5 Common Signs Of Pest-Inflicted Property Damage

We’ve all watched comedy movies and cartoons in which the protagonist is facing pests, and it’s always funny to see that on screen, but not so much when you start experiencing it in real life. Although these things seem pretty harmless at first, they can cause significant material damage and your pocket will take a hit if you leave the problem untreated.

There is a long-lasting “war” between opinions, where some people think that hiring a pest exterminator is a waste of money, while the other half believes it’s an actual investment. If you pay a few hundred dollars for someone to take care of the pests, you are not risking materialistic damage that goes up in the thousands later on. Your flooring is definitely worth a lot more than what you’ll pay for a team of professionals, but do you really need this at the moment? Feel free to find out by taking a look at these five common signs of pest-inflicted property damage.

1. All of a sudden your floors start squeaking and feeling unstable

The amount of damage those wood-eating pests can do is not a joke. Sometimes their actions can cause your entire flooring to feel unstable and start making squeaking noises when you’re stepping on it. Believe it or not, the wood can get so eaten out that once you step on top of it, the weight can make it collapse. If this happens specifically on spots where the flooring needs to be structurally the strongest, then it’s definitely a pest-related problem. Another way to make sure that something like this is happening in your home is by doing the tap test. We’ll explain that in the following section, but before we get into it, some problems need urgent solutions, which is why www.qualityaffordablepestcontrol.ca is a website that we consider a great starting point if you are willing to learn more about regulating these pest-related problems.

2. Does your wood pass the “tap” test?

The famous “tap” test is the best method to find out whether you need assistance from a professional or not. It costs nothing and it can be done in less than a few minutes, and that includes all the wood in your entire home. So here’s how to do it.

It’s already pretty well-known that once you tap a piece of wood that’s solid all the way through, it needs to produce a thudding sound. This sound is a lot different than the one hollow wood makes when tapped. The point of this test is to check whether the pests managed to eat up the insides of places that are supposed to be solid inside.

Now, we don’t want to discourage you, but if this test turns out to be successful (in the negative connotation), it’s probably too late and the damage has already been done. A pest-exterminator cannot restore the insides of your floors for example, but they can prevent this from happening in other areas of your home. You can also hire a contractor to fix the damage but it’s going to cost a bit. It’s definitely cheaper than having to completely remove your floorings and add new ones, so consider doing it.

3. Your electricity starts to fail in areas which are prone to pests

Pests don’t choose what they’ll start chewing on. In fact, they go for the things that make the least sense to eat. If your power goes down all of a sudden, or you are experiencing rapid shortages that remind of loose contact or a cable being damaged, then it’s probably rodents chewing on the wires. Check the areas which are the most vulnerable for such attacks, for example basements and attics. The best way to prevent this from happening is by protecting the cables instead of leaving them exposed. Isolating them with plastic or any other cover is a great solution because it’s rare to see rodents chewing on that, and even if they do, you’ll notice before they turn to eating the wires.

4. You hear scratching or rustling sounds when it’s quiet

When you get to bed, if you start hearing rustling or scratching sounds, it’s not something that came out of a horror movie to chase you. It is pests eating on your precious belongings. It can be creepy to hear this sound but it’s nothing too concerning if you take action immediately. If you know how to deal with such problems, taking action on your own as soon as possible is advised. If not, you always have the phone right by you, so call the exterminator and prevent a big problem before it happens.

5. Seeing just one pest means there are a lot more lurking in the walls

Last but not least, some people see just one roach or one any other type of pest, and they think that their home isn’t really a target. Well, unfortunately, seeing just one of these things usually means there are a lot more hiding in the walls, or in the mud tunnels in your yard. It’s never safe to assume that there’s only one pest, which I surely hope is the case for you because nobody wants to deal with an army of rodents or roaches. What I’m trying to say is that you should be doing an inspection as soon as you notice the first one.

Conclusion

Pests are able to inflict a lot of damage to our property, which is why we shouldn’t underestimate them. Dealing with pests is definitely not the job for everyone, and it’s also something that requires a lot of skill in order to do it properly. This is why most of the times we suggest hiring a professional when you notice some of the signs we mentioned in the content above. Preventing the attack of pests can save you a lot of money, so think of it as an investment. We hope that we helped you learn today and we’re thankful for the time you took to read our piece. Stay safe and keep the pests away.