Home Pest Inspection: 7 Different Pest Poops

There are many kinds of house pests that could invade your home anytime without you even knowing. They can range from big ones, like snakes and lizards, to really tiny ones like bed bugs and termites. You can do your own simple home pest inspection. Because no matter what kind of pest you have, there will always be a way to identify them; one way of doing that is identifying them through their poop.

Identifying what kind of pest you have at home even if you haven’t seen them yet will help you know what measures you can take to protect yourself and your family from the hard they bring as well as knowing what to tell the pest control specialists so they can have the necessary tools and equipment prepared. Well because, many of these pests are evasive, shy and nocturnal.

To reinforce the importance of detecting pest signs early, here are top 5 reasons for you to consider taking up early pest detection.

1. We are bugged with over five common pests in the home and each bringing a series of home struggles and frustrations
2. Termites are a challenging pest to remove and termite signs are less obvious and visible to many
3. Lizards are among the most feared pest in homes and their droppings are an important sign of lizard infestation
4. Cockroaches are tough surviving pests without food and able to hold their breath for over 40 minutes
5. Certain pest infestation emits a distinctive and unusual smell such as sweet musty smell by bed bugs

To help you identify your pest through their poop, here are brief descriptions of the kinds of poop pests leave behind you may notice in your home pest inspection:

House mouse

Mice are common house pests notorious for their skill in hiding from plain sight. They travel in the dark corners of the house in order to find food to eat and place to rest. They’re also very careful creatures and are wary about new things, so a mouse trap bought off-the-shelf is not very effective in catching them.

If you suspect you have a mouse infestation in your home, try to find small thin pellets roughly 3/16 inch long. It would mostly have pointed tips with a slight bulge in the center. Fresh mouse droppings would be dark in colour, while light coloured poop means it has been a while since the mouse has been in the area.

Cockroach

Cockroaches are also a common house pest that can invade homes all year round, and many people take it as an indication of a cluttered home when cockroaches are present. Cockroaches are highly attracted to food and moisture, so you can easily find them feeding on the crumbs on the floor or near leaking pipes and sinks. Cockroaches carry diseases that are bad for the human health.

Medium and small cockroaches have round often dark poop that may resemble a coffee bean or ground pepper while larger cockroaches have bigger black or brown droppings that are cylindrical in shape. Cockroach droppings contain proteins that can trigger an asthma attack or allergic reaction and should be removed as soon as possible. Cockroaches are known to leave a trail of poop as they move to find food and water.

Read also: Is Pandan Leaf an effective cockroach repellent

Termite

There are two species of termites that silently invade and damage homes, but only one of them leave visible poop behind: This is the drywood termite species.

Drywood termites live in wooden structures like structural timber and untreated wood. These silent invaders feed on the wood from inside, eating the cellulose in the wood which is their main food source. Drywood termites have small pellet droppings called “frass” that vary in colour depending on the type of wood they consume.

Frass can be found as a mound on the floor since drywood termites push their droppings out from a hole in the structure in order to keep their tunnels clean and accessible.

Bed bug

Bed Bugs are perhaps the hardest house pests to find inside a home. Thanks to their small size, they often go unnoticed until it’s too late. Bed bugs do not transfer any deadly disease, but their presence can become very troubling when the infestation grows. One of the most troubling things about bed bugs is the constant biting that comes in hoards when there is a large-scale infestation in your home.

Bed bug droppings appear as a clump of tiny spots. These tiny spots are digested blood from their host and appear dark in colour, but will turn red if sprayed with water. Bed bug droppings can mostly be found in mattresses, curtains, bedsheets, and furniture that they have infested.

You may also like: Where do bed bugs lay their eggs

Snake

Of all the pests to have at home, snakes are one of the scariest and most frightening. Depending on the species, many snakes can be very dangerous if approached or threatened. Snakes feed on small animals such as lizards, birds, and rodent; they also prefer moist and cool living conditions where they can rest and have easy access to prey.

Gardens, shrubs, and vegetation sites are just a few areas where you might encounter a snake taking its rest while waiting for prey. Snakes may occasionally leave droppings near its resting place.

Generally, snake droppings are smooth and mushy, similar to other carnivorous animals. Some droppings may even contain fur from their prey. Fresh snake droppings are usually dark brown and wet, but as it dries, it turns to a lighter color.

Roof rat

Roof Rats are also a common pest in Singapore, mostly nesting in the upper part of structures and homes. They can grow up to 40cm long and have long tails, large eyes, a pointed nose, and usually black or brown in colour.

Roof rats are nocturnal and may be found in attics or roofs of houses. They eat fruits and nuts, which they often store in their nests. Roof Rat droppings are common visible signs of having a roof rat in the vicinity since roof rats produce around 40 to 50 droppings a day.

Roof Rat droppings are usually dark-coloured, pointed at both ends, and is around 1/2 inch in length. As their appearance is similar to lizard droppings, it may be easy to mistake both of them. However, the difference is that lizard poop is usually much smaller at around 1/8 inch in length and the white tip is a giveaway.

Lizard

Lizards are common house pests, but they rarely cause problems at home. Lizards are attracted to light and are usually found near light sources around the home; they prey on insects like flies, mosquitoes, and moths.

Lizard droppings can be easily identified because of its signature white tip, which is uric acid crystal from their urine. Lizards urinate and poop from one hole only called the “cloaca”. Lizard poop is usually medium-length and looks like a pellet with a white ball at one end.

A good way to differentiate snake and lizard poop is to look at the location. Snake poop is more likely to be found outside the home, as snakes prefer nesting in vegetation. House lizards, as their name suggests, find shelter in your homes and are more likely to poop indoors too. In addition, lizard poop is easily identifiable by the white tip, which is crystallised uric acid from their urine.

As house lizard droppings contain bacteria like Salmonella, which is harmful for humans, it is important to clean them up once you have spotted them. You can clean them picking up the droppings with a damp cloth, wiping down the surface with soap water and cleaning the surface once again with disinfectant.

Ways to prevent lizards from entering the home

While house lizards are not dangerous to humans, they often spread diseases through their droppings and their saliva. Besides maintaining a level of hygiene at home, here are a few other things you can do to prevent lizards from entering your home:

• Clean the area under the sink - the damp and dark conditions are an ideal location for lizards to nest and lay eggs
• Keep fruits in sealed containers, as they are a food source for lizards.
• Place mothballs in cabinets and closets. The smell can deter lizards. Do remember to keep these out of reach of small children and pets as they may cause safety issues when ingested.

Seek professional help in identifying pests

Identifying pests in your home is hard, especially when they are good at hiding themselves and you don’t know where to begin looking. But if you know how to identify them from the things they leave behind, like their poop and other droppings, it’ll be easier for you to hunt down these little troublemakers. If you are looking for a more targeted and long-term prevention pest infestation, you can hire a professional pest control company who can provide expert solutions.

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