Sometimes insect pest infestations will occur within a home without any clear reason. Insects like roaches and flies usually invade unsanitary homes where food-waste is plentiful, but not everyone who experiences an infestation of one of these pests lives within filthy conditions. In many cases, roaches, flies and other filthy insect pests will invade a home due to plumbing problems. For example, plumbing leaks create moist conditions that attract a great number of insect pests such as termites, flies, cockroaches and mosquitoes. Plumbing leaks create moist conditions within crawl spaces and other areas of a home that are largely hidden from homeowners. Pipes that become clogged with a build up of scum can become a breeding site for flies and a gathering site for roaches. It is not uncommon for pest control professionals to find cockroach feces and maggots within clogged pipes. This problem often becomes clear to homeowners when insect pests emerge from drains, especially drains that are not used often or never used.
Water and high moisture environments are not just attractive to a select few insect pests. Nearly all insects rely on water for a variety of reasons, and most insects find their greatest nourishment within damp conditions. Numerous insect groups, such as flies, cannot consume dry food, but when water is added, the food source becomes edible. Maggots, for instance, cannot consume dry crumbs, but when water is added, the larvae have no problem wolfing down the soggy food source. Several imperfections in a plumbing system can lead to water leaks, such as loose connections between two pipes, and water can collect in drains that are blocked by solid materials. Cold pipes located within hot humid environments can lead to condensation that drips to form a substantial water source for insect pests. However, in some cases, a lack of water flow within pipes can lead to pest infestations. Sewer pests can traverse through pipes and into a home, but a regular flow of water will consistently wash insect pests back down to their sewer or septic habitat.
Have you ever witnessed a cockroach emerge from a drain within your home?