We’ve experienced our fair share of bug infestations over the years between the two houses we’ve owned. In New York, we mostly dealt with less icky (but equally annoying) creatures like ants. Unfortunately in North Carolina the pest concerns are a little more serious

It was required by the mortgage brokers that we get a termite inspection when we bought the house. Being from NY, that was a surprise to us. We had never dealt with termites before. The termite inspector was very thorough. There isn’t a basement but he did a visual inspection of the foundation, and also checked the attic and all of our crawl spaces. Luckily, it came back clean. No termites, and no termite damage. I always keep an eye out though, because they don’t fool around. They can be confused with carpenter ants because they’re similar in size and have wings but it’s easy to spot the difference – carpenter ants have an obvious “waistline”, while termites have a longer cigar shaped body. If you think you have termites, call a pest control service a.s.a.p. They can cause serious damage before you’re even aware of it because they tend to stay underground and dig inside the wood where their destruction is hidden. A regularly scheduled preventative treatment is recommended because an infestation could go easily unnoticed.

A bug we have had up-close experience with is everyone’s favorite pest, the cockroach. So gross. And so common in NC that most people don’t shudder uncontrollably when they see them. That took some getting used to! We found them crawling around the corners of our cabinets when we first moved in to the North Carolina house but thankfully they have since moved on. It took me quite a while to accept that cockroaches were a part of life here and that I had to be vigilant about dog food and cabinet crumbs to keep them at bay. Now that I have young kids in the house, I’d be quick to call a professional exterminator if I ever saw one again. Not a DIY project I’m interested in! They transport dangerous microbes on their body surfaces that can make humans sick, and I would never leave a bait trap any place within toddler reach. Which is everywhere these days. The rule of thumb with cockroaches is… if you see one, you’ve got a zillion.

Fingers crossed that I’ll never have to write a bed bug post… they do have them locally as well. BLECH.