While pests may not be the first thing on your mind, they can cause significant damage to your home if left unchecked. It’s essential to act quickly once you identify a pest infestation, as many kinds of pests can multiply rapidly and cause long-term harm to both your property and health. Fortunately, there are several signs that could indicate a pest problem in your home and help you take the necessary steps before it’s too late.

Strange Noises or Sightings

If you start hearing strange noises or seeing strange creatures in or around your home, chances are good that you have an infestation. If you hear scratching or scurrying sounds coming from walls or ceilings, it could be evidence of rats or mice living in your house. If you see bugs such as ants, cockroaches, beetles, flies, silverfish, moths, spiders, wasps, bees or other insects inside your home—particularly at night—you should take action right away.

Pest Droppings & Tracks

Another sign of a possible pest problem is droppings and tracks left behind by these critters. Look out for rat droppings around cupboards and kitchen drawers; they will look like small black pellets with pointed ends. Mice droppings resemble grains of rice with rounded ends. Insect droppings vary greatly depending on their species but tend to look like dust piles near food sources. Finally, trails of tiny footprints may also indicate a rodent infestation.

Damaged Items & Food Sources

In addition to leaving behind traces of their presence in the form of droppings and tracks, some pests can actually damage items in your home like clothing and furniture fabrics if given enough time to settle in. Additionally, many pests feed off stored food items so check for any ripped packages or spilled food containers when inspecting for signs of an infestation. If any food has been contaminated by pests it must be thrown away immediately to avoid health hazards arising from bacteria transferred by rodents and insects alike!

Knowing how to spot signs of a pest infestation early on is key to protecting yourself against potential damages caused by these intruders that could potentially cost thousands to repair down the line if not dealt with promptly! That’s why we at J&J Exterminating are proud to offer our services as a trusted partner for all types of pest control needs – get a free estimate today at www.jjext.com! We know how important it is for homeowners everywhere to keep their homes free from pests while also ensuring the safety of everyone living there – together let’s make sure that this becomes reality!

Louisiana’s humid, wet, and relatively mild winter temperatures make the state a paradise to a diverse array of arthropods that cannot be found outside of tropical and subtropical regions. Residents all over the state, but particularly in New Orleans and other coastal cities, are used to encountering multiple species of cockroaches, flies, ants, spiders and other creepy-crawlies within their home. The state is also home to eight separate and highly damaging termite species, including the uniquely destructive and invasive Formosan subterranean termite species.

Those moving to Louisiana from northern areas of the country often have a difficult time adjusting to the massive amount of arthropod pests that are a part of everyday life in the state. In fact, it is not uncommon for even longtime residents of Louisiana to spot seemingly exotic and unrecognizable arthropod pests within their home. Since more than 91,000 insect species alone (not counting arachnids) have been documented in the US, many of which can be found in Louisiana, identifying the species of insect or arachnid pest found within homes in the state can be difficult.

While a large number of arthropods can be found in Louisiana, only a small minority of species are considered pests of structures. Arthropod pest infestations cannot be treated effectively unless the species of pest is accurately identified. When homeowners are unable to identify the species name of troublesome indoor arthropod pests, they can send the pests to entomologists at the Louisiana State Ag Center. However, arthropod specimens should be dead before being sent, and specimens should be sealed in containers and stored in a freezer right up until they are mailed. Arthropod specimens can also be preserved with rubbing alcohol or white vinegar, but water will not preserve pests. A cell phone picture of the specimen next to a ruler should be sent to LSU entomologists before they receive the mailed specimen.

Have you ever experienced a mystery bug infestation in your home?

Numerous insect species are known to consume and nest within wood, some of which are pests that damage structural wood in homes. As many people are already well aware, termites are easily the most destructive and economically costly group of wood-damaging insect pests, as they inflict more than five billion dollars in structural damages annually in the US alone. Much of this cost is incurred in Louisiana where the invasive Formosan subterranean termite has had a devastating impact, most notably in New Orleans’ French Quarter where experts estimate that almost all residential homes have sustained some degree of damage inflicted by this pest. Given the destruction that termites have caused in Louisiana since the emergence of the Formosan subterranean termite along the southern coast, it is easy to overlook the damage caused by wood-boring beetle pests. There exists a large number of wood-boring beetle pest species in Louisiana, and they vary significantly in terms of wood preference, body size, and the extent of damage they typically inflict.

There are several indicators of a wood-boring beetle presence within structural wood, and homeowners should familiarize themselves with these signs so that infestations can be caught and eradicated before they inflict serious damage. For example, the larvae of wood-boring beetles produce audible ticking or rasping sounds as they plow tunnels through wood, and these sounds are most often heard during the most peaceful nighttime hours. In advanced infestation cases, damaged structural wood may appear blistered due to larvae excavating wood at the surface of lumber. Much like termite damaged wood, the blistered surface typically breaks in response to pressure, and much like drywood termites, wood-boring beetle larvae discard excess bits of excavated wood through “kick-out holes” the pests carve into the surface. The discarded wood bits are known as “frass” and it closely resembles sawdust. Frass collects in piles around the infested lumber component, and spotting frass piles is one of the most common first signs that a wood-boring beetle infestation has been established.

Have you ever discovered a pile of frass in your home? If you have, was it a result of wood-boring beetle activity?

A large number of beetles belonging to the Anobiidae family are common pests of woodwork and/or a wide variety of human foods. Generally, winged adult Anobiidae pests are nocturnal and are rarely spotted within infested homes during the daytime. In some infestation cases, adults may become a nuisance due to their habit of gravitating toward outdoor and indoor light sources. While annoying, adults are not destructive to property, as only larvae are capable of digesting the cellulose within wood and materials made of plant matter. Also, the vast majority of Anobiidae species that are pests of stored foods see only larval specimens contaminate packaged food items. The most common Anobiidae beetle pests of woodwork include furniture beetles and deathwatch beetles, while cigarette beetles and drugstore beetles are the most common Anobiidae pests of stored foods. A few Anobiidae beetle species infest both old and new books, resulting in significant damage to paper and glue binding.

Neogastrallus librinocens and Nicobium hirtum are the two most common Anobiidae species that infest books, and they are both aptly referred to as “common book beetles.” The reddish-brown adults of these two species are around 2.5 mm in length, or 1/10 of an inch in length, making them difficult to notice. Similar to other Anobiidae pests, book beetles see only larval specimens eat away at paper and the glue in binding. White larvae, or “grubs,” are around 3 mm in length, and resemble tiny maggots. Book beetle infestations are associated with humid indoor conditions where fungi has or is likely to develop within books. Because of this, book beetle infestations are common in homes located in the subtropical southeastern states. The damage caused by these pests appears as small holes in pages and cut binding. N. librinocens larvae are often found infesting both new and old books in storage. Another closely related species, Gastralis immarginatus, is also a common pest of books stored within moist conditions, particularly basements. Larvae of this species are between 2.2 to 3 mm in length, and dark brown in color.

Have you ever found damage to your books that may have been caused by book beetles?