• 17 Jan

• Common Pests in Singapore Homes

It can be a real struggle to get rid of common pests at home. Especially when you keep getting bitten by mosquitoes during the humid weather, opening the garbage disposal to find cockroaches lurking, tossing, and turning at night from a bedbug infestation, having a colony of ants living in your home, termites eating through your wooden furniture, or worst of all, seeing a rat scurrying across your floor.

Reasons Pest Infestation Occurs

All of the above scenarios can happen to anyone of us due to the following reasons:

1. The weather is one fine example of how pests might seek refuge in your home. The wet, dry, and unpredictable temperature in Singapore makes an ideal climate for common pests at home to breed. This can occur when pests search for dry spaces when it is raining or water when the weather is exceptionally hot. Torrential rains can wash away their nests and resources as well.

2. Poor housekeeping is another cause of having common pests at home if the area is not tidied up after a meal and garbage is not cleared in a timely fashion. Moisture and damp conditions in the home can also attract pests. It is also important to keep clean as we might carry pests home through them latching onto our bodies.

3. If your home is not properly secured, this may allow common pests at home to enter via the doors, windows, or ventilators. It is vital to inspect your home regularly to detect signs of pest infestation. If there are any cracks and crevices left unattended due to structural defects, homeowners should seek to inform the building maintenance and patch them up quickly. Likewise, the environment around us can play a huge factor such as vegetation and construction sites.

How Singapore’s Climate Has an Impact on Pest Population

To make matters worse, Singapore’s tropical weather and climate change have a direct impact on pest infestation. Warm weather usually results in increasing pest activity such as hunting for food and differs with the ever-changing temperature. The type of pest, where you can find them and the activities they engage in can relate to hot, rainy, cool or humid temperatures. Pests may build their nests close or in your home for easy and regular access to resources.

A pest infestation can be seen more in warm and dry weather when they come out to mate and start new colonies. This is not ideal as it may cause diseases, contaminate food, damage infrastructure as well as affect business and their brand.

How Pests Infest Homes

Some signs of infestation in homes are:

• Sawdust or mud tubes along the wall
• Wings that have fallen off
• Wood that sounds hollow, tunnels and destruction of wood
• Windows and doors that are a snug fit
• Droppings
• Sightings of large numbers of common pests in homes
• Pathways and nests
• Larvae breeding in stagnant water or puddles
• Odd odours
• Stains or marks that resemble urine or blood
• Unusual sounds like scratching, scurrying, or banging
• Damaged ground, cracked walls and holes in furniture
• Red, swollen, and itchy bites
• Food poisoning symptoms through food contamination
• Allergies
• Dengue fever

6 Common Pests in Singapore

There are many pests found in Singapore however these 6 are the most common pests at home:

1. The Aedes mosquitos breed in dengue clusters and there are constant active cases in Singapore. They are typically located in areas that have more vegetation, greenery and plants and are carriers of diseases like dengue, malaria and zika causing fever if an infected female mosquito reproduces by laying its eggs. As Singapore is very densely populated, it makes for the perfect breeding ground for a mosquito to live, breed and feed near humans.

2. There are at least 5 species of cockroach in Singapore and spread diseases like Dysentry and Salmonella which causes food poisoning and contamination. They use their antennas to track the smell of food and come out from their hiding place when all is clear. They favour dark and damp places and dislike pungent smells, eating leftover food and leaving their excrement. Cockroaches are a constant health threat and worsen allergies especially in vulnerable individuals like children and the sensitive. Cockroaches are also nocturnal creatures.

3. Ants live in tiny and deep crevices and cracks of walls hence getting rid of them is extremely difficult. Once an ant sniffs out food, they tend to travel long distances and surround the area quickly, carrying bacteria and contaminating food. They can sting and bite when feeling threatened.

4. Termites can cause real destruction to wooden structures and are not easily detected or gotten rid of until it is too late. They are typically pale in colour and live in colonies, similar to ants, in wood or the ground. The current humid climate of Singapore provides an ideal environment for these pests to breed, particularly in wooden furniture or things made of timber.

5. Rodents such as mice and rats are a very scary and difficult problem to have in your home. Homeowners usually place traps as the quickest way to get rid of them however, it might not always be the most effective method. They carry harmful bacteria in their fur and excretion resulting in diseases such as Hantavirus, Leptospirosis, Rat Bite Fever, Salmonellosis and Typhus as well as fleas, lice, and ticks. Besides serious diseases such as these, food contamination can also occur due to rat infestation as they can enter through very small spaces from outside into your home. These rodents are extremely adaptable and capable of surviving in any environment. They can destroy equipment, cables, and household items by gnawing through them as well as biting if feel threatened. Rats and mice are difficult to detect in the day however they do leave evidence such as droppings, scratches, smears, holes, and burrows.

6. Bedbugs are so minute that they are impossible to catch with your naked eye. This makes them more harmful as they can cause serious discomfort if not detected early however you can spot blood stains as a way that they are present in your home. They come out at night to feed on the skin, and you may notice red, itchy bumps the morning after. They hide in gaps that are not easily visible and can spread quickly throughout the whole house, taking only 2 months for a bedbug to mature into an adult. Their bites can lead to infections like cellulitis, Impetigo, and boils due to excessive, unconscious scratching when asleep. You may also experience allergic reactions such as anaphylactic shock, wheezing, tightness in the chest, swollen or itchy lips or tongue and tightness in the throat. Bedbugs cause sleep deprivation and stress if not dealt with in a timely fashion.

Seek Help For Your Pesky Pest Problems

First Choice Pest Specialist is a reputable Pest Control Company that has been attending to our population’s pest concerns since 2008. They provide quality pest control and disinfection services for both residential and commercial properties with an unprecedented response rate.

Despite diligent housekeeping and cleaning activities, if pests are still infesting your sanctuary, do not hesitate to reach out to First Choice Pest Specialist for help as they are a sustainable company renowned for its highly effective management approach that also customizes bespoke solutions. Combined with a highly skilled team, top-of-the-line products and European-patented technology, First Choice should be your only choice.