The Most Common Apartment Bugs in Los Angeles

When you start moving your family into your new Los Angeles apartment, you might start noticing some bugs scurrying away to hide. Los Angeles, like every city, has some issues with bugs and other pests. As much as you might wish your apartment could be bug-free, the fact is that you will deal with at least a few bugs no matter where you live.

But each city has its own insect problems, so when you see bugs around your apartment, it's time to make sure you know which bugs you're most likely to see and what steps you can take for pest control against those Los Angeles bugs.

Apartment Bugs in Los Angeles

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are a common household pest across the nation, but they are especially common in warm climates like Los Angeles, California. Cockroaches tend to be a particular problem because they aren't just an annoyance - they can cause health problems like allergies and disease to the humans they live around. 

You can spot cockroaches around damp areas of your home. They like water, which why they're commonly seen in places like the bathroom. They are also attracted to human food, so they might hang out around your pantry as well. Other tell-tale signs of cockroaches are a lingering musty smell and brown streaks appearing on your walls.

To prevent cockroaches, do your best to keep your food stored where the cockroaches won't smell it or get into it. Take care of leaks and water damage so they don't have any added reasons to be in your home. 

Cockroaches can get out of control quickly, so if you see more than an occasional cockroach wandering through your apartment, call pest control in Los Angeles. These services will do a lot to prevent cockroaches from coming into your home.

Ants

Ants are a definite nuisance to deal with, though they're rarely dangerous to people. They may, however, contaminate your food or bite you if you get in their way. Some of the most common ants are sugar ants, but you may sometimes see carpenter ants or fire ants in warm areas.

If you see ants in your apartment, then there's a good chance that there's a colony of them living somewhere in or near your building, even if you only see the ants occasionally. Ants are social insects, so where there's one, there's most definitely more. 

Like cockroaches, ants are attracted to your food, so keeping it sealed and stored well will do a lot to prevent ants in your apartment. Cleaning up crumbs and trash will also help keep them away. 

To get rid of ants once they're in your apartment, you can try store-bought pest killers or ant traps. You'll also want to throw out any food that the ants have contaminated in case they happen to be carrying disease, and because you probably don't want to eat the ants that got into your cereal. 

Earwigs

Earwigs can be a problem in Los Angeles, especially if you have a ground-level apartment. They like to live in dark, damp places, so you might not see them much during the day, but they do come out more at night. You may see one wandering across your kitchen floor sometimes, but you're more likely to see them around the edges of your home.

This is especially true when it's wet outside. If there's dampness around the outside of your apartment, you may have earwigs gathering in those damp spots. Their populations grow quickly, so if you don't pay attention to damp spots like this, you could end up with a lot more earwigs around your apartment.

You can prevent earwigs by keeping your apartment and the areas around it as dry as possible. One rainy day shouldn't bring a whole population of earwigs, but if there are consistently damp areas, do what you can to dry them out. It also helps to make sure that hoses and drains are directed away from your home.

Silverfish

Contrary to their name, silverfish are not water-dwellers. Their name comes from the movement they make when they run, which looks like the wiggling of a fish. You'll find them inside quite a bit because they like to live in and eat things that you keep in your home. 

For example, silverfish like to eat paper, so you might find them around a stack of magazines you've had sitting out. But paper isn't the only thing they like to eat. They like proteins and even fibers like your clothing. The thing that makes silverfish a real problem in the home is that they are good at hiding, but they build up populations quickly. 

Rooting out silverfish populations isn't an easy job. You can try DIY methods of pest control, but for infestations like silverfish, the better option is to call pest control in Los Angeles. Because the pest control workers know a lot about pests, they have a good idea of where to look to find the silverfish populations. And once they find them, they can easily get rid of them for you.

Bedbugs

Bedbugs are a much more common problem than most people want to believe. But people don't like to talk about their bedbug problems because they think there's a stigma of dirty homes attached to bedbugs. The fact is, bedbugs can show up in any kind of home, and apartments are particularly susceptible to bedbugs because of how often people move in and out. They often carry the bedbugs in with them without even realizing it. 

Bedbugs are a parasite, and they can definitely cause damage to humans. They bite the person and suck their blood while they're asleep. These bites can cause itchy rashes on the skin, but some people have even more severe reactions like blisters or hives.

The problems caused by bedbugs need to be taken seriously. The longer the problem persists, the bigger the problem. So, though you can attempt DIY methods of pest control for bedbugs, the best option will be calling your professional pest control in Los Angeles.