Mysterious Sounds? Look for These Critters in Your Crawl Spaces

There’s nothing spookier than hearing noises when you’re home alone — scratching in the walls, squeaking in the attic, and chewing beneath the floors. While you may or may not believe in the paranormal, there’s one thing we all can agree on: pests love to lurk in hidden spaces.

From crawl spaces to attics, here are seven pests that may be making those disturbing noises in your home and how to identify them.

Bats

Though they won’t turn into a modern-day Dracula, you still won’t want to face these terrifying little creatures.

Bats sneak into attics through small holes and gaps in your roof line. They can carry diseases and they leave behind a lot of droppings. These droppings create a pungent odor, and contamination can lead to infections like Histoplasmosis, a fungal respiratory infection.

As this disease could be airborne, it’s best to let a professional clear out your space. Ensure that all the droppings are removed, the area is sanitized, and remember to always wear a mask when around the contaminated areas.

Snakes

Trust us — no one is thrilled to find a snake hiding in the dark corners of their home. Unfortunately, snakes often seek the warm confines of your space to beat the winter cold.

Look for eggs, shed skin, or nest remnants if you think you’re plagued with these slithering pests. Sprinkle some flour on your floor and check the next day to see if there are tracks. If so, seek professional removal, as some snakes can be venomous.

Squirrels

Yes, squirrels can be cute when they’re in your favorite Disney movie. However, you will find little peace if a squirrel has made its nest in your attic.

Arguably worse than rats and mice, squirrels are notorious for chewing through walls, electrical wires, and wood. Not only could this become a fire hazard, but it can also be an expensive problem to fix once taken too far.

While squirrels won’t keep you up at night since they’re not nocturnal, their incessant gnawing is still a disturbing sound to hear throughout the day. If you’re dealing with these critters, call the professionals for a safe and efficient extraction and relocation.

Spiders

These eight-legged creatures are like something from a nightmare. And when it comes to attics and crawl spaces, the brown recluse and long-bodied cellar spider are frequent visitors. Undisturbed storage areas are the perfect nesting spot for brown recluse spiders, as they cozy up in boxes of forgotten clothes.

Meanwhile, the long-bodied cellar spider prefers the moist, humid areas of your home, creating loose, irregular webs in crawl spaces. Though these spiders are harmless, the brown recluse is very poisonous, so it’s best to have professional help when dealing with these unwelcome guests.

Crickets

We’re all familiar with the chirping sounds that remind us of summer nights — you may even listen to their song to soothe you to sleep. However, there’s a big difference between listening to crickets on a recording and hearing them inside your walls.

Camel crickets, also known as cave or spider crickets, seek cool, moist environments when it gets too hot outside. They thrive in crawl spaces, damaging clothes, curtains, and other fabrics near their preferred shelter. Although they don’t pose a threat to humans, they’re still a nighttime nuisance, so it’s best to seek help to remove them.

Mice and Rats

Unfortunately, these four-legged pests don’t pick and choose which hidden space in your home to occupy. They could be found both in crawl spaces and your attic, with rats specifically taking up attic space as they seek warmth in the cold and wet months. Mice prefer dark, secluded areas, making forgotten spaces feel right at home.

You’ll likely hear these creatures scurrying around at night or gnawing on wires and wood. They’ll leave behind droppings and can easily squeeze through tiny holes, making it difficult to follow their trail. The best course of action is to have them professionally removed and seal up all entry points to prevent their return.

Keep Pests Out of All Spaces

Don’t just protect your hard-to-reach attics and crawl spaces. Contact Stark Exterminators to get a personalized pest control plan for your entire home.