Top 3 Hardest Pests to Get Rid Of

If you spot a pest in your home, you may wonder if you have a serious infestation. Luckily, there are ways to prevent critters from invading in the first place. First, let’s look at why some pests are harder to get rid of than others, and the top three worst pets to have in your home.

Why Are Some Pests More Difficult to Eliminate Than Others?

Some pests like cockroaches lay thousands of eggs at once. The mother cockroaches carry around their babies to minimize human contact, making them almost impossible to eradicate. Certain species of beetles and cockroaches are also resistant to stomping. Cockroach exoskeletons allow them to withstand weights up to 900 times their body weight.

Other rodents and insects hide under floorboards, within wallpaper or even under electrical switch plates. Some pests can squeeze their bodies through surprisingly small spaces. Critters can go without food for extended amounts of time, allowing them to infest your home or property without being detected.

The three most difficult pests to exterminate are:

• Termites
• Bed Bugs
• Cockroaches

1. Termites

Termites are eusocial insects sometimes mistaken as white ants. There are two types of termites that frequently infest homes — workers and swarmers. Worker termites are 3-4 mm in length. Swarmer termites are about 4 mm long, dark brown or black and rarely have wings.

To determine if you have a termite problem, place your thumb on any exposed wooden areas in your home. If the wood crumbles, there’s a high likelihood that you have a termite infestation. Termites stay concealed in wood paneling and move quickly when exposed to light. Plus, they usually attack homes and structures after forming a mature colony of up to 100,000 insects.

Most Effective Termite Treatment

You can take steps to prevent termites from entering your home. Moisture is always a concern (moisture in wood is the leading cause of all wood destroying insect infestations) and so repairing gaps, and placing vapor barriers in your basement/crawlspace is paramount. LPC uses Sentricon stations buried around the home to both inspect and treat for termites simultaneously. If you suspect you have a termite problem, call us today!

2. Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are some of the worst pests to have in your home. Common signs of bed bug infestation include waking up with red, itchy skin, finding small bites in a line across your skin or noticing rusty-colored spots on your sheets or mattress.

Bed bugs are difficult to get rid of due to their speedy reproduction rates. Their small, flat bodies make them adept at squeezing through small spaces. To successfully eradicate an infestation, you need to kill each bed bug one-by-one.

Most Effective Bed Bug Treatment

To reduce the chances of attracting bed bugs into your sleeping area, you can purchase a mattress encasement. The most important thing you can do is call a professional. It’s impossible to treat a bed bug infestation on your own, so give us a call! We’re always happy to help.

3. Cockroaches

Cockroaches are one of the hardest pests to get rid of. One sign of cockroach infestation in your home is seeing one during the day. These pests usually come out at night and stay safely hidden behind walls and wood paneling. Finding their fecal droppings or egg casings is a sure sign of a more serious problem.

Egg casings are usually brown in color and have a long, rounded shape. However, some cockroaches are known to carry their eggs around with them. Cockroaches are resilient and can compress their bodies between 40 and 60 percent to squeeze through tiny cracks and crevices.

Most Effective Treatment for Cockroaches

Unfortunately, these unsightly bugs are not only a nuisance, they can also transmit diseases that can cause food poisoning, allergies or other illness. Once cockroaches become established, they can breed and produce several thousand offspring each year. Cockroaches are impossible to treat on your own. The most important thing you can do is call LPC!