more gothic. Bats eat insects, fruit, nectar, and pollen. They sound like nice lil dudes with weird faces… but they do carry rabies so beware. To keep them out by screening attic vents, door sweeps.

Spiders – Ah, the icon of October and Halloween. Spiders definitely have a bad guy reputation. But there’s three actual bad guy spiders to watch out for. These are Brown Recluse, Black Widow, and the Hobo Spider, whose reputation precedes them. The Brown Recluse venom can cause severe allergic reactions and may take several weeks to heal. It lives in dark environments such as basements, closets, and abandoned shoes. And behaves secretly and defensively. The Black Widow’s bite is life-threatening and will land victims in the hospital. The Hobo Spider’s bite is mild to severe in pain level and can have little to no skin damage. Read more about spider bites. Click Here.

Bed Bugs – Unlike Dracula and Edward, bed bugs have been sucking blood in real life since the beginning of time. When bedbugs drink blood, that supply can last them for months. This allows them to easily spread and hide and become difficult to detect. They feed when people are sleeping or sitting quietly in the dark. Bites can cause itchy skin rashes, welts and psychological anxiety. Read more about Bed Bugs here.