Do you ever feel like someone is watching you in an empty room when you’re home alone? You may think you’re paranoid, but the truth is, there probably is. We’ve all been there: Every so often, you’ll glance up at the ceiling and see that dreaded black dot perched up in the corner. Just as you feared, it’s a spider lurking in the shadows. Or maybe something gray and mysterious just scurried under a lamp, so you vow never to move that lamp again.
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but our homes serve as an indoor ecosystem for all kinds of creepy crawlers, some of which you may not have heard of. These mystery bugs could be in the corner of your room as you read this right now. They could be right behind you…
The good news is, there are steps you can take to help ward away these unwanted insects. And we can help! We can give you an understanding of what kinds of bugs you have in your home, and give insight on how to chase them out.
Breaking down the bugs
1. Carpet beetle: These small, oval-shaped bugs treat carpets and upholstery like an all-you-can-eat buffet. If you’ve ever wondered why your carpet has slowly started to wither away, you might want to look for these annoying little insects. Unfortunately for your furniture, carpet beetle larvae are interested in wool, silk, feathers, and sometimes even pet hair. Stored food products including cereals and dry cat and dog food are also tasty to carpet beetles.
How to avoid them: Carpet beetles tend to set up camp in areas of the home where there are build-ups of lint, hair, or accumulations of dirt and debris. By keeping the home as tidy as possible, these little pests can be better avoided. Vacuuming regularly and properly cleaning furniture and clothing can work wonders for preventing carpet beetle infestations. If you’re looking to kill the ones that already exist in your home, Wondercide’s Ant & Roach Spray is lab proven on carpet beetles. Use as directed to get rid of them. The spray, like everything Wondercide makes, is safe around the whole family when used as directed.
2. Cockroaches and Palmetto bugs: You may know these creepy crawlers by another name: the American cockroach. Native to the United States, palmetto bugs are one of the largest cockroach species to roam the free world. You’ll find these nocturnal scavengers in wet, dark areas of the home such as a basement or garage. Palmetto bugs are not poisonous by nature but do pose certain health risks. These scurriers are quick on their feet (or legs) and are likely to get away before you have the chance to squish them.
How to avoid them: Nobody wants a cockroach in the home. So, how do you tell a palmetto bug that they don’t have to go home but they can’t stay here? Unfortunately, just cleaning the home won’t do the trick. You’re going to need to take more drastic measures. Wondercide’s Ant & Roach Spray will quickly kill the pesky cockroaches camping out in your home and basement. To kill and repel palmetto bugs and other home-invading insects, Wondercide offers Indoor Pest Control. These plant-powered sprays come in various scents such as peppermint and cedarwood and they’re made without artificial colors or fragrance.
3. Pantry beetles: Just as it says in the name, these pests are often hiding in pantries, trying to get a bite of any stored food around them. There are several types of beetles in the pantry beetle family. Flour beetles (which feed on flour, grains, and cereals), drugstore beetles (which feed on spices and pharmaceuticals), cigarette beetles (which feed on dried herbs, spices, tobacco products, and pet food), weevils (which feed on rice, grains, and cereals). Weevils are also known to lay their eggs inside of food products. Weevils are not harmful to ingest, but they may add an unwanted crunch to your meal.
How to avoid them: Once again, cleanliness is key. Keeping a clean pantry with properly stored food is a great way to help ward away any pantry beetle infestations. Leaving food in containers made of glass, plastic, or metal provides your snacks with solid protection from these nosey critters.
4. Mosquitoes: You don’t have to be told twice about how pesky these insect vampires are. But here are some things you might not have known about mosquitos. Mosquitos have adapted to infiltrate human-made spaces. They were born to bug us! Mosquitoes congregate where pets and people are to feed off of their blood. They fester in wet spaces like around those flower pots or indoor fountains. If you’re finding them in your home, you might want to look at what water sources you have exposed in the house or check if your screens have holes in them.
How to avoid them: When the mosquitoes dare intrude on your home, arm yourself with Wondercide’s Flying Insect Trap – the easy way to kill flying insects, just by plugging it in. Often, we only squash a mosquito by the time it’s too late, and the bloodsucker has already sunk its teeth into our skin.
For pets, protect them with a plant-powered spray. For mosquito protection outside, use Outdoor Pest Control for the yard and garden, and protect yourself with Insect Repellent in one of four fresh scents.
5. Bed Bugs: These little, brown blood-suckers linger in bed springs, mattresses, headboards, and box springs waiting for night to fall so they can jump out and bite you. Bed bugs are the monsters under your bed you had nightmares about as a kid. They feed off human blood, as well as other warm-blooded animals, and mostly only come out at night. Their bites may cause itching and irritation or allergic reactions.
How to avoid them: Bed bugs are tricky little critters. First, wash and potentially throw away any infested sheets or pillows. Vacuum and steam clean furniture, mattresses, upholstered beds, and carpets. Wash everything else in the laundry, using the highest dryer setting to dry them. In addition, check the bedroom often for any signs of dark spots, bug sightings, or specks of blood to stay vigilant with your bed bug eradication.
6. Bed Bug Hunters: Also known as “the masked hunter”, these mummy-esk insects are prone to eat other existing house bugs such as carpet beetles, bed bugs, and flies. These crafty critters can camouflage to blend in with the surroundings of the rooms in your house. They prefer dryer spaces, so you may find them in the attic or basement.
How to avoid them: These bugs cause more damage to other insects than anything inside your home. To avoid seeing them pop up every once in a while, try taking measures to eradicate other bugs to cut them off at their food source. Keeping a tidy home and using a plant-powered insect repellent indoors are great ways to start.
7. Earwigs: These funky bugs are as weird-looking as their name sounds. Like a small roach with pincers, these creepy creatures lurk around damp surfaces and are often found in basements, around bath fixtures, and in kitchens.
How to avoid them: It’s important not to judge a bug by its pincers because as scary as they may look, these creepers are known to be harmless to humans and beneficial to the ecosystem. If you do stumble across an earwig in your home or on your patio, you can hit them with Wondercide’s Indoor Pest Control to kill them. As with all of Wondercide’s products, the spray is safe around pets and family when used as directed.
8. Silverfish: To have a bug named after a fish can only mean one thing: it’s slimy, slithery, and stealthy. These elongated, silver critters are commonly found in damp places in the house such as basements, bathrooms, and kitchens. Due to their unique diet and penchant for fibers, silverfish are known to damage books, paper, cardboard, clothing, and documents.
How to avoid them: Silverfish thrive on moisture and humidity. One trick to chasing these critters out of the home is to reduce the amount of wet surfaces or air you have in your house. A good way to start is to invest in a dehumidifier. In addition, Wondercide’s Ant & Roach Aerosol Spray and Indoor Pest Control are designed to kill these unwanted guests.
9. Stink bugs: These pests are the only bugs you’ll find in the home that smell as bad as they look. These beetle-looking bugs normally reside outside, but occasionally slip their way into the home through cleverly sneaking in a cracked open door or latching onto your clothes. Stink bugs originated in Asia and have found a home in North America.
How to avoid them: When threatened, these bugs will release an unpleasant odor, so it’s important not to step on them or squash them. You’ll know they’ve fired their weapons if you smell a musty, cilantro-like scent. To dispose of them, trap them in a glass or a container and safely release them back into the wild or for the less avid hunters among us, kill them with a plant-powered spray that’s proven to work against them. An effective way to prevent an infestation from occurring is simply making sure all crevices in the house are shut. No open doors, cracked windows, or holes in the wall.
10. Moths: Although they’re similar to butterflies, they don’t share a butterfly’s colorful disposition. Moths are as much attracted to flames as they are to your expensive sweaters. Moth larvae will often nibble on sweaters to extract some of the fiber they contain. Moths are generally nocturnal and will spend a lot of time on porches and street lights. Occasionally, if they time it perfectly, moths will slip into the home.
How to avoid them: Like any other flying insect, making sure doors are shut and nobody’s following you inside is the first step to preventing moths from entering the home. When they do get inside, take care of moths with this versatile Indoor Pest Control. The sprays come in four fresh scents from plant power and they’re cruelty free – except to the moths and other bugs they work on. Prefer a hands-off way to trap and kill moths? Opt for Flying Insect Trap. It works continuously by attracting the bugs with its soft Blu-V™ glow and trapping them with a sticky cartridge, allowing you to stop chasing after the bugs.
There you have it – the roommates you didn’t ask for and how to uninvite them.
We understand this can be overwhelming. No matter how hard you try, somehow the insects in your home always overstay their welcome. It’s a bug’s world, we’re just living in it. But now you know who’s lurking in the shadows and how to take care of them. Knowledge is power. Hopefully, this list has enlightened you and shown you a glimpse into the world of your silent roommates so that you can claim your home back once and for all.
