How to Deal With 11 Common House Pests

Bedbugs biting

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How to get rid of them: Prevention is the best medicine for bedbugs, says Brown, but if you get them on bedding or clothing, put whatever is infested in the dryer on high heat for 45 minutes. Or, if it’s something that’s not dryer friendly — a suitcase, for example — put it in a large plastic bag with a fumigant strip.

What not to do: Foggers are ineffective and not the same as professional fumigation, according to the Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Also, do not combine flammable home remedies, such as kerosene, with heat treatments, or use off-label pesticides.

Prevention tip: Take time to inspect your accommodations when traveling — it doesn’t matter the expense of the room, these pests can be anywhere, Brown says.  Bedbugs are about the size of a poppy seed when they first hatch but can grow to the size of watermelon seeds, she says. “Bedbugs, in my opinion, are kind of luck of the draw,” she says. “And it’s not necessarily just hotels. We have had cases of them on buses or public transportation.”

Cockroaches creeping

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How to get rid of them: These ugly bugs can bring on an “ew” moment. Some of the most common are German cockroaches, which are about half-an-inch long and can sneak in from adjoining units if you live in multifamily housing, says Brown. Baits placed indoors are the best way to control them, according to Mississippi State University Extension. However, if you are seeing larger cockroaches, which come in from the outdoors, try granular baits around the outside of your home. 

What not to do: Don’t waste your money on aerosol foggers; they aren’t effective long-term against cockroaches, Mississippi extension says.

Prevention tip: The best defense is to close off openings and then treat wall void spaces with insecticide dust containing diatomaceous earth (made from silica) or boric acid, which the roach picks up on its body and ingests when grooming. “That way if they’re moving in from adjacent units, they’ll have something that they have to go across that’s a barrier,” Brown says. You can keep outdoor varieties of cockroaches away by making sure firewood is stored a distance from the house and that window screens are in good repair, she says. Indoors, keep food covered and clean up spills quickly so you’re not serving a cockroach buffet.

Clothing moths munching

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How to get rid of them: Clothing moths feed on natural fibers like wool, leather, silk and feathers, Brown says. First clean out your closet, wipe everything down, then apply an insecticide containing pyrethrins or use pheromones to attract the moth to sticky traps, according to Utah State University Extension. Chemically sensitive individuals should avoid use of these. You can also kill them by heating clothing in a dryer or placing items in the freezer for a few days.

What not to do: Skip the cedar closets or strips; they only work for a limited amount of time, says Brown. And moth balls containing naphthalene, which are toxic, should only be used according to directions and in an enclosed space like a container, not a closet, she says.

Prevention tip: Clean your woolens before putting them away for the summer, since moths are attracted to food stains and perspiration, according to the Insect Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University. Then store them in airtight containers with moth crystals containing paradichlorobenzene.

Wasps — and hornets and yellow jackets — whizzing

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How to get rid of them: Wasps aren’t all bad. They are not only pollinators, they also help control other insects, says Brown. But, females are capable of stinging more than once. If a paper wasp nest, for example, is in an area where it’s not going to bother anybody, leave it, she says. But if it’s in your mailbox or under the front stoop, try hitting it with one of the wasp sprays that shoot 12 to 15 feet. “You want to treat them either in the morning or in the evening when the wasps are all at the nest,” says Brown. Once the wasps are dead, knock down the nest and throw it away. Then, clean the area with an ammonia- or vinegar-based cleaning solution to dissolve the chemical smell that the wasps use to locate each other.

What not to do: Don’t put yourself at risk. If the problem persists, is in an inaccessible or closed-in area or if you’re allergic, call in a pro.

Prevention tip: Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to prevent wasps from building nests around your home, Brown says. Various products may claim to deter them, but nothing has been scientifically proven to work, she says.

Mice multiplying

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How to get rid of them: Williams advises using lethal snap traps, not bait, so dead mice can be quickly removed and you don’t get odor from decay.

What not to do: Don’t use anticoagulant rodenticides that kill mice or rats by stopping their blood from clotting. Besides being risky around children and pets, they are a serious risk to hawks and owls, according to the New York City Audubon Society. Rodents sickened from the bait are easy targets for hawks and owls, which can then be affected by the poison.

Prevention tip: If you’re seeing mice, it’s time to go through the steps outlined in the Integrated Pest Management section of the U.S. Department of Agriculture website, which includes prevention, Williams says. “It’s identifying what structurally is going on to allow the mice to get in. Then it’s understanding why are they there?  Is it simply just a resource of shelter? Is there a food resource?” he says. So, eliminate food sources, such as open containers, pet food and birdseed, then seal holes, including behind appliances, to prevent easy access.

Snakes slithering

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How to get rid of them: Snakes are often good to have around since they help control rodents. But if you live in an area with venomous snakes, keep the phone number of a snake handler close by, says Bruce Ireland, the founder of Snake Wranglers, an all-volunteer group in the San Diego area that captures snakes for homeowners and rereleases them into the wild. If someone calls to report a rattlesnake in their yard, his team tries to get there within 10 minutes so no one resorts to calling 911 and likely having the snake killed by the police, he says.

His advice: The United States has four types of poisonous snakes — rattlesnakes, coral snakes, copperheads and water moccasins. If you see what could be a dangerous snake, or hear a rattler, leave it alone and call an expert who has the equipment and training to remove it. Some pest companies do snake removal and have a handler on call.

What not to do: Never harass a venomous snake or a snake you haven’t identified. Also, no fumigants or toxicants are federally registered for snake control, according to the Mississippi State University Extension service. And none of the common suggestions for repellents, such as lime, sulfur, mothballs and cayenne pepper spray, seem to work, based on tests with nonvenomous black rat snakes.

Prevention tip: Snakes slither into houses or garages through open doors, says Ireland, so keep doors closed. Keeping a clean, manicured yard will discourage rodents and the snakes that like to eat them. You can also try snake fencing — quarter-inch mesh fencing that’s installed around the bottom of an existing fence, he says.

Raccoons — and other mammals — ravaging

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How to get rid of them: This is another category best left to professionals, since many states require a license even for humane traps and the rerelease of animals like raccoons. The important thing is to remove mothers  and their babies and then seal up any entrances, such as chimney tops or spaces under the eaves. The most humane approach is to wait until the mother and babies leave before sealing the space, says Eve Egan, director of Native Animal Rescue, an animal rescue and rehabilitation nonprofit in Santa Cruz, California. If you want to encourage raccoons to find other housing, try dropping a lighted flashlight in the area, playing loud music or placing rags soaked in cider vinegar near the den, suggests the rescue group’s website.

What not to do: If you do capture an animal, don’t release it too far afield. Many states, including California, require that animals be released within their own territories close to where they were trapped, says Egan. “This is because the animal won’t know where to find food, water or shelter outside its territory and will probably be attacked by the animals that are already in the area,” she says. And if you see a baby raccoon on its own, don’t assume it needs rescuing. It will wait in one spot until the mother returns from hunting, according to Native Animal Rescue. 

Prevention tip: Look for places where raccoons can get in and seal those spaces, including placing a cap on your chimney. Eliminate easy food sources, such as trash cans, barbecue grills and birdseed. And never feed raccoons, says the Native Animal Rescue website.