These pests really get around! Here’s what you should be on the lookout for while taking summer vacations, visiting relatives, or when students return home from college, and tips on how to prevent these unwanted guests:

Bed Bugs

  • Usually come into your home in luggage and clothes
  • Hide out during the day and come out at night to feed, which is when you’re most likely to be bitten
  • Check your accommodations for signs of bed bugs (dark spots on mattress corners and/or bedding) when traveling
  • Avoid putting luggage directly onto hotel beds and furniture
  • Wash all of your clothes in hot water immediately when returning home
  • Leave luggage outside of your home and seal in plastic bags
  • Be careful when allowing relatives and college students bring luggage and clothing inside your home
  • Remove any under-bed storage or items
  • Contact an exterminator if you see bed bugs; DIY methods aren’t usually effective

Lice

  • Lice infestations are most common when school starts back
  • Prevent the spread of lice by limiting shared clothing, hats, hair brushes, and other belongings, avoiding head-to-head contact, and by vacuuming carpet and furniture often
  • For existing lice infestations, use a lice treatment as soon as they’re discovered, disinfect combs, brushes, or towels that have come in contact with lice by soaking them in hot water for 5-10 minutes
  • Disinfect bedding by removing it and washing in a hot water cycle, and wash and dry clothing, linens, or towels that have come into contact with a person infected with lice during at least 2 days prior to treatment

Ticks

  • Ticks are most commonly seen in the Fall months
  • Attach themselves to humans and pets, making transport inside easy and often unnoticed
  • Brown dog ticks can even infest your home
  • Bites are painful and can cause skin irritations
  • Transmit several diseases including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can cause serious illness or even death
  • Prevent ticks by checking pets often and treating them with a tick control product, commonly included in topical flea treatments
  • Keep pets out of wooded areas or overgrown vegetation
  • Cut your grass regularly
  • Keep plants and shrubs trimmed
  • Clear out leaves and other yard debris
  • If you find a tick, safely remove it using a tick removal tool or with tweezers, only applying a small amount of pressure until the tick lets go. Any other method can be painful for your pet (or humans!) and cause skin irritations.

Fleas

  • Most prevalent in hot, humid conditions but can exist in almost any conditions
  • Cause a lot of discomfort for your pets, even severe allergic reactions, and are easily transported into your home
  • Check pets often with a flea comb, apply topical or oral flea medication regularly, and limit your pets’ time outside during warmer months
  • Getting rid of fleas can be difficult and time-consuming; for fast elimination contact a pest control company to establish a treatment schedule for both inside and outside the home.
  • Remove pets from the house during flea treatments and for a specified length of time afterwards
  • Vacuum regularly and removing old pet bedding, blankets, toys, and any other items regularly used by your pet

Cockroaches

  • One of the most common pest issues in residential structures and hardest to get rid of
  • Contaminate food, trigger allergies and asthma, create an unpleasant odor, and just altogether create an undesirable living environment
  • Hide out in damp, dark areas during the day and come out at night in search of food
  • Don’t only infest homes with unsanitary conditions
  • Avoiding bringing items into your home that roaches often travel in – boxes, newspapers, grocery bags, food cartons, pet food, furniture
  • Remove & wash any clothing and/or luggage immediately if you’ve encountered another home or accommodation where roaches were present
  • Keep your home as clean as possible to remove potential food sources eliminate any areas with excessive moisture and de-clutter
  • Contact an exterminator for if you’re seeing roaches; infestations develop quickly and roaches can become immune to OTC products, especially if used incorrectly or too often