Pests can do a lot of damage to your home. Read on to find out what animals they are!
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There are many things that can cause great harm to your home. However, most people tend to think of Mother Nature when they think of home damage – hail, rain, wind, and so on. The problem is, these are definitely not the main problems for causing harm to a home. Pests can actually cause a lot more problems than the weather. Here are seven of the animals that do the most harm in many homes.
Chipmunks
Chipmunks are very small. That means they are great at getting into the house through gaps in your foundation. Plus, they love to wreak havoc. A chipmunk can gnaw its large teeth through your baseboard, burrow through your walls, and spread bacteria throughout your home. Chipmunks can transmit Lyme disease and even the bubonic plague, making them a major pest to get rid of if you spot them.
squirrel
As with chipmunks, squirrels are rather small and have a tendency to dig and chew their way through things. When faced with squirrels, they can climb into the house through your foundation, canals, or even your chimney. Squirrels also make nests, which they normally do in basements and crawl spaces, often using elements like electrical wiring and insulation from your basement or crawl space to do so.
Rodents
Technically, chipmunks and squirrels are both rodents, but when you discuss rodents as pests in your basement or crawl space, you will usually think of mice and rats. This is for good reason; Mice and rats are some of the most common pests seen in a basement or crawl space. They can drop poop anywhere, feed through electrical wiring and drywall, and potentially bring all kinds of diseases to the area. When a rat dies inside your walls it smells pretty quickly. This can also lead to own disease problems.
Pigeons
Most of the urban areas are dealing with pigeons. However, pigeons flocking around your house can be a lot more frustrating than pigeons that only run around a city. This is because pigeons often build nests wherever they can. When pigeons build their nests on the roof or in the gutters of your home, they can actually block the gutters and potentially cause serious problems when the next rain falls and the water cannot flow properly through your gutters.
snakes
One of the reasons snakes can be such a frustrating problem is because they are great even in very small openings. Since snakes are cold blooded, they may seek the warmth of your home and even the smallest opening in the house can give them access. Since snakes can be poisonous, they are a health hazard in themselves, but they can also attract larger predators to hunt snakes.
Bats
If you've noticed bats around your home, it's good to know that they are unlikely to do much structural damage, if any. However, bats can certainly bring disease and bacteria, typically through animal droppings. Also, their droppings can attract insects to chase after. It is a good idea to remove bats from anywhere they might hide in your home
Raccoons
Because raccoons are so vicious, they can often cause significant damage if they get into your home. Raccoons can tear open insulation and rip out electrical wiring, destroy ducts, and leave their droppings all over the home. Although it's quite rare, raccoons can also transmit diseases as serious as rabies, making them a major pest that needs to be controlled as soon as possible.
Conclusion
It is true that these are not the only animals that can harm your home. There are many different animals that can cause serious damage to a home. However, they are the animals that cause the greatest harm overall. Watch out for all pests, especially this one.
