There are a multitude of pests that can be found in your Northern Virginia home, but the 3 most common pests are crickets, ants, and rodents. When there are major weather changes, insects and rodents that normally live outside move inside to protect themselves from the harsher elements.

CRICKETS

Crickets are a brown, nocturnal insect that lives outside during the warmer months. Like most insects they have a somewhat flattened body, an exoskeleton, and are cold blooded. Because they are cold blooded, they take on the temperature of their environment. This is why when the temperature drops they move inside to keep warm. They are scavengers that eat organic material, usually decaying leaves or fungi. If they are found living in a home, they can cause damage to material from clothing, or furniture coverings (usually made of cotton or wool), and can sometimes even be the cause of some damage to the wallpaper in the house.

ANTS

Crickets are not the only insect that can find its way into your home. There are also pests like bed bugs, ants and spiders. It’s important to know what can cause these insects to make their way into your home so that you can prevent an infestation. Bed bugs for instance, can make their way into the home by latching onto just about anything. This includes book bags, purses, and suitcases, and even in the spines of books (as some students in Seattle discovered). When it comes to bed bugs, prevention is the key. They are visible to the eye, so if you live in an area that has been known to have a large bed bug problem, then it would be wise to take precautions against bringing them into your house.

There many different kinds of ants but the two most common types of ants in Northern Virginia are Carpenter Ants and the Odorous House Ant. Both types are black or brown in color. The carpenter ant is known to cause significant damage to homes by getting into the moisture damaged wood in the home. The odorous house ant on the other hand, is more a nuisance because of its large numbers.

RODENTS

Rodents are what a lot of people fear when they hear about house pests. The only thing that mice and rats tend to leave behind when they enter a home is damage and disease. In Northern Virginia the two most common rats are the Norway Rat and the Roof Rat. Roof Rats can be found, not shockingly, in the attics of infested houses. The Norway rat on the other hand tends to burrow into the ground, and prefers to come out at night. The most common type of mouse is the house mouse. Curious mice, they have a tendency to get into just about anything. To avoid detection, this mouse is usually only seen coming out at night.