When most homeowners think of pests, the first ones to come to mind are moisture-loving crawlspace and kitchen dwellers like ants, mice, and German cockroaches. But, in fact, some household pests prefer to nest further up. The following are four common pests you may find not in the kitchen or bathroom but in the attic.
Pigeons
Pigeons love settling close to humans because doing so typically provides them with a source of food such as garbage and garden plants. Pigeons may find their way into the attic through holes in the eaves, past loose roofing shingles, or through the vents.
Once inside, pigeons may tear apart insulation as they build nests, but more alarmingly, they contaminate your home with their feces. Pigeon feces often have bacteria and viruses that cause salmonella, histoplasmosis, and other dangerous infections.
If you inhale dust from the droppings or eat something that the droppings have contaminated, you may become ill. Pigeons can also infest your home with fleas or bird mites.
Getting rid of pigeons is a challenge. First, you must trap the birds. Then, you must thoroughly clean and seal your attic so that additional birds can’t find their way in.
Bats
Bats are rather shy creatures, and they love dwelling in attics since the attic offers protection but still isolates them from humans. They can squeeze in through tiny holes. Before you actually see any bats in your home, you may notice these signs of bats:
- Squeaking and chirping noises, especially at night
- Bat feces, or guano, in piles against attic walls
- A strong, ammonia-like odor coming from the attic
- Greasy spots on your attic walls where bats have rubbed against them
To get rid of bats, a Craig & Sons professional must chase them all out and then seal up any tiny opening through which they may have gained entry. Since bat guano is bacteria-laden and toxic, you should have the our professionals clean the attic too.
Brown-Banded Cockroaches
Most cockroaches like moist areas like bathrooms, kitchens, basements, and crawlspaces ― but brown-banded cockroaches are the exception. They avoid water sources, so a dry attic space is appealing to them. Once they’ve moved into your attic, you may also start seeing them around electronic equipment, inside cabinets, and in the backs of closets.
Brown-banded cockroaches have light brown bodies and dark bands on their wings. They’re most active at night, and they’ll eat almost anything, including the bindings of books you may have stored in your attic.
If you suspect you may have brown-banded cockroaches in your attic, hire a Craig & Sons exterminator as soon as possible. These roaches breed quickly, so the faster you act, the easier time you’ll have getting rid of them.
Formosan Termites
Most termites begin infesting a home on its lower levels, since they come up from the dirt. But Formosan termites are different — they build aboveground nests, often moving into attics and the spaces inside your walls.
Formosan termites are creamy white or brown in color. Before you see the termites themselves, you may notice signs like:
- Sagging drywall in your upper floors
- Wood structures that sound hollow when tapped
- Discarded termite wings in piles along walls or windowsills
Once our exterminator has cleared your home of Formosan termites, you should take precautions to keep them away. Seal up your attic, store firewood further from your home (firewood may harbor termites), and replace any wood that is deteriorating or beginning to rot.
Most homeowners do not venture into the attic very often, but you need to keep an eye on this space to ensure any pest infestations don’t go unchecked. If you struggle with pests in your attic, contact Craig & Sons Termite & Pest Control, Inc. We’ll get rid of the pests and recommend steps to keep them away.