Critters You Won’t Notice Until It’s Too Late

Nobody likes an unwanted houseguest, especially when it’s a pesky critter scurrying around your home. While some pests make their presence known through loud screeches or excessive scratching, others can lurk in your living space without making a sound.

If you’re not careful, these critters can slowly start taking over your home and wreak havoc on your property. To prevent an infestation from sneaking up on you, here are two stealthy critters you should keep an eye out for.

Cluster Flies

Cluster flies are a particularly stealthy nuisance due to their subtle and elusive behavior. They get their name from their habit of gathering in large groups, often inside walls or attics, where they can stay for weeks at a time.

Unlike other common houseflies, cluster flies are not attracted to human food or waste, making them less obvious to the untrained eye. They tend to seek shelter in the quieter, less frequented areas of your home, such as attics, windows, and wall cavities, which can make detecting their presence challenging.

Another interesting reason why these flies go unnoticed is their breeding cycle. Cluster flies lay their eggs in fields during the summer months and then migrate to homes in the fall, seeking shelter as temperatures drop. Once inside, they can remain hidden until warmer weather arrives again, making it easy for them to stay undetected for months.

Add to this their habit of returning to the same location year after year. As they return, you have a pest problem that can quickly spiral out of control if you don’t deal with it promptly. These flies won’t harm you, but they’re still unsightly and unpleasant to have around. So be mindful of their subtle presence and take preventive measures to keep them out.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are another stealthy pest that can invade your home without your knowledge. Unlike termites, they don’t eat wood but rather tunnel through it to build their nests, causing significant structural damage over time.

What makes these ants particularly sinister is their preference for damp, decayed wood, which allows them to remain hidden behind walls, attics, or under floors. You might not notice their presence until you see signs of severe wood damage, which often includes sagging floors, hollow-sounding timber, and piles of sawdust-like material.

In addition, carpenter ants are primarily nocturnal, so their activity often goes undetected during daylight hours. You may notice these ants during the day if the colony is well-established or seeking food.

These ants can venture several yards from their nest in search of food, so an infestation can start outside your home and eventually make its way inside. This unique combination of habits and characteristics makes carpenter ants a difficult pest to detect until it’s too late, emphasizing the importance of preventative measures and regular inspections.

The Kissing Bug

Despite the cute name, the kissing bug is not something you want in your home. These bugs can carry Chagas disease, which can affect both humans and animals. Chagas disease is transmitted through the bug’s feces, which they deposit on your skin while sucking blood. They are generally nocturnal and can often be found in areas with dim lighting.

The problem with these bugs is that their bites are painless and often go unnoticed. They tend to bite around the mouth or eyes at night when you’re asleep, making it even less likely for you to realize something is wrong.

Kissing bugs are most commonly found in warm, humid climates and tend to hide indoors during the colder months. They can enter your home through small cracks or gaps, making it easy for them to slip in unnoticed.

No one wants pests in their home, particularly the sneaky ones that can easily remain unnoticed. Regular inspections by experienced professionals like Highland Pest Control, Inc. can help identify and eliminate these pests before they become problematic.