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5 Reasons Pests Fall In Love With Your Home

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Love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and while you might not think twice about the chocolates and flowers you left on the counter, the pests in your home sure will! If you are beginning to notice pests sneaking into your home, you’re not the only one! These wintery months have pests dying to come inside for food, warmth and shelter (things your home has plenty of!)

Here are five reasons why pests are falling in love with your home this winter, and how you can protect yourself and your family from the problems they cause.

What Is It About Our Homes That Is So Desirable To Pests?

1. Food

We get it—who wants to do dishes, right? When your hectic schedule kicks in, dishes just seem to pile up out of nowhere. They sit in the sink, on the counter, sometimes even on your nightstand. However, cleaning and putting away your dirty dishes might save you the nightmare of pests getting to them first.

Pests like ants and cockroaches love to get in your leftovers. Ants are attracted to sweets, so that heart-shaped box of chocolates is looking better by the minute to them! Make sure to search your home for any leftover food pests might get into, and double-check for crumbs you may have left behind.

2. Moisture

Moisture in and outside of your house is never a good thing. Leaky faucets and clogged gutters can cause a multitude of problems, especially when it comes to pests.

Pests are not only searching for food, but also water in your home. Pests like mice will love that dripping faucet, and termites can’t get enough of that water-soaked wood! Clogged or damaged gutters could result in standing water, which looks a lot like a welcome sign to mosquitos. Always check your home periodically, to make sure you aren’t experiencing leaks or water damage. Not only do damages like this attract pests, but also they can cause serious issues in and around your home.Check these areas of your home where water damage is common.

3. Heat

Cold, winter months make us want to turn up the thermostat and bundle up in a blanket. And just like you enjoy the warmth of your home, so do the pests outside. Small holes or cracks in your foundation, doors or windows can cause warm air to draft outside, inviting pests into your home.

Pests like bats and birds might seek shelter in your attic by looking for entries like rotten wood or broken windows. Mice, rats, and other pests like cockroaches will love the warmth and darkness your basement provides. Mice only need a hole the size of a dime to sneak in, and can wreak havoc on your home once inside.Pest-proofing your home in the winter can be difficult. But, by periodically checking your doors, windows and foundation, you can secure your home against pest invasions. Pests only need a small sliver of space to wiggle their way in, so use caulk to seal small cracks in your foundation or window sills. However, other, larger holes or cracks will need a more serious repair. When in doubt, consult a specialist!

4. Clutter

Everyone has that stack of “things I will get to later” in their home. Over time, papers, newspapers, magazines and old cardboard boxes can pile up, giving pests the perfect hiding places. Cockroaches and silverfish love to snuggle up inside of your old papers or boxes, hoping they will continue to go unnoticed.

Before that stack of paper turns into a roach motel, clean out the clutter in your home and decide on the things that are worth keeping, and those that aren’t. By properly putting away your clutter, you can further protect your home from pests.

5. “Homey”

Often times, pest are accidentally carried into our homes and then decide they don’t want to leave.

During the winter months, you might find yourself bringing outdoor plants in to protect them from the cold, or pieces of firewood to burn in your fireplace. All sorts of pests can be found in your plants or wood, and you could be bringing them into your home unintentionally.

If you decide to bring your outdoor plants inside, here are some tips to make sure pests stay where they belong—outside.

  1. Check each leaf and stem. Some pests like to hang out under the leaf, so be sure to check both sides.
  2. Hose down the plant. Set the pressure on a lower setting, so you don’t tear through the leaves.
  3. Dunk the plant in water. As long as the plant doesn’t use dry soil (like a succulent or cactus, for example) you will be fine to submerge the plant in water for 15 minutes. Any pests remaining on the leaves should float away, but if not, add a few drops of dish soap to get them moving.
  4. Check the soil and remove dead leaves. Some pests like slugs or earwigs will burrow into the soil, so carefully remove the plant from the pot to check. If you notice pests in the soil, try dunking the soil in water!
  5. Use pesticide. If these tips aren’t getting the job done, you can try spraying your plants in pesticide to remove those annoying pests once and for all!

At the end of the day, pests always seem to find a way to get inside. Whether they’re looking for food or water, or just for a warm place to stay, it can be a full-time job trying to keep pests at bay. If you notice unwanted pests in your home, don’t wait! Schedule an appointment with us today.

5 Reasons Pests Fall In Love With Your Home

Bedbug inspection

How to Know if Your Hotel Has Bedbugs

Upon entering a hotel room, do you typically reach for the tiny toiletries, take a leap onto the bed, or perhaps start by inspecting for bed bugs? Knowing what to look for is essential. Anticimex Carolinas Service Manager Christian Tweed has shared valuable insights on identifying bed bugs in your hotel room and preventing them from hitching a ride back home with you. And if bed bugs do become an unexpected part of your vacation, remember that Clark’s Pest Control is here to assist!



Q&A with a Pest Professional


How do bed bugs get inside hotels?


Bed bugs are primarily hitchhiking insects as opposed to foraging ones, meaning that they get carried around on people’s clothes and belongings. Someone with an active infestation in their home can easily bring bed bugs to their hotel, but they can also be picked up during travel (airplanes, taxis, and rideshare services) and brought to a hotel room.


What do people misunderstand about bed bugs in hotels?


From a probability standpoint, all hotels will deal with bed bugs at some point in time. If you think about a bed bug’s method of travel, there’s literally nothing a hotel can do to stop them from being carried in. What I have realized is that luxury hotels are more likely to have an aggressive response to dealing with a bed bug case once it’s identified as they tend to have a higher quality of service and a reputation to protect. While this isn’t always the case, it has been my experience more often than not.

Got bedbugs? Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today!

What do you recommend travelers do when they get to their room to check for bed bugs?


Most hotel headboards hang directly on the wall. I start my inspection here before even looking at the bed itself. I have found bed bugs, their exoskeletons, and the telltale black stains they leave behind around the edges of or in the crevices of headboards. If the headboard looks clean, move on to looking over the pillowcases and comforter for any signs or stains. You can dig into the bedding as deep as you want here, but I encourage people to look over the top layer of things at the very least.


What are some lesser-known signs of bed bugs in your hotel room?


The specifics of the black stains they leave behind, which as gross as it sounds, are just digested blood as that’s all that bed bugs feed on. If the stains are on a hard surface, they will be small dots as if left behind by an ink pen and will smear into a brownish gray when moisture is applied. If they’re on fabric, they will usually bleed along the fibers making a small diamond, square or X shape.


If there are bed bugs in your hotel room, can they travel home with you?


They absolutely can, however this is easy to prevent. While staying in a hotel, keep as much of your clothing and luggage off the beds as possible. Storing suitcases in the bathroom might sound odd, but it’s an effective method of prevention.

Don’t tackle bedbugs yourself, call Clark’s at 866-781-4991!

What should you do with your suitcase if you suspect your hotel has bed bugs?


When arriving home from a trip, leave your luggage in the garage or on a porch and bring your clothes in one load of laundry at a time. If the clothes are dirty, wash them like you normally would, if they’re clean then run them through the dryer for at least forty-five minutes. Once your suitcase is empty, vacuum over it meticulously (don’t forget to empty the vacuum when you’re done), or if you’re in the right climate, expose it to heat for a few days by placing it in your vehicle (parked in the sun) or for a few weeks in your attic.


The Clark’s Solution


If you brought bed bugs back to you home, Clark’s is here to help. Our Bedbug Control service is designed to eliminate bedbugs and create a safe, comfortable environment.


A Clark’s Pest Professional will do an inspection and recommend a plan of attack to get rid of bed bugs now and prevent them from hatching in the future. Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today for more information.



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