Things that go bump in the attic

Forget ghosts. Something just as spooky has 52% of homeowners calling exterminators in a panic: pests. From spiders to snakes to roaches, these unwelcome guests cause billions of dollars in damage annually. Here are a few spine-tingling stories from the front lines of pest control, along with some advice to keep these creatures from moving in.

Pests can be tough to find

“As someone who works in pest control, it takes a lot to give me the creeps,” says David Joles at PURCOR Pest Solutions. A faint rattling inside his house did the trick. “I thought it was an insect, but realized it was a rattlesnake,” he says. He rushed his pets to a neighbor’s and turned his house upside down, but found nothing. His advice: If you’re not sure what kind of pest you have or where it is, call a pro instead of poking around yourself. Joles’s own team found the snake under a chair he’s very glad he hadn’t sat in.

‘Small bug problems’ get big fast

When an elderly customer reported a “small bug problem,” Ralph Masferrer of Aruza Pest Control arrived to a strong odor that got worse as he neared the bedroom. “The furniture looked like it was moving. Every surface was covered in cockroaches,” he recalls. When he opened the drawers, “roaches poured out and crawled up my arms and pant legs.” It took four trips, a hazmat-style suit, and a roach vacuum to get the insects under control. His advice: Roaches multiply fast, so if you spot one, assume you’ve got hundreds. Also change your air filters, since droppings in the air can trigger asthma.

Certain pests are protected

Bats eat other pests, so many states legally protect them from being removed from attics or other areas while they’re raising their young, typically during summer. Even after your area’s “bat blackout period” ends, you still need to handle the rodents carefully. Boruch Akbosh at Titan Pest Pro uses one-way tunnels that let bats fly out but not back in. His advice: Never plug a hole in your home until you’re certain the pests have left.

Find their entry points

Greg Baumann of Pest Control Warrior once crawled under a house hunting for termites and “counted 17 snake skins hanging from the wood joists”—proof that creatures can always find a way in and you may not even realize they’re there. Garages are another weak spot; a quarter-inch gap is enough for mice, warns David Yifrach, owner of Seaside Garage Door Experts. His advice: “Shut the door, turn off the lights, and look for cracks of daylight along the floor,” he says. The fix is a rubber seal with a stainless steel mesh core that rodents can’t chew through.

Pest problems are pricey

Rodents chew wires, causing electrical shorts and fires. Termites alone cause $11 billion in damage a year, and treatment can cost homeowners anywhere from $621 to $8,000, depending on the severity of the infestation and the type of termite you’ve got, says Baumann. His advice: Most homeowners’ insurance policies classify pest infestations as a maintenance issue, so the damage is rarely covered. That’s all the more reason to call a pro at the first sign of trouble and invest in a pest control warranty for added peace of mind.