They are easily the most common pests; besides being a nuisance, they can transmit respiratory diseases, contaminate food and damage articles. Types of cockroaches generally seen in homes are ...
GERMAN COCKROACH
Mostly found indoors in kitchens, cracks and crevices, they grow to large numbers in a short span of time.
AMERICAN COCKROACH
Lives in sewers and manholes, they enter homes through 'nahni' traps, open doors etc.
BROWN BANDED COCKROACH
Found in homes, it looks very much like a German Cockroach.
ANTS
Commonly found in homes (especially small red, black and ghost ants) they swarm around leftover, spilt food or drink and form trails back to their nest. Some ants cause painful bites and stings. Ants are fast becoming a major pest.
SILVER FISH - FIRE BRATS
Largely active at night, they damage household articles containing starch such as bookbindings and fabrics.
BED BUGS
Bed bug bites cause irritation and sleepless nights. They feed on human blood and have become serious pests in recent times. Bed-bug infestation is picked up at cinema halls, on railway benches and sometimes even from birds in your surroundings.
WOOD BORER
Powder fallling from wooden furniture is a sure sign of woodborer infestation. Many people incorrectly think this to be termite damage.
RODENTS
Rats and mice make themselves confortable in human surroundings, finding food and shelter in our homes. They breed rapidly and contaminate food, damage clothes and other materials, They sprea diseases such as plague, leptospirosis, murine typhus and rat bite fever.
HOUSE MOUSE
Smallest of the rodents found in homes, brown to grey in colour. It prefers the ground level; and can make nests in sofas, upholstery, old files, insulation etc.
ROOD RAT
Slightly larger than the house mouse, drak brown to black in colour. It prefers higher areas such as false ceilings and rafters, where it makes nests. Very cautious by nature, it shies away from new objects.
INDIAN BANDICOOT RAT
The largest of Indian rat, it is found near garbage bins and refuse collection areas. It lives in burrows, often excavated in footpath tiles and concrete. It also spreads diseases such as plague and leptospirosis.
TERMITES
Termites are the number one pest when it comes to structural damage to homes. Most of these damages are cause by subterranean or soil-nesting termites in search for food containing cellulose such as wood, paper, clothes etc. They construct pathways or mud tubes from nest to food source. These tubes are sure sign of infestation as are winged termites seen hovering around light sources during the monsoons. Lack of these tell-tale signs does not mean there are no termites around and damage often goes undetected till it is too late. When dealing with termites, prevention is definitely batter than cure. |