If you spot a pest in your home, you may wonder if you have a serious infestation. Luckily, you can prevent them from invading in the first place. Let’s look at the top three worst pets in your home, how to get rid of them and why some are harder to remove than others.

What Is the Hardest Pest to Get Rid Of?

Bed bugs, termites and cockroaches tend to be the hardest to eliminate. Less challenging ones include:

• Centipedes
• Grain moths
• Spiders
• Butterflies
• Gnats

Let’s learn what makes them so hard to eradicate and the most effective treatment options.

1. Termites

Termites are eusocial insects sometimes mistaken as white ants. Two types of termites frequently infest homes — workers and swarmers. Worker termites are 3-4 millimeters in length. Swarmer termites are about 4 millimeters long, dark brown or black and rarely have wings. To determine if you have a termite problem, place your thumb on any exposed wooden areas in your home. If the wood crumbles, you likely have a termite infestation.

Why Are Termites So Hard to Get Rid Of?

Termites don’t like to be out in the open. They stay hidden in wood panels and move when exposed to light. It is also easier for them — specifically workers, soldiers and young termites (nymphs) — to stay in the dark because they are blind. Adults, kings and queens are the only ones who can see. Apart from being blind, they are so stealthy that they can live undetected in the walls of a home for around 15 years.

That gives them enough time to eat the wood inside the walls and cause structural damage to your home. They also eat furniture, books and wallpaper.

Termites reproduce fast, laying up to several thousand eggs per day. Their colony and territory quickly expand. Sometimes, they expand far away from the original colony, making it hard to keep track of and get rid of them.

Most Effective Termite Treatment

Baits can be an effective and eco-friendly solution for even the worst bug infestations. They attract termites, which then carry and feed the bait to the other termites in the colony, killing them.

Place bait every 10-15 feet around the property’s perimeter and check it regularly to ensure it still works. Moisture in wood — a common cause of wood-destroying insect infestations — attracts termites. Place vapor barriers in your basement to remove moisture.

The most effective treatment is to have a professional perform a complete initial inspection of your home. They can determine how severe the situation is and what action needs to be taken. At Pestech, we use Sentricon stations buried around the house to inspect and treat for termites simultaneously. If you suspect a termite problem, call us today!

2. Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are some of the worst pests to have in your home. When you wake up with red, itchy skin, find small bites in a line across your skin or notice rusty-colored spots on your sheets or mattress, you probably have a bed bug infestation.

Why Are Bed Bugs So Hard to Get Rid Of?

Bed bugs are one of the hardest pests to get rid of due to their speedy reproduction rates and small, flat bodies, which make it easy for them to squeeze through small spaces. They only become easier to detect once the colony becomes bigger. They can hide in wallpapers, along baseboards, under floorboards and inside electrical outlets.

Additionally, today’s bed bugs are resistant to pesticides for various reasons:

• Compared to bed bugs of 20 years ago, they have a stronger exoskeleton that repels pesticides.
• Their skin has high levels of enzymes that break down common pesticides and make them useless.
• They have a symbiotic relationship with hundreds of bacteria species, which help them survive by fending off viruses, pesticides and other substances.
• They are constantly evolving, so pesticides that might have worked on them before may not work on them again.

Most Effective Bed Bug Treatment

Pesticides are often unreliable, but Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies are practical and environmentally sensitive. They rely on knowledge of the pest and common sense practices such as:

• Vacuuming bed bug-prone areas regularly, sealing and removing the vacuum bag immediately.
• Keeping the bed away from the wall, not letting bedding touch the floor and washing it regularly.
• Decluttering, as bed bugs can hide in clutter.
• Keeping clothes off the floor.
• Sealing cracks where bed bugs can hide.
• Killing each bed bug one by one.

If you need professional help, give Pestech a call.

3. Cockroaches

Cockroaches are one of the hardest insects to kill. One sign of cockroach infestation is seeing one during the day. These pests usually come out at night. During the day, they hide safely behind walls and wood paneling. Finding their fecal droppings or egg casings indicates a more serious problem.

Egg casings are usually brown in color and have a long, rounded shape. However, some cockroaches are known to carry their eggs around with them. Cockroaches are resilient and can compress their bodies to squeeze through tiny cracks and crevices.

Why Are Cockroaches So Hard to Get Rid Of?

Like most insects, cockroaches breed quickly and don’t need males to reproduce. Female cockroaches prefer to breed with males, but when males are not easily accessible, females can breed asexually through parthenogenesis. Thus, they multiply quickly and are more challenging to get rid of.

Additionally, the overlapping plates that make up a cockroach’s exoskeleton are connected by a sketchy membrane. This membrane allows cockroaches to fit through small cracks and crevices by transferring energy to their legs. They also have a thick, protective outer layer that allows them to shift and shape when needed.

In addition to their strong and flexible bodies, cockroaches are good at hiding. They can do it anywhere because most external factors, like changing temperatures, do not affect them. They also have an amazing sense of smell, which helps them spot nutrients from unlikely sources like cardboard and paper.

Most Effective Treatment for Cockroaches

When used correctly, baits work almost as well as professional extermination. They consist of a slow-acting insecticide and a food attractant. When cockroaches consume the bait, they crawl away to die. Even cockroaches that interact with the bait indirectly are affected, as they consume the sputum and feces of those that have interacted with it.

For baits to work, you must place them strategically. The best spots include:

• Under or around sinks and toilets.
• Behind appliances like the fridge, dishwasher or stove.
• Near trash cans.
• In cabinets and storage areas.

For plastic-style bait stations, place them against paths commonly traveled by cockroaches, like the corners and edges of cabinets and countertops.

Keeping your home clean can also prevent roach infestations. Food scraps and moisture can attract cockroaches, so it’s important to get rid of them both outside and inside.

Outside, you can:

• Keep trash cans covered.
• Trim plants.
• Reduce or remove bird feeders.

Inside, you can:

• Clean and remove food sources.
• Vacuum.
• Kill roaches using essential oil and pesticides.
• Wash and store away dirty utensils immediately after use.
• Clean up any spills as soon as they happen.

Contact Pestech to Learn More About Our Pest Management Services

If you think you have an infestation, please call us at 1-800-287-2847 or contact us online to request services from Pestech. We’d be happy to assist you!