South Australia is home to many pests that can damage a building or do harm to the residents. Pests don’t discriminate; they will infest any structure that offers shelter from the elements. Whether it is your thriving restaurant, business, or home that becomes their target, there are four telltale signs you might need a pest inspection.
Whether you have been in the building for a while, or it’s a new building, or it’s an old building that’s new to you, a termite infestation could cause significant damage to the structure.
Types of Infestation That May Signal a Pest Inspection Is Needed
Although cockroach infestation is not that common in South Australia, there are about 450 species of roaches in Australia. The most common are the American, German, and Oriental cockroaches, according to the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA).
Though many attribute roaches to squalid living conditions, having a clean house or restaurant does not guarantee you will not get an infestation. Cockroaches can come into your home or business in shopping bags, shipping boxes, or luggage.
Snakes, both venomous and non-poisonous, look for a warm, moist place to lay their eggs. Therefore, they may come into your home through openings in the siding, eaves, and basements. Even a single snake can be dangerous to the inhabitants of a home or business, but an infestation could prove deadly.
Mice, to some, are cute, furry animals often kept for pets. However, in a restaurant or business setting, just one sighting by a client can ruin your reputation. What’s more, in storage areas, mice will chew through cardboard boxes and destroy inventories.
An infestation by any of these can ruin a business or send houseguests running, but a termite infestation can crumble a home or business from within the walls.
Termite Wings or Tiny Sawdust Mounds
Termites can do severe damage to a building. These wood eating insects can bore through the framework that supports a building’s structure. Because these destructive insects are so small and usually make their nests within the very food they eat, it can be challenging to spot an infestation.
However, they do leave telltale signs if you look for them. Because they eat wood, their excrement looks like a small pile of sawdust. Also, they grow wings to mate, and when they find their partner, they drop the wings. When you see wings on the windowsill or small piles of unexplainable sawdust piles, you should call for a pest inspection.
Consider this article for information about the benefits of termite guard.
Night Noises
Strange noises coming from the floors, a guestroom, or walls could be a sign of mice, termites, or snakes. Most would not consider that small insects like termites could make that much noise. However, working termites make clacking noises while gathering wood fibres.
Also, when threatened, they have a built-in self-defence mechanism. The termites bang their heads against the wood. Imagine thousands of little insects clacking and banging their heads.
Snakes are probably the quietest house guests unless they are chasing a mouse, their favourite meal. Likewise, you might not hear mice as they scurry around, but if you know you have mice and the signs suddenly disappear, they might have been eaten.
Moulted Skin or Excrement Droppings
Snakes shed their skins to get bigger, so finding moulted skins in the basement or hanging from siding or eaves might be a sign one or more is in your house. For information on safe snake handling, read Snakes Around the House, and if someone has been bitten call 000 immediately.
The presence of excrement is a very likely sign that there are mice or roaches. Roach excrement is not as noticeable as mice droppings, but if you see unexplained trails of what looks like ground coffee or pepper, it could be time for a pest inspection.
New Wood or Spot Repairs
When you notice new wood siding or trim while considering the purchase of an older home, that might be a sign of a past termite problem. Therefore, get a pest inspection to check for resolution of the issue before you buy.
Watch for these four signs and if you suspect a problem, call Houspect for your Adelaide Termite Inspections.
