12 things that really go bump in the night

Mice and rats

Know the little monster: The roof rat, Norway rat and house mouse are the big three in North America. The darker Norway rat can weigh more than 1 pound. 

Why exorcise them: Worldwide, rats and mice spread more than 35 diseases. On this continent, those include hantavirus, salmonella and plague.

The tell-tale heart: Look for their droppings. Where? "Everywhere! Up to 50 droppings per night," says Mark Sheperdigian, vice president of technical solutions for Rose Pest Solutions in Troy, Mich. Look in and behind drawers, at the bottom of cabinets and along walls.

Stake in the heart: "Unless you kill them, they won't go away," Sheperdigian says flatly. "Traps are better on a number of levels" than bait stations, though the latter can sometimes be useful, he says.

The classic snap-type mousetraps "kill quickly and humanely, usually," says Bill Kern, a professor of urban entomology at the University of Florida and the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. Cost: 50 cents to $2 each. (Peanut butter is an ideal bait.) Another recommended option: reusable, battery-operated rat traps. Cost: $20 to $60.

Finally, prevent the problem from recurring by sealing up the entrances to your house with steel wool, metal sheeting, caulk and/or hardware cloth.

Read:  Stop being a rodent's landlord

• Video: Bed bugs biting!

Spiders

Know the little monster: Despite their creepy reputation, spiders are usually good neighbors to have. “Most spiders are not truly dangerous. Most spiders are either beneficial or not of any concern,” says Richard Zack, a professor of entomology at Washington State University.

The tell-tale heart: Most spider webs are discovered by an unsuspecting face. Spiders gravitate to wood piles, closets and unsealed boxes.

Why exorcise them: A few of these arachnids have venom that is harmful to humans. The bites of the hobo spider (.PDF file), the black widow (.PDF file) and the brown recluse are all dangerous, although they are rarely fatal.

Stake in the heart: Stomping, relocating and vacuuming are your best bets to vanquish these eight-legged critters. Keep flies — their main food source — out of your home by fixing screens and sealing cracks.

Read:  Keeping your home out of the spider's web

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Flies

Know the little monster: Generally speaking, there are two types of flies: small ones that breed inside (fruit flies, drain flies, etc.) and the so-called filth flies (blowflies, houseflies) that breed outside in places such as garbage bins or animal droppings, says Wayne Grush, technical director and corporate entomologist for Houston-based Holder's Pest Control.

Why exorcise them: The larger flies "definitely can be carrying a lot of diseases," including potentially fatal ones like salmonella and E. coli, Grush says. The smaller flies damage fruit and vegetables by laying eggs in them, causing them to rot more quickly.

The tell-tale heart: Obvious by sight, and by the quickly rotting produce.

Stake in the heart: "Sanitation and exclusion" is the rule, Grush says. For filth flies, clean up their outdoor breeding grounds and block their entries to a home by putting up screens or a wind curtain that turns on a fan each time a door opens. Effective bait insecticides also are generally available.

Cleanliness is key to getting rid of fruit flies. "They have such a short life span that once you get rid of their food source, they wouldn't have anything to survive on," Grush says. Thoroughly scrub garbage cans, food processors, even garbage disposals. Put any food in the fridge or airtight containers when you can.

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Red imported fire ants

Know the little monster: The reddish-brown ants are an aggressive invasive species. Today they're well-established in a dozen Southern states and also are found in warm places like Southern California.

The tell-tale heart: Fire ants build gopherlike mounds more than a foot high in sunny places such as yards, says Richard Bell, vice president of government affairs for Arrow Exterminators. "Typically they will forage inside for food and then go back outside," Bell says.

Why exorcise them: The ant's bite is very painful. They also swarm, so you don't get just one bite. The bites leave a mark for weeks and can scar. Some people can have serious allergic reactions. The ants also will damage crops and gardens, and can injure pets. 

Stake in the heart: "There are some really good baits available for fire ants now," Bell says. Ants eat the bait and then carry it back to the colony, killing it.

Even so, it can be better to call in a professional, Bell says. The ants build little tunnels and "they can be on you even before you're at the mound," he says.

Read:  Ant rant: Squishing the problem

• Video: Bed bugs biting!

Fleas

Know the little monster: Fleas are tiny, flat, reddish-brown to black, wingless insects.

Wild or feral animals often scratch off the fleas or their eggs, and they're picked up by pets outside, says Nancy Schaible, general manager of Corky's Pest Control in Southern California.

Why exorcise them: Fleas bite humans and animals for their blood. The cat flea — a common type — is believed to transmit murine typhus to humans, according to the University of California's Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.

The tell-tale heart: Flea bites on humans often will look like a small spot with a red halo. In animals, look for persistent scratching, especially around the head and neck.

Stake in the heart: "The main thing is to get your animal on some kind of a flea program," Schaible says. Veterinarians have good collars or medications today that disrupt fleas' reproduction and "are virtually nontoxic to pets and people," according to the University of California.

"You can take down a lot of the flea population just by vacuuming," combined with a flea application, Schaible says.  "You have to empty the vacuum cleaner every single time" to remove the fleas — and vacuum repeatedly in a month to get them all, she emphasizes.

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Termites

Know the little monster: Termites are small, white, tan or black insects, occasionally with wings. Subterranean termites are the most widespread variety, popping up in every state but Alaska.

Why exorcise them: Termites can cause serious structural damage to your home — even the White House and Statue of Liberty have been victimized by their hunger, says Mike Potter, a professor and urban entomologist at the University of Kentucky. These nonstop chewers annually cause an estimated $5 billion in damage to U.S. buildings.

The tell-tale heart: Look for several signs: One is flying swarms, usually in the spring, when some of the termites take flight in an effort to establish a new colony. Look for dead insects on window sashes. Another is pencil-thick "shelter tubes" created across open areas. Also look for hollowed out baseboards. "The best way to differentiate termite damage from moisture damage is that termites bring bits of dirt up into the wood," Potter says.

Stake in the heart: Call in a professional, Potter says. "It's one thing to kill termites; it's another thing to get rid of an infestation entirely."

Read:  Think you have termites? Don't bug out

• Video: Bed bugs biting!

Carpenter ants

Know the little monster: Carpenter ants are known by their size — up to a half-inch long — and they're usually black. They often live in trees (they need very damp environments) but can have "branch offices" — like your house, says Mark Sheperdigian, vice president of technical solutions for Rose Pest Solutions in Troy, Mich.

Why exorcise them: The ants are potentially capable of doing structural damage to a house — not to mention the "ick" factor, Sheperdigian says.

The tell-tale heart: Little piles of sawdust, and the ants themselves, are a giveaway. It's important to know if you've got the "branch office" or a "home office" in your home, Sheperdigian says. The ants are mostly nocturnal, so after 9 p.m. get a flashlight and search for them, looking in wall voids, hollow doors, and cracks and crevices.

Stake in the heart: To prevent a main colony, make sure that your roof is intact and that the gutters work, and prevent wet spots from occurring under the shingles and siding, Sheperdigian says.

A branch office can probably just be knocked out with a consumer pesticide. Then caulk crevices and other entrances ants could use. A larger main colony in a home might require the cavalry. When? If the problem persists for more than a week after you've tried to deal with it, Sheperdigian says.

Read:  Ant rant: Squishing the problem

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Cockroaches

Know the little monster: Cockroaches can be up to 2 inches long. They have oblong bodies, backswept antennae, are nocturnal and will scatter when disturbed.

Why exorcise them: They contaminate food, stain and stink up surfaces and may transmit harmful bacteria such as salmonella, hepatitis and coliform. They're an important source of allergens, too, according to the University of California's Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. 

The tell-tale heart: One sign that you've got cockroaches is their prodigious fecal matter. "A good place to look is on the gaskets around the fridge," where they hang out, trying to get in, says James Ciccone, vice president of operations for Liberty Pest Control, of Brooklyn, N.Y. The droppings look like little black flakes, Ciccone says. Another obvious sign: The droppings make a place smell "like a gas has been let off … (a) bitter, medical smell."

Stake in the heart: Banishing roaches can be difficult. Get rid of all food and water sources that attract the roaches. Seal any entrances with silicone or caulk. Place traps in popular pathways and check their efficacy often. Baited traps tend to be more effective in the long term than a quick shot of Raid.

• Video: Bed bugs biting!

Bedbugs

Know the little monster: "It's a small, flat, mahogany-colored bug that lives in beds and couches, primarily, and comes out at night when you're asleep," says Mark Sheperdigian, vice president of technical solutions for Rose Pest Solutions. Bedbugs have made a resurgence in large East Coast and West Coast cities, and in Las Vegas.

Why exorcise them: "It's a vampire cockroach" — a parasite that feeds on blood while its host sits or (tries to) sleep, Sheperdigian says. With females laying 200 to 500 eggs, that can be a lot of bites. 

The tell-tale heart: Bedbug bites are easily mistaken for a rash. "If you think you might have bedbugs, the best thing you can do is check your sheets for black spots, and take a flashlight and examine the cracks and crevices in your headboard and mattress," Sheperdigian says. "You're looking for little bugs running around, and for little black spots (droppings)."

Stake in the heart: Call in a professional — one who has extensive experience dealing with bedbugs, Sheperdigian says. Washing your sheets isn't enough. Make sure there's follow-up, because "it is very, very, very difficult to get it all done in one shot."  

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• Video: Bed bugs biting!

Deer

Know the little monster: The white-tailed deer can be found in almost every state in the union. They have a voracious appetite, munching up to seven pounds of grass, shoots and buds daily.

The tell-tale heart: Besides keeping your flowers bud-free and shredding your vegetation, deer leave their mark by rubbing their antlers on tree trunks.

Why exorcise them: When they’re not decimating your plant population, they may be threatening your car’s front fender. A West Virginia University survey (PDF file) a few years ago found that deer cost each of the state’s urban homeholders about $62 annually in damage to plants, vehicles and the like. Deer also host the tick that spreads Lyme disease.

Stake in the heart: A bow or a gun. But if hunting’s not an option for you, there are ways to repel these unwanted dinner guests. Deer repellents, fences, motion-activated sprinklers and the family dog have varying levels of success keeping Bambi at bay.

Read:  Bambi begone! Deal with your deer

Raccoons

Know the little monster: These masked night critters can weigh 30 pounds, according to the University of California's Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. 

Why exorcise them: Raccoons often have parasites in their feces such as raccoon roundworm, which can survive in the soil and, if ingested by a child, "can become a pretty serious issue," says Gerry Wegner, co-owner, technical director and staff entomologist of Varment Guard Environmental Services in Columbus, Ohio.  "Raccoons are also very powerful animals and they can pry open gable vents if they want to, say, get into the attic," Wegner adds, or tear the wiring off a chimney flue for a female to nest inside, he says. They can also introduce fleas. 

The tell-tale heart: Though little seen, raccoons are known by noises in an attic or chimney, or by upended trash cans. "Raccoons and skunks … walk the same basic pattern night after night," checking food sources, Wegner says.

Stake in the heart: Trapping is the only sure-fire way to get rid of a problem raccoon, he says. But that's a tricky prospect, as laws on trapping vary by state. Consider hiring a professional.

Afterward, make sure vents and chimneys are securely covered with mesh or a grille, so that those spaces can still breathe, Wegner says.

Also, put garbage in sealed, metal, secured cans that can't be tipped and bring pet food inside.

Read:  Battling the neighborhood bandits: Raccoons

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Squirrels

Know the little monster: These cute little devils don't need much description. Some species live in trees, while others burrow in the ground.

Why exorcise them: In their quest for food, squirrels can ravage a house's plantings, including your garden and fruit trees. But they also get into soffits, attics and exterior wall voids in their attempt to hide and nest, says Gerry Wegner, co-owner, technical director and staff entomologist of Varment Guard Environmental Services in Columbus, Ohio. Once they make a hole, bats may follow, along with bees and other insects. Firefighters also suspect that squirrels, with their wire-chewing, are a cause of house fires, Wegner says. 

The tell-tale heart: You'll often see squirrels or their small nests, and they can be heard running and scrabbling in attics.

Stake in the heart: Wegner traps squirrels, using live traps. Afterward, a colleague releases them onto his private property many miles away. But check the law: In some states such as California, for example, it's illegal to release a squirrel elsewhere without a written permit. For this reason, some experts recommend toxic baits for troublemakers, or fumigation cartridges placed in burrows for ground squirrels. Afterward, patch up the house to deter them from returning, using materials such as sheet metal or galvanized hardware cloth, Wegner suggests.

Read:  Winning the squirrel wars

• Video: Bed bugs biting!