It can be alarming to find unwanted pests in or around your home. Unfortunately, pest problems are actually quite common in the United States. Depending on where you live and what pests are prevalent in your area, you might need a regular pest control service to prevent a pest infestation from taking over your home or yard.
Most Common House Pests
Recognizing common pests is the first step toward prevention and getting the right kind of bug or rodent control services.
| Pest | Months Most Active | Treatment Required | Best Method for Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed Bugs | June to October | Vacuuming, laundering, chemical and heat treatments | Vacuum frequently, reduce clutter, inspect incoming items |
| Carpenter Ants | March to June | Poisonous gel baits | Store wood away, fix leaks |
| Spiders | Summer months | Spot or perimeter treatments | Address other pest issues, remove cobwebs, seal gaps |
| Cockroaches | Summer months | Boric acid, diatomaceous earth, baits | Remove trash, clean regularly, seal food |
| Fleas | May to September | Pet baths, laundering, vacuuming | Yard maintenance, pet grooming, flea control medications |
| Stink Bugs | March to September | Insecticides, vacuuming | Use garden row covers |
| Termites | April to August/Year-round | Termite baits, termiticide | Wood treatments, remove old wood |
| Rodents | Spring and summer | Traps, hand removal | Remove food sources, seal entry points, weatherproof homes |
This list includes pests you may find in your home or close to your home, like feasting on nearby wood or in your crawlspace.
🛏️ Bed Bugs
- Geographical Location: All states and most countries
- Problem Caused: Feed on humans and can cause allergic reactions
- Months Most Active: June to October
- Treatment Required: Vacuuming, laundering, chemical treatment, heat treatment
- Best Method for Prevention: Vacuum frequently, reduce clutter, and inspect items coming into the home, like clothing and furniture
Bed bugs are among the most challenging pests to get rid of, as treatment usually includes separating and sealing unwashable items infested by bed bugs for as long as an entire year. They can also multiply rapidly and be difficult to spot during the day when they’re inactive. Taking care of a bed bug infestation as quickly as possible is the key to getting rid of this common pest successfully.
🐜 Carpenter Ants
- Geographical Location: Most parts of the world, but especially in forested areas
- Problem Caused: Create nests in wood, harming the wood’s structural integrity
- Months Most Active: March to June
- Treatment Required: Poisonous gel baits
- Best Method for Prevention: Store wood away from the home and fix leaks that could cause damp areas of the home
Carpenter ants burrow through wood to make their nests inside. It won’t take long for a colony to move in, which could cause dangerous pores in the wood supporting your home. You can typically locate where a colony lives by looking for piles of sawdust near floors and walls.
🕷️ Spiders
- Geographical Location: Varies, depending on the spider
- Problem Caused: Some can be poisonous to humans or pets, and a large number of spiders may indicate another bug infestation.
- Months Most Active: Generally during the summer months
- Treatment Required: Spot treatment or perimeter treatment
- Best Method for Prevention: Taking care of other pest infestations, cobweb removal, and sealing gaps and cracks
Aside from causing one of the most common fears in humans, spiders can be a nuisance in the home. They’re known for feasting on other insects, which can be a good thing. However, when you find lots of spiders in your home, it’s a sign you might also have another pest problem. Some spiders, like the black widow and brown recluse, can cause harmful bites to humans and animals.
Cockroaches
- Geographical Location: Almost all geographical regions
- Problem Caused: Potential to spread disease and cause allergies
- Months Most Active: Summer months
- Treatment Required: Boric acid, diatomaceous earth, baits
- Best Method for Prevention: Removing trash, regular cleaning, and sealing food
If you’ve ever had a cockroach infestation, you know how difficult these pests can be to get rid of. Cockroaches can multiply quickly, sometimes causing what seems to be a small problem to escalate in just a few days. A pest control company may need to return multiple times to ensure treatment success.
Many people think cockroaches only occur in apartments or multi-family homes, but they’ll invade rural areas and businesses if they find enough food. Eliminating sources of food, like storing pet food that hasn’t been eaten or sealing pantry items, is the best prevention method.
🐶 Fleas
- Geographical Location: Various species live all over the world
- Problem Caused: Can cause skin reactions in humans and pets
- Months Most Active: May to September
- Treatment Required: Pet baths, laundering, vacuuming
- Best Method for Prevention: Yard maintenance, pet grooming, flea control medications
Fleas most commonly enter homes via pets, but they can also cling to clothing. They breed quickly, so it only takes a couple of fleas to quickly turn into an infestation. Because fleas feed on blood, they can be problematic for humans and pets, leaving behind itchy bites and, in some cases, allergic reactions.
🐞 Stink Bugs
- Geographical Location: Eastern Asia, and about 15 states in the United States, including Pennsylvania, California, and Washington.
- Problem Caused: Plant damage and unpleasant odor
- Months Most Active: March to September
- Treatment Required: Insecticides, vacuuming
- Best Method for Prevention: Garden row covers
Known for the unpleasant odor they release when squished, stink bugs are relatively new to the United States and are thought to have been introduced during the 1990s. These stinky critters love making houses their homes during cooler months, although they don’t pose a threat to humans. However, they are known to damage vegetation, making it important to protect crops from them if they’re in your area.
🐜 Termites
- Geographical Location: All United States except Alaska, plus tropical regions of the world
- Problem Caused: Structural damage to homes
- Months Most Active: April to August in cooler regions; year-round in warmer areas
- Treatment Required: Termite baits, termiticide
- Best Method for Prevention: Wood treatments, removing old wood from home
Professional termite treatment is the best way to solve a termite infestation, as this pest can quickly take ownership of the wood in your home and be incredibly sneaky about doing so. It’s common to have a larger problem than you expect, and a termite control company knows exactly what to look for to ensure no pests get left behind.
🐭 Rodents
- Geographical Location: Prevalent on all continents except Antarctica
- Problem Caused: Damage to their living spaces, disease spread
- Months Most Active: Most active during spring and summer but tend to enter homes in fall and winter to find shelter and heat
- Treatment Required: Traps, hand removal
- Best Method for Prevention: Removing food sources, sealing entry points in homes, taking steps to weatherproof your home
Rats, chipmunks, mice, and squirrels are among the common rodents that infest homes, namely crawlspaces and attics. Often, rodents that enter homes seek food or a cozy place to breed. Rodents can carry diseases dangerous to pets and humans and cause damage to their living spaces, including chewing on electrical wires.
Most Common Garden Pests
| Pest | Months Most Active | Treatment Required | Best Method for Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flies | March to September | Food traps, fly traps | Deterrent candles, essential oils, remove standing water |
| Mosquitoes | April to September | Insecticides near water | Citronella, remove standing water, plant natural repellents |
| Aphids | Warmer months/Year-round | Plant-based pesticides | Soapy water on plants, deterrent sprays |
| Ticks | April to September | Tick pesticide applications | Repellent sprays, tick control medications for pets |
| Stinging Insects | July to October | Treatment of nest | Seal gaps, cover trash/compost, remove food sources near home |
These pests are common to find outdoors, either bothering your backyard barbecue guests or chomping on your garden growth.
Flies
- Geographical Location: Various species are prevalent all over the world
- Problem Caused: Can spread diseases to humans and animals
- Months Most Active: March to September
- Treatment Required: Food traps, fly traps
- Best Method for Prevention: Deterrent candles, essential oils, removing areas of standing water
Flies are not only nuisances when you’re trying to enjoy the outdoors — especially if you have food around — but they’re also a health hazard to humans and pets. These pests can spread diseases like E.coli and dysentery, making it especially important to contact pest control companies for mosquito control as soon as you suspect a problem.
🦟 Mosquitoes
- Geographical Location: Various species in all regions of the world except Antarctica
- Problem Caused: Can spread dangerous diseases, like malaria and Zika virus
- Months Most Active: April to September
- Treatment Required: Insecticides near nests and standing water areas
- Best Method for Prevention: Citronella candles in outdoor spaces; removing areas of standing water; planting natural repellents, like basil or lemongrass, near home
Mosquitoes can be just as bothersome to your outdoor summer activities as flies, and they’re known carriers of numerous diseases that can spread to humans and pets when they bite. Some mosquito-borne diseases, like West Nile virus and malaria, can be deadly. If you have areas of pooling water near your home or things like toys or decorations that can collect water, your yard may be at risk of encouraging a mosquito population to breed.
🍃 Aphids
- Geographical Location: Usually in temperate locations
- Problem Caused: Plant damage
- Months Most Active: Warmer months in colder regions; year-round in warmer regions
- Treatment Required: Plant-based pesticides
- Best Method for Prevention: Coating plants with a soapy water mix, using deterrent sprays near or on plants
Aphids are small bugs that feed on the sap of leaves and plants, which is why they typically infest your garden area. You can see aphids on plants if you look closely enough, but it’s usually the damage that gardeners first spot, like plant discoloration and small holes in leaves.
🦌 Ticks
- Geographical Location: Various species are found throughout the world
- Problem Caused: Carry disease that can affect humans and pets, like Lyme disease
- Months Most Active: April to September
- Treatment Required: Tick pesticide applications for yards
- Best Method for Prevention: Repellent sprays for people, tick control medications for pets that go outside
Ticks are most prevalent in warmer months, but some species remain active all year. When outside, it’s important to prevent tick bites on humans and pets by covering exposed skin, treating clothing with tick repellent, and giving outdoor pets tick-prevention medication.
The best pest control companies can curb tick infestations by treating your yard regularly and monitoring for tick activity.
🐝 Stinging Insects
- Geographical Location: Species can be found all over the world
- Problem Caused: Painful stings; allergic reactions, in some cases
- Months Most Active: July-October
- Treatment Required: Treatment of nest during a period of low insect activity
- Best Method for Prevention: Seal entrance gaps, cover trash and compost bins, remove sources of food near home
Stinging insects, like hornets and wasps, don’t typically sting unless they feel threatened, but it doesn’t always take much to pose a threat. And if there’s a nest around that you’re unaware of, you or your family could be at risk for painful stings.
Integrated pest management services by professional bug exterminators can find and remove nests, which can sometimes hide in difficult-to-find places, like inside walls and under roofs.
Do I Need Pest Control?
If you have an active infestation of any pest that’s bothering your yard or home, it’s a good idea to look into pest control. The best pest control companies like Terminix, Orkin, and Ehrlich Pest Control offer a free inspection and create a custom treatment plan based on your pest problem and your home’s needs. They can also provide you with a few pest control tips to keep the problem from getting worse while they’re treating and to prevent pests from returning.
You might wonder, “How much does pest control cost?” if you’re going this route. The answer to this depends on the pest you need help with, the extent of the problem, and where you live. For example, wildlife control typically costs more than spider control because it usually requires a more complex plan for removal and prevention.
Take advantage of free inspections and quotes from pest management companies in your area to compare their services and pricing.
