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If your home has a basement, it’s not uncommon to regularly find bugs in it. But if you’re always encountering insects in your basement, you may be wondering what type of bugs you’re finding. More importantly, you’re probably asking yourself if these bugs are dangerous. Here are eight bugs commonly found in basements and how dangerous (or harmless) they are:
One of the most commonly found bugs in basements is cockroaches, specifically oriental cockroaches. If they are getting into your home, they will likely find their way to the basement due to the moisture build-up in basements. While cockroaches are typically harmless, they are a nuisance and can create unsanitary living conditions.
Termites can also make your basement their home. These are especially dangerous bugs to have in your home because of their ability to eat wood and other foundations of your home. They can destroy your home’s foundation if you can’t take care of them quickly.
While centipedes are usually harmless to humans, encountering one in your basement can be scary and disgusting. These bugs with 100 legs are also carnivorous but pose no threat to you. Instead, they will hunt other bugs such as crickets, flies, and spiders in dark and moist environments, making a basement perfect for them.
Spiders often prefer dark, moist places, which makes basements perfect for them. Most spiders you encounter in your home are harmless and pose no threat to you or your family. But sometimes a poisonous spider may make its way into your home, such as a black widow spider.
Much like other insects, earwigs like moist areas of your home, which is why they are drawn to basements, especially unfinished basements. While they aren’t dangerous to humans, they might bite you with their pincers if they feel threatened.
Pill bugs, sometimes called potato bugs or roly-poly bugs, also prefer basements due to the darkness and moisture. However, they are slightly different from most other bugs you’ll find in your home because they are crustaceans. They are typically harmless and cannot survive inside for very long.
Because crickets enjoy moist areas of your home, basements make a perfect getaway for them when it becomes too hot or too cold outdoors. The most common type of cricket you’ll encounter in your basement is the camel cricket. These are often harmless, but the noise they make can quickly become a nuisance.
Similar to centipedes, millipedes are bugs with many legs. In this case, a thousand legs. They will usually appear in large numbers because they migrate together. But they don’t pose much of a threat to you or your family, especially since they can’t survive in indoor conditions much longer than a couple of days.
Whether you have a finished or unfinished basement, it can serve as a beacon to several different bugs due to dark and moist conditions. While most of these bugs are harmless to you and your family, they can be annoying and frightening. When you want to handle your basement’s insect issues, be sure to hire the best pest control in St. George. Call Nature’s Gate Pest Control to treat your basement today.
