By Subhasree Nag
Lisa was dreaming. Her newly purchased Scarsdale home was full of wood floors, upscale cabinets, and a summer party-perfect backyard. Then, one day, she noticed something strange.
Small piles of sawdust scattered at her baseboards. Weeks went by before a doorframe collapsed with minimal pressure.
When she had an inspector visit, the damage had already been done. Termites had devoured her house’s foundation, leaving her with a bill to repair over $20,000.
This nightmare is more common than you’d think. Pests don’t invade homes—they destroy them from the inside out.
That’s why DLS Pest Solutions takes a proactive approach to pest control, helping homeowners avoid costly disasters before they start.
The Silent Dangers Lurking in Your Home
Pests are usually only a nuisance, but sometimes they can be much worse. Before going all in with the prest cost, let me tell you something else.
Here are some of the not-so-secret risks that you are probably unaware of include:
1. Termites
Termites are insect inhabitants of wood and cost homeowners about $5 billion in damages annually. If not treated, they will ultimately weaken the integrity of your home’s foundation.
- Structural Damage to Integrity
Termites are likely the most clandestine pests. They consume insulation, drywall, and wood, usually damaging a house from the inside out.
Humans will not realize the invasion because they inhabit the ground or under secret crevices until it happens too late.
Termite damage is commonly extensive enough to cause the building foundation to crumble, which is costly.
- Long-Term Financial Impact
Homeowners usually pay for termite damage since this is not included in homeowner policies. The longer the period before detection of an infestation, the more expensive its elimination.
- Indications of Infestation
Homeowners will never see termites, but typical indications include mud tubes along the foundation walls, hollowed-out wood, or shed swarmer wings.
Sadly, extensive damage may have already been incurred when these indications are present.
2. Rodents
Rats and mice gnaw through electrical wires, which ignite house fires. They carry disease spread by their droppings.
- Biting Through Electrical Cables and Insulation
Mice and rats prefer to live in concealed locations, such as attics or walls. Their biting is extremely destructive, chewing electrical cables, causing a fire source, and ruining insulation.
When the house electric cables are bitten through, they can cause short circuits and fires, which can cause loss of property and possible harm.
- Contamination and Disease Risks
Rodents also carry diseases like leptospirosis and salmonella, infecting foodstuffs with their urine, feces, and fur.
This is a health risk for the house’s residents, like the price of medical attention and cleaning up the infected areas; hence, the cost.
- Expensive Eradication and Rehabilitation
Eradication of rodents usually means professional pest control. Rodent disinfestation does not involve exterminating and trapping the vermin but rehabilitating their damage. This includes rewiring, replacing insulation, and sanitizing soiled spaces.
3. Cockroaches
Mold and other water damage are equally bad as other pests, as pests usually cause mold and other water damage.
- Latent Moisture and Mold Growth
Carpentry ants and termites, for example, bring moisture into the home. Moisture causes mold growth, which may not be obvious.
Mold will grow behind the walls or under the floors and cause extensive structural damage to the home. It is also a health risk, causing respiratory problems, allergies, and asthma.
- Remediation Costs are High
Mold remediation is very costly because it typically involves the removal of mold-infested materials such as drywall, flooring, and insulation, along with disinfection of affected areas to avoid re-growth.
Remediation is very costly when mold is not isolated and allowed to grow freely.
- Health Risks
Mold exposure may also lead to health issues, including costly medical bills. To avoid recurrences of mold infestation, homeowners need air purification, professional cleaning, and frequent checkups.
4. Ants
Carpenter ants, like termites, tunnel into wood and compromise the structure of your home.
- Structural and Wood Damage
Termites and carpenter ants are wood-dwelling insects that can go unseen in hidden locations within the house.
Carpenter ants excavate tunnels within wood to create nesting spaces, and they can eventually result in massive structural damage.
Owners may not even see the damage until it’s noticeable or structural damage is so significant that one cannot ignore it.
- Repair and Prevention Cost
Infestation by these pests can compromise a house’s structural integrity, including beams, framing, and floors. Repairing these problems is costly and time-consuming.
The homeowners must also employ professional pest control firms for regular checks and treatments to prevent these pests from infesting again, increasing the overall cost.
- Signs of Infestation
Look for sawdust or frass (a mixture of wood fragments and insect waste) around wood surfaces or small holes in the wood.
Carpenter ants do not eat wood but burrow within, weakening the wood and prepared to rot.
Pest Cost Solution: Prevention is Cheaper Than Repair
While some people worry about the pest cost, there are others preparing for it as a prevention for their house. And that is how DLS Pest Solutions can help you out!
The Scarsdale homeowner learned the hard way that procrastination with pests is catastrophic. That’s why DLS Pest Solutions is a proponent of prevention. Here’s how to keep your home pest-free:
- Seal Entry Points: Pests have no issue crawling through openings as tiny as a dime. Check your foundation, windows, and doors regularly for gaps.
- Remove Moisture: Roaches and termites prefer moist areas. Fix water leaks and install a dehumidifier in trouble spots.
- Fix Food Storage: Rodents and ants seek exposed food. Store pantry food in covered containers and clean up spills immediately.
- Regular Check-Ups: Don’t wait to spot bugs—the problem is usually much larger by then. Regular DLS Pest Solutions check-ups catch problems before they get out of hand.
A Smarter Approach to Pest Control
Unlike conventional pest control programs involving wholesale spraying, DLS Pest Solutions adopts a methodical strategy of eradicating pests from the root.
Under Michael DeLosSantos’s leadership, the staff uses integrated pest management (IPM) methods to minimize contact with chemicals, but not at the expense of effectiveness.
Lisa’s story reminds us that bugs do not magically appear. If you live in Westchester, Yonkers, White Plains, or Scarsdale, you can save thousands of dollars in repairs in the future by taking action now.
Don’t let your dream house be your nightmare of cost—beat the bugs before they beat you.
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