The Most Common Household Pests in London

Approximately one in three people will develop a pest control issue in their homes with one of these common household pests. It can be anything from house bugs to rodents. It’s important to know which kinds of pests you’re more likely to encounter so that you can spot the signs of an infestation, or better yet, protect yourself from one. Her at Inoculand, we deal with a wide range of pests, but we receive some specific inquiries more than others. Based on this, here are the most common household bugs in London.

The most common household pests in London are rodents

Rodents account for more than half of our call-outs. They are resourceful and exploit the weaknesses of our buildings to get in. They are by far the most common household pests you are likely to suffer from at any given time.

Mice

To some people, mice are small and cute. But if they enter your home, they can be a real problem, and sooner or later, you will need to call for mice control services. Mice can chew through cables and wood. And if they wait for too long, they cause a whole host of very expensive problems. You may need to hire electricians to fix or replace damaged wiring, or you may need to repairs the holes they created as passageways. Being smaller than rats means they can get into even tighter spaces, so their presence and their problems may go unnoticed for a while. Mice are common household pests in cities, and it’s likely that everybody will come across one at some point.

Rats

Think of them as the big, bad brothers of mice. When people think of pests, they often think of rats, and in London especially, rats are incredibly common. While they still may skulk around in corners and behind furniture like mice, it’s slightly less likely due to them being significantly larger. They’ll likely be more of a problem in the immediate vicinity of your house, especially if you have a garden. Rats pose more of a health threat, carrying many diseases, including salmonella and tuberculosis. Heavy rain often causes flooding of underground burrows and areas where rats tend to nest, forcing them to relocate to drier conditions: our houses are an ideal place. Though, rat control is not always straightforward and will often involve checking the drains as well.

What are the most common household insect pests?

There is a distinction between what actually are the most common household insects and what house bugs people are suffering from. In this section, we will focus on the complaints we receive in order of importance.

Moths and carpet beetles

One of the most common household insect call-outs we receive is from people complaining of a moth infestation, and it’s easy to see why. Moths are very easy to pick up on clothing and not so difficult to see. Moths love the darkness and the warmth of our carpets and wardrobes, which provide arguably the most hospitable conditions for moths anywhere in the world. They’re generally safe from predators, and clothing materials are the perfect place to lay their eggs. The larvae that hatch will then feed on your clothing and carpets, thus keeping them safe and fed until they’re developed enough to venture out on their own. In most cases, you’ll only notice that you have a moth infestation when it’s too late and your carpets and clothing are full of holes! Moths made it at the top of the list because it is the house bug that causes the most financial loss to residents. 

Bed bugs

As we mentioned in our blog post on the signs you have a bed bug infestation, bed bugs are very easy to pick up but very difficult to remove once they’re in your home. Bed bugs often travel from person to person via their clothing which makes them very easy to spread (since we all wear clothes). Coming into brief contact with colleagues or even a stranger who has bed bugs on their clothes can be enough to spread bed bugs to your clothing, and then when you arrive home, the bed bugs have a field day exploring your home (and bed). 

Cockroaches

The definitive “creepy-crawly,” cockroaches are a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Telltale signs of a cockroach infestation include sightings of their droppings, eggs, or shed skin. They also smell very bad, and if your cockroach problem is bad enough, you may even hear some scuttling at night. 

Fleas

Fleas are a common problem, especially for pet owners. Your four-legged friend may bring joy to your life, but there’s a good chance they’re also bringing fleas into your home. Hotspots for fleas include their bedding and surrounding carpet or rugs, which are a prime location for fleas to lay their eggs. While fleas generally prefer to live on furry animals, they may bite humans as part of their feeding, and these bites can cause itchiness and irritation. 

What are the most common house bugs in the UK?

This section focuses on what you would find in most houses if you would look. Most people would not be bothered the slightest. But, for other individuals suffering from common house bug phobia or allergies, they would still result in a callout or other courses of action to remediate it.

Dust mites

Virtually every home in the UK will have dust mites. The issue is not if you have them or not. The issue is if you have a lot of them and/or if you are allergic/sensitive to dust mite droppings. Asthma and dust mite allergies are a very common ailment that is affecting more and more children. 

Spiders

Spiders are one of the most common house bugs, as any insect can be. It is a matter of size and phobia mostly, rather than suffering from spider bites. But if left unchecked, spiders can breed and grow to become larger and establish themselves in your homes.

Flies

Flies are by far the most common house bug there may be. But there is a significant difference between a few house flies getting through the windows and bluebottle flies coming from a dead animal under the floorboards. Flies are normally the consequence of an underlying issue. Drain flies are often reported after a leak or a back surge. Fruit flies are often linked to spills of sugary or alcoholic beverages and possibly a lack of cleaning.

Silverfish

Silverfish infestations are more common in damp buildings. It is therefore not unusual to receive complaints from tenants reporting sighting in the bathroom and adjacent rooms. 

What are the most common seasonal house bugs in the UK?

With spring arriving, there are a number of insect pests that become more active. And as the seasons advance, the nests become stronger and larger. 

Ants

Ants are mostly looking for food to bring back to the nest. Most of us will be familiar with a line of garden ants forming on our kitchen counter and carrying bread crumbs or sugar. There are also a number of more nefarious tropical ant types that can affect the fabric of the building. The key is to destroy the nests rather than kill the ants. 

Wasps

While wasps have an unfairly bad reputation, they are a big problem in London, especially during the warmer months. Wasps are likely to build their nest in lofts and in the eaves of buildings, and you may only notice that you have a wasp problem when the nest has already matured. Other house bugs

What are the most common household bugs in our food cupboards?

Stored product insects are generally affecting flours, seeds, cereals, and the like. They are common household pests that are mostly introduced into our homes with our shopping. Moreover, they are often within our packagings in the form of eggs waiting to hatch out. There is such a wide range of them, we will only approach the ones we frequently treat.

Indian Meal Moths

Pantry moths are often linked with packs of flours that stayed at the back of our cupboards for a long time. Suddenly we may start seeing large larvae crawling on the ceiling or adult moths flying about. 

Biscuit beetles

Also known as the drugstore beetle, they will be found in cereal boxes, breadcrumbs, seeds, and even dry pet food. You can often recognise the holes the larvae make through the seeds. 

Weevils

When we treat for weevils, there are often coming from wholewheat or integral rice. But, of course, they are not limited to it. 

What to do against house bugs or pests.

Here at Inoculand, we take care of any common household pests you could expect to come across in London and the surrounding counties. Explore our Pest Gallery for information on our pest control methods and tips on protecting yourself from unwanted intruders. If you’ve spotted any of the above pests in or around your home, then get in touch with us today!