Identifying a Roach Infestation When Moving Into a New Home

The last thing that you would want when moving into a new home is to have to contend with a pest infestation. However, some people do not take the time to search for signs of pests as they are busy carrying out other building inspections such as checking for structural damage and making sure the plumbing is intact. A common pest infestation new homeowners become burdened with is cockroaches, as these insects reproduce at an astonishing rate. Use these tips to identify a roach infestation when moving into a new home.

Scampering insects during the day

During the daytime, roaches tend to be inactive, and this is why it is hard to discern if a premises has an infestation. However, when these nocturnal pests start to scamper about during the day, it is a sure sign that the property is infested with roaches. Daytime activity means that the roaches are out of food sources and they need to forage out of their regular hours. It would be in your best interests to hire fumigation services before you move into the premises.

Pungent, musty odours around the property

Another telltale sign of a roach infestation is if there are musty or oily smells permeating the property. Cockroaches utilise pheromones and other chemicals to communicate with each other. When there is a large number of cockroaches in the home, it translates into an increase of these smells. You may also find that the foul odours are more pungent in the kitchen than in other rooms of the home.

Unexplainable droppings on the property

One thing to note about cockroach droppings is they tend to be centralised to the areas that they frequent the most. Thus, you should search for any unexplained droppings around the pantry, cabinets, drawers, cupboards and other locations that would typically be used as food storage. The cockroach droppings look similar to coffee grounds, which makes them easy to miss as some potential homebuyers may assume they are just flecks of dirt in the home. You should have a pest inspection carried out before you move in to be on the safe side.

Cockroach skins littering the premises

Roach skins in the new home will not mean that the cockroaches are dead. These skins are shed from roach nymphs that are growing. Thus, the shells indicate that you have a mature cockroach colony infesting the home. The cockroach skins will typically be present in tight crevices, as the bugs tend to favour these spaces to lay their eggs.

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