Ants, roaches, mice, flies and practical prevention around the home.
Aphids are soft-bodied insects that cluster on tender growth and leaf undersides, feed on sap, and leave sticky honeydew. When they appear on a houseplant, isolate it, confirm identification, and physically reduce the colony before deciding whether treatment is needed. Rechecking for several weeks matters because populations can increase quickly on new growth.
Cockroaches commonly produce an egg case called an ootheca rather than leaving loose individual eggs around the home. Size, color, and shape vary by species: many are brown and elongated with a ridge, and some cockroaches carry the case for part of its development. Identifying a case together with droppings, shed skins, and actual insects is more reliable than comparing one photo.
Not every insect or rodent sighting requires a pest-control company, but some situations exceed reasonable home management because of identification, access, or risk. Call when the pest may damage structure, poses significant health risk, is inside walls or roofing, persists despite exclusion and sanitation, or requires products or equipment you cannot use safely.
Spider mites often cause pale stippling, a dull appearance, and, as populations rise, fine webbing between leaves and stems. Recovery means isolating the plant, confirming the pest, reducing the population, and repeating checks because eggs and mites can remain hidden. A badly stressed plant also needs heat, dryness, or watering problems corrected.
Mealybugs appear as small insects or white waxy masses around nodes, leaf axils, and undersides, and they may leave sticky honeydew. To recover a plant, isolate it, confirm where the pests are concentrated, and combine physical removal with a compatible treatment if needed. Reinspection matters because hidden colonies return if only the visible insects are cleaned once.
Mouse droppings are usually small, dark, and elongated, often with tapered ends, but appearance alone does not confirm species or age. Location, gnaw marks, nesting material, and fresh deposits add context. Do not dry-sweep or vacuum rodent droppings because that can aerosolize contaminated dust.
Drywood termites can push out small hard fecal pellets, often called frass, that collect in piles below a kick-out hole. Many subterranean termites do not leave those visible pellets, however. A pile of particles therefore does not confirm the species, and the absence of pellets does not rule termites out.
House centipedes tend to enter or remain where they find moisture, shelter, and other small arthropods to eat. Seeing an occasional individual does not necessarily mean a serious infestation. Reducing dampness, sealing entry points, and lowering other pest populations is usually more effective than chasing individual centipedes.
Silverfish often appear in bathrooms because they find moisture, narrow shelter, and materials containing starch or cellulose. Seeing one does not mean the bathroom is dirty; the most useful clue is whether persistent humidity, leaks, or condensation keep the space favorable.
Raccoons return to trash cans when they find an easy food source, so lasting prevention combines a lid they cannot open, fewer accessible food odors, and placement that does not make the container easy to tip or climb. There is no need to approach or corner the animal.
Rats and mice leave similar signs, but dropping size, tracks, gnawing, and travel patterns can help distinguish them. Correct identification matters because entry-gap size, trap selection, and exclusion details differ between the two rodents.
Mouse exclusion works best when active routes are identified first and then sealed with materials that cannot be easily gnawed through. Small gaps around pipes, doors, or siding may be enough for entry, but sealing blindly can trap animals inside the structure.
