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Rodents can also carry dozens of diseases including but not limited to:

• Tularemia
• Hantavirus
• The plague
• Salmonellosis

Rodents cause billions of dollars of damage through food waste and structural damage every year. The Indiana State Department of Health says that rodents contaminate (and lead to the waste of) up to 20 percent of all food every year. It’s hard to put an exact dollar amount on that. They can also lead you to need to replace electrical lines, walls, and more if they contaminate and chew through enough stuff.

How to Get Rid of Rats
If you’ve discovered signs of rats in your home, you should act quickly to mitigate the damage and prevent future infestations.

Read our guide on How To Get Rid of Rats to learn more.

Mice can bring a host of health hazards with them when they invade your home, not to mention the damage they leave behind. This is why it is imperative to deal with any ongoing mice infestations and to take the necessary steps for preventing their return.

Read our guide on How To Get Rid of Mice to learn more about getting rid of and preventing mice in your home.

While birds don’t often cause problems that lead to major monetary issues, if left unattended for long periods of time, birds can cause you to have to pay to have your gutters completely cleared out or replaced. You may also need to clean your roof or, far worse, replace it.

Before acting on a bird problem, it’s important to know that most birds in the U.S. are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty and Endangered Species Act. Only three types of birds qualify as “pest” birds: the pigeon, the house sparrow, and the European starling.
If you are dealing with a pest bird, read our guide on How To Get Rid of Birds to learn more about treatments and prevention.

In terms of structural damage, the ant you need to worry about most is the carpenter ant. They feed off dead and rotting wood, which means they can turn an already-bad issue into a worse one. Their damage looks similar to that of termites. Overall, ants cause hundreds of millions of dollars of damage every year based on how they impact structures and food.

The primary way to identify an ant issue is catching them in the act. Ants work together in an extremely organized fashion. They take turns bringing food back to the colony, so you may find them in a trail—almost like a single-file line—at work.

That trail will also lead to a food source and the colony, where you can find which type of ant you’re dealing with and, eventually, how to solve the issue. Ants will make their home in trees, soil, the inside of your home, the cracks of pavement, and just about anywhere they can fit a colony.

Read our guide on How To Get Rid of Ants to learn more about ant treatments and prevention.

• Adult versions of moths that can fly aren’t the ones doing the damage; it’s the younger version without the wings. Like butterflies, moths start in a caterpillar-like larval state before becoming a winged insect. When in this larvae stage, some of their characteristics include:
• About a half-inch long
• White or slightly translucent
• A brown end (that’s the head)
• A small black vein down the middle, which is their digestive tract
• Look like they’re wrapped in the fabric they’re feeding on

Moth larvae leave waste, too, which look like small, greyish pellets. They won’t eat through an entire shirt or sweater, but the damage will show face in small holes throughout the article of clothing. The holes could be as small as centimeters wide or as big as a couple inches.

If there are adult moths flying around inside a home, that’s a hint there are larvae—or at least eggs—around, too. And while there may not be any clothes present in a new house to reveal a moth problem, inspect any carpeting for them.

Thankfully, moths will not cause any real bodily harm. However, the clothes and carpet they damage can fall on the more expensive range of the spectrum and cost you thousands of dollars. Clothes that are in storage, such as in an attic or the back of the closet, are the most at-risk and could have significant damage if left unattended.

Bed bugs are incredibly difficult to see individually. In large bunches, however, they become easier to spot and will resemble a larger black mass. Because they’re so small (around 3-4 millimeters each), you’ll need to inspect the following areas to find them:

• Within and on the surface of mattresses, box springs, headboards, and other parts of the bed
• Near outlets and air conditioning vents
• On and below couches
• In the crevices of drawers
• Inside closet and storage areas

If you have been bit by a bed bug, look out for the following signs:

• Pain near the bite area
• A row or zig-zag of bites near the neck, back, arms, and legs
• A burning sensation near the bite area

Bed bugs won’t cause any damage to the structure of your home, but an infestation can lead to some serious monetary issues. To eradicate these pests, you’ll need to either perform a very deep clean of the area or potentially replace anything they have touched. This could result in thousands of dollars spent on professional treatment in addition to new furniture and carpets.

A bed bug infestation is notoriously difficult to eradicate, even if you’ve followed all of the prescribed prevention methods.
Adept at hiding in beds, furniture, and the various cracks and crevices that appear in any home, these pests reproduce at lightning speed and lay eggs that resist most types of treatment. This usually means several rounds of treatment to get rid of the current population as well as concerted efforts to update your environment and make it far less bed bug-friendly.

Read our guide on How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs for step-by-step bed bug treatment and prevention methods.

• Lyme disease
• The plague
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Tularemia

Fleas reproduce very quickly and live for a short period of time. They are also extremely small and difficult to identify in small numbers with the naked eye. One flea is no bigger than the tip of the pen. You’ll need to do some real digging if you want to identify fleas, and here’s how you can do it around the home:

• Check under rugs and carpet
• Check under cushions and sofas (if there’s furniture in the home)
• Look around the patio and front porch
• Check the bases of trees and any cluttered areas

To identify fleas on pets and yourself, do the following:

• Use a fine-tooth comb and sift through the fur or hair and check the comb for any presence of fleas
• When cleaning the comb off with soapy water, the water will turn red if there is evidence of flea droppings
• Use tweezers and a comb to lift up the hair to search individual areas that you or your dog may have been scratching at incessantly

Ticks are a large transmitter of diseases such as:

• Lyme disease
• Tularemia
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Anaplasmosis

When discovered on humans or pets, ticks should be removed as soon as possible. To remove a tick, follow these steps:

1. Using a pair of tweezers, gently grab the tick’s head as close to the skin as possible. Be sure not to squeeze the tick.

2. Gently pull the tick up and away from the skin. Move slowly and do not twist while pulling.

3. Once the tick is removed, check the bite area to make sure nothing has been left in the skin.

4. Clean the area thoroughly with soap and water.

Ticks are unpleasant pests that can be dangerous to both humans and animals. If you’ve discovered ticks around your home, you should take quick action to remove them before they end up feasting on you or your pets.
To learn more about treating and preventing ticks around your home, read our guide on How To Get Rid of Ticks.

Flies spread the following diseases and illnesses:

• Dysentery
• Tularemia
• Cholera
• Leprosy
• Tuberculosis

As for mosquitoes, they spread the following:

• West Nile virus
• Encephalitis
• Malaria
• Dengue fever
• Chikungunya

Billions of dollars are spent every year trying to control mosquitoes and flies. Millions more are spent treating the illnesses and diseases they spread.

There many treatment methods available for dealing with a fly infestation. To learn more about treating and preventing flies in your home, read our guide on How To Get Rid of Flies.

There are many methods for repelling mosquitoes and reducing mosquito populations near your home, but some are more effective than others. Read our guide on How To Get Rid of Mosquitoes to learn more.

Cockroaches can cause a slew of health issues. You may not even know cockroaches are present before they start affecting your health. The ways cockroaches can affect your health include:

• Allergic reactions: Dust from cockroaches, like their droppings and loose body parts, can enter the air and cause bouts of sneezing, coughing, and wheezing.
• Asthma: If the dust is present for long enough, it can adversely affect people with asthma and result in extreme bouts of bronchitis, breathing issues, and inflamed airways.
• Diseases: Cockroaches are a transmitter of diseases and bacteria like salmonella, E. coli,. Listeriosis, the plague, and many others. Whereas the other health issues can be contracted through the air, cockroaches transmit disease by coming in contact with food directly or surfaces that haven’t been cleaned before food comes in contact with them.

Cockroaches feed off dirt, leftover food, and standing water. Make sure countertops, the sink, floors, drains, and the trash are scrubbed clean before going to bed, especially after preparing food.

While cockroaches don’t cause any physical damage to your home, they can cause damage by infecting food and sending you to the hospital. It’s not exactly convenient to try to get rid of cockroaches, either, so it’s important to make sure a home isn’t infested with cockroaches before purchasing one.

The two most common methods for getting rid of cockroaches include baiting and the use of chemicals.

While both can be effective, you should choose the one that is best for your home environment and the most useful against the specific cockroach species invading it. Read How To Get Rid of Roaches to learn more.