6 hidden places pests love to harbor their young – pest control experts reveal how to stop colony growth in your home

No one wants to share their home with uninvited guests, especially when those guests are pests breeding out of sight.

While you may think your home is secure, many indoor pests are experts at finding hidden, cozy spots to raise their young. These secret spaces provide warmth, shelter, and easy access to food – creating the perfect conditions for an infestation.

Knowing where they love to hide and how to disrupt their breeding grounds is key to keeping your home pest-free.

1. In walls

Rodents, ants, and termites are notorious for nesting within wall cavities. These spaces offer protection from predators and easy access to food through electrical conduits and pipes.

Daniel Baldwin, board certified entomologist at Hawx Pest Control, says, 'Rodents can nest within the walls of your home, especially if there's an opportunity for mice to get in, such as a small crack or hole.

'The walls within our homes provide strong protection against predators and threats from humans, cats and dogs. They’re completely out of sight and unlikely to ever come into contact with a predator unless they venture out. Walls also provide warmth which allows rodents to keep their nest at a stable, warm temperature to bring up their young.

'Food sources may be easily accessible, especially if rodents have built nests inside kitchen or pantry walls. Nest building materials are relatively easy to come across too within walls, as rodents will use anything from paper to various insulation types for their nests.'

Telltale signs of mice infestations in your walls, or rats for that matter, include scratching or scurrying sounds at night, droppings near baseboards, and small entry holes. Rodents can cause a vast amount of damage if they’re nesting within the walls of your home, from chewing through electrical wires, creating larger entry holes and even gnawing on food that could cause structural damage.

It's a perfect spot to harbor young as it is sheltered, protected, not easily visible or accessible and dark. Heating pipes also often run through them, making them extra toasty and cozy for pest harborage.

To flush them out, you can seal any cracks with waterproof Gorilla sealant available at Walmart, install mesh over vents, set humane rodent traps or ant bait balls both available at Amazon, or hire professionals.

Baldwin says, 'It's really difficult to pinpoint exactly where rodents are nesting within the walls, whether there’s more than one colony and how much damage they have caused. With these factors in mind, it's worth considering calling a professional pest control expert to analyze the infestation and eradicate the problem quicker than doing it yourself.'

Here are Baldwin's top tips for preventing future infestations:

• Repair cracks and holes: Close up all potential entry points and if you see cracks or holes in your interior or exterior walls, repair them as soon as possible.
• Store food correctly: Rodents are attracted to harbor their young in places near food sources, such as the kitchen or pantry. Store your food in sealed containers with tight lids (this set of BPA-free lidded containers from Walmart will work nicely) to cut off a breeding pest's vital resource.
• Clean up regularly: Make sure you dispose of garbage and food waste correctly and quickly. Alongside this, declutter your home, particularly in kitchens, organize your attic or garage where pests are attracted for harborage.

Baldwin adds, 'Don’t be tempted to put poison in cracks or holes within walls if you suspect they’re harboring rodents. Doing this can cause them to go into your walls and die, causing terrible smells that are extremely hard to get rid of.'

2. In clothing

Closets and drawers provide dark, undisturbed environments that attract breeding pests so watch out for signs of moths, silverfish, and carpet beetles. These insects feed on natural fibers like wool and cotton, often leaving behind holes and a musty smell and with an abundance of this food resource in closets, keep a keen eye out for larvae cases, tiny feces, or irregular fabric damage.

Baldwin says, 'When you discover moths, throw away any fabrics that show obvious signs of infestation and remove them from your home immediately to prevent any moths or their eggs from escaping into other areas of the home.'

Baldwin warns against using mothballs, due to their persistent, unpleasant smell, and the fact they're unsafe for children or pets.

To prevent future infestations, Baldwin advises to find and block entry points using a flashlight to inspect cracks or look for damage. Similarly, use sticky moth traps, available at Amazon, and replace every one to two months.

He also advises to:

• Wash fabrics on a hot-water cycle: To get rid of hidden moths, larvae, and eggs, check the care label first, then run your fabrics through a hot-water cycle on your washing machine for at least 30 minutes. The high temperatures will eliminate the pests and their larvae, but first make sure your clothing or household fabric can withstand the heat to avoid any permanent damage. There are some items you should never put on a hot wash including silk.
• Create a regular cleaning routine: Regular cleaning routines, such as vacuuming carpets and flooring, dusting and wiping down surfaces, airing out carpets and curtains seasonally, and rotating stored clothing regularly, can all help disrupt moth mating and laying eggs, and prevent them from causing damage to your belongings.

3. Under the kitchen sink

The moist, dark environment beneath your kitchen sink is ideal for cockroaches, ants, and even drain flies to create a harborage. Leaky pipes and food crumbs provide everything these pests need to grow their colonies. Signs include foul odors, shed skins, or droppings. Ants in particular love moisture-prone areas as they need water for harborage, and cockroaches can survive on condensation alone when a flow of water is absent.

Brett Bennett, director of operations at PURCOR Pest Solutions, says, 'This is a common place for cockroaches, in particular, to lay their eggs. If you find cockroaches here, your best bet may be to call a pest control pro. That's because they can be such a threat to your health, especially since they are in your kitchen.'

Ants, cockroaches and flies are among the most common indoor pests, but there are ways to discourage them from setting up shop under your sink. Firstly, fix any leaks promptly to eliminate moisture, and clean regularly to remove food particles. Use airtight containers for food storage and avoid leaving pet food out overnight. Natural repellents like citrus peels or bay leaves can also deter pests from settling back in. You can also make a cinnamon oil for cleaning, which doubles up as an effective deterrent as it's a smell rodents hate, alongside many insects.

Bennett adds, 'Keeping your kitchen super clean and not neglecting these hard-to-see spots is arguably the best preventative measure you can take.'

4. In potted plants

Fungus gnats, aphids, and spider mites often find refuge in the damp soil of indoor plants. Over-watering or decaying organic material makes your plants a prime breeding ground. Watch for tiny flying insects around your plants or sticky residue on leaves.

Baldwin says, 'For severe ant infestations in plant pots, re-potting with fresh soil is an option. Carefully remove the plant, shake off excess soil from the roots, and rinse them with water to eliminate any live ants or eggs. Thoroughly clean the pot before re-potting with fresh, pest-free soil. Relocate the plant to a new area to deter ants from returning.

'Ant baits are an effective way to eliminate ants without harming plants in your yard. The bait stations, which usually contain a mixture of sugar and borax, attract and kill the ants. Place these stations near the affected plant, not inside the pot, to avoid damage. Keep the ant baits out of reach of children and pets, as borax can be toxic.'

Allowing the soil to dry between watering and ensuring good drainage are effective ways to deter pests breeding in potted plants. Remove dead leaves regularly and consider using natural pest deterrents like neem oil, citrus peels or insecticidal soap. Adding a layer of sand on top of the soil can also discourage pests from laying eggs.

5. In attic insulation

Brett Bennett says, 'You might find mice and their babies here. They can often even gnaw through materials to get into your home, even if you’ve done a good job sealing off entrances. Attic insulation is a prime nesting material as mice prepare to have their babies.'

Attics provide warmth and quiet, making them perfect nesting spots for mice, squirrels, and even bats. Insulation is often shredded to build nests, and droppings may accumulate over time. Scratching sounds and chewed wires are among the most common telltale signs you have mice in your home.

Bennett says, 'Mice, in particular, will gladly seek shelter in your home to escape cold temperatures throughout the winter. Even if you've done a good job sealing off entrances, mice can often even gnaw through materials to get in. Attic insulation is a prime nesting material as mice prepare to have their babies.'

To get rid of mice, and deter pests, seal entry points like vents and gaps, install screens, and regularly inspect insulation for signs of disturbance. Setting humane traps or hiring a pest control professional can address severe infestations. Our guide on how to prevent mice getting into your home has more handy tips and tricks to stop these invaders.

6. In wood piles

Wood piles, whether inside or outside, attract termites, carpenter ants, spiders, and even snakes. These pests love the damp, decaying wood and can easily migrate into your home as sources dwindle. Look for frass (fine wood dust), hollow-sounding wood, or visible tunnels.

Bennett says, 'Wood piles are common hideouts for snakes. They love dark places where they can have a safe shelter to digest their meals, hibernate, and have their babies. While snakes are predators, they are also prey to other animals, so the protection that these piles give them is ideal. If you find snakes in these kinds of areas in your yard, call a pest control pro. Even if the snakes are non-venomous, they can still be incredibly dangerous. Keeping your yard neat and tidy can help deter them in the future.'

Wood piles provide warmth, shelter, and a food source for not only snakes, but pests like termites, carpenter ants, and spiders. To prevent infestations, keep wood piles elevated, dry, and stored at least 20 feet from your home. Inspect firewood before bringing it indoors, and rotate the pile regularly to reduce moisture accumulation.

FAQs

How can I tell if pests are breeding in my walls?

Common signs of pests in walls include scratching noises, especially at night, droppings near baseboards, and greasy marks along walls. You may also notice small holes or gaps where rodents or insects enter and exit. A sudden spike in pest sightings or unpleasant odors can also indicate a growing infestation inside the walls.

What smells can repel breeding pests from hiding in my home?

Many pests dislike strong scents like peppermint, eucalyptus, citronella, and lavender which you can harness with homemade bug sprays and repellent. You can clean with essential oils, which or potent in fragrances, especially when you buy them undiluted.

Mix 10-20 drops with a couple of cups of water and put in a durable amber glass spray bottle, available from Amazon, sprayed around common harborage entry points like baseboards, under sinks, or near other home entry points. Vinegar and citrus peels are also natural deterrents, especially for ants and rodents. Regularly using these scents can create an environment that pests find uninviting and will not setup a harborage in.

How do pests get into homes in colder months?

As temperatures drop, pests seek warmth and shelter, often entering homes through cracks, gaps around windows or doors, or openings in roofs and vents. Rodents can squeeze through holes as small as a coin, while insects slip through tiny crevices. Sealing these entry points and installing weather stripping can help keep pests out during colder months, which then lead into warmer weather and a vital time from colony growth and breeding.

So there you have it – six hidden places in the home pests love to harbor their young, and what to do about it. By targeting their breeding grounds and limiting their resources, you can maintain a pest-free environment and protect your family’s health and comfort.

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