Another Insect in the Wall: Common Wall-Dwelling Pests

Another Insect in the Wall: Common Wall-Dwelling Pests

Sometimes, it feels like no place is safe from pests. If they’re not in our kitchens, they’re in our showers. If they’re not invading our homes, they’re taking over the back patio. In many cases, it’s relatively easy to address the problem head-on and either deploy some DIY solutions or call in the big guns with pest control services. But the worst places to find pests are in the unreachable areas, where you can’t get in without seriously damaging your home’s structure or making the problem somehow worse. One of these places is, horrifyingly enough, the walls! Certain pests will make their homes in the walls without much of a problem, and the ones in this blog are some of the more common ones. 

There are a couple of general signs that there is some kind of pest in the walls. If you notice these signs, it is worth checking out to be sure that there isn’t anything living in your home rent-free. It can be difficult to discern the noises that they produce from the natural settling and white noise of the house. The main difference is that pest noises are sporadic and very inconsistent. The constant dripping of a pipe is opposite of a pest scampering through the walls. Both rodents and insects will freeze when they hear us approaching since we are a potential threat, so the noises depend on our proximity to their location. The sounds will likely be a scratching or gnawing sort of noise, as that is how they make their way through the walls. 

Another popular sign of wall pests is the sight of droppings or shell castes gathered on the floor next to a wall. These are worth investigating more, since it is a sure sign of pests even if they aren’t specifically in the walls. Although most common insects and rodents can make their home in many hidden and tight places, these four general pests are some of the most frequently-found pests inside the walls of homes and businesses. 

Rats

Rodents are one of the more infamous pests for getting into the walls and ceilings of a structure. This is because of their durable teeth that can chew through just about anything, which is frustratingly combined with their insatiable desire to chew everything. Rats can eat through walls, wires, insulation, and flooring, so no part of a room is impenetrable to them. One common way that they get through is by climbing a tree branch outside and using that to go through a hole or vent in the home if the branch leads up to it. Having rats in the walls is a danger for multiple reasons. One is that they spread disease and harmful pathogens wherever they go due to the collection of bacteria on their paws and fur. This also spreads through their droppings, of which they produce a lot of. Another danger is what exactly rats will chew through once they get through the walls. If they chew through wires, it is a huge fire hazard no matter what time of year it is. 

There are several signs that are more specific to rats than some of the other wall pests. One sign is a hole in the wall that is relatively large, typically bigger than a hand. This is how rats escape and gather their food and materials, then make their way back to their hidden home. The sight of droppings and sound of scampering that is common with wall pests is very telling of a rat’s presence. They leave droppings everywhere, so you will likely find them easily when there is a rat problem. Rats are nocturnal, so the scampering sound will often happen at night. But if there are enough rats or if they are close to your bedroom, their sounds will be very audible. Finding debris from the house insulation is also a sign of rats, since they can chew through the fluffy material and use some of it for their own nests. Finally, another common sign of rats is if your dog or cat starts behaving strangely inside the home. Pets will sometimes stare off into space and look like they’re watching something that we can’t see, which is always a chilling experience. But in this case, the pet will spend more time near the affected wall, sometimes growling or looking like they want to get at whatever is inside. If you have one or any combination of these signs, it may be worth checking out to make sure there’s no rat family taking up residence where they shouldn’t be. 

Mice

Mice are very similar nuisances to rats, except for the added annoyance of their ability to squeeze through a crack the size of a pencil. Thankfully, it is actually somewhat rare to find mice within the interior walls of a home, like in the wall between the bedroom and living room. They tend to stay in the exterior walls when they find their way inside there. One strange way that mice can enter homes is near the chimney, if there is one. This is because there can be gaps in and around the chimney that allows the mice to get in easily. Mice are also nocturnal, as they stay in their nests during the day and come out for food at night. So you probably won’t hear them during the daytime if they have taken up residence in the walls of your home. 

The signs of a mouse family in the walls are pretty much the same as a rat family, since they’re both rodents with similar habits and preferences. Any scampering noises at night or gnaw marks in any wall is a telltale sign that something is going on. Mouse feces is smaller than rat droppings, but they look pretty similar upon first glance and are evidence that a rodent is somewhere in the proximity. Mice can also spread diseases through their droppings and fur, so it’s best to take care of any rodent problem as soon as it becomes apparent. 

Stinging Insects

This is another dangerous wall infestation, but for an entirely different reason. Stinging insects typically like to keep to themselves and focus on helping their colonies, but they are very defensive of their hive, some species more so than others. If you’ve ever accidentally (or purposefully) gotten too close to a hive outdoors, you know how painful of an experience the pests make for you as punishment. Imagine this, but the hive is hidden and therefore is easier to get way too close to without ever knowing. This is why stinging insects need to be taken out of the walls immediately if they choose to nest there, for the safety of your family and pets. Not every insect with a stinger likes to stay inside walls, but there are three common ones that are capable of inhabiting the most hidden of places in a house.

Yellowjackets 

This wasp species crafts a paper nest and likes to keep it either underground or in a protected tight space, like in a wall. The attic is another favorite, so make sure to check there often if you have that addition to your home. The entry point is tiny, so they are very careful to not leave it exposed to the elements or potential predators. Yellowjackets can fly frustratingly far from their nest, so the place that you find the insect in isn’t necessarily a hint as to the location of their home. If you do find a small hole in the wall that you know Yellowjackets come out of, don’t close it up yourself! While this will solve the hole problem, it will create a whole slew of other issues. The Yellowjackets will chew through the wall to make at least one other opening, so you will have another hole to deal with. 

Wasps

Wasps in general are not a good time. They do pollinate our flowers, but not enough to justify keeping them around when they make themselves at home in our own houses. Wasps can similarly build their nests in the wall void where there are structures to hang them on. There are a couple of signs that a wall pest is a wasp, and should be solved soon to prevent anyone from getting stung. One is a few holes in strange spots in the wall, like very high or really low. They dig these holes to enlarge the opening and therefore allow more wasps in the hive to come in and out as they please. Another sign is the sound of crackling within the walls, almost like paper crunching. This is from the wasps eating through the drywall or bricks with their powerful jaws. Wasps are not only dangerous for their stingers, they can also eat through the house like other stinging insects cannot. 

Honey Bees

Honey bees are definitely the most docile on this short list, but they can still pose a problem if their hive is disturbed in any way. These bees actually love wall voids for their safety and stability. Outdoors, they prefer tree hollows for their hives for these same reasons. Honey bees aren’t as defensive as wasps, but they will sting when their hive is actually moved or physically threatened. Even if the bees somehow leave or die off in the walls and the hive isn’t active anymore, they still cause trouble. Leftover honeycombs can melt, especially if the temperature of the home is on the warmer side, and the honey and wax can stain the walls. It’s helpful to caulk the holes and gaps that you know bees are coming in through, but make sure to have the honeycombs removed to prevent the staining issue. 

The best two actions to take with stinging insects are to identify the entry point and destroy the nest. Seems simple enough, but these big tasks should be taken care of by a pest control professional. Even if you think you can get away quicker than the insects can get you, it is very unsafe to try and destroy a nest without proper protection and equipment. You may be able to find the shallow entry point without much maneuvering or closeness to the nest, but that’s as far as most people deem safe for the average person. It’s best to wait for rapid response pest control from a technician to make sure that the problem is actually solved and no one gets hurt. 

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants pose the largest threat to the structural integrity of your home out of the pests on this list. They damage the actual infrastructure by chewing through the wood and burrowing inside. They make tunnels to travel through, so they essentially have highways through which to cause more problems for you. The swarmers invade mainly in the summer and use small openings on the wood surfaces to crawl through. They can also use tree branches to get inside, similar to rats. This is also why it’s important to keep the landscaping trimmed back from the house, as it acts as a flashing arrow to lead pests where they want to go. Carpenter ants favor soft and moist wood, which is common after a big storm season.

The gallery wall of carpenter ants’ work is smooth yet has the texture of sandpaper. Since they don’t actually eat the wood they gnaw through, like termites do, there will likely be little piles of wood shavings on the floor underneath where they burrowed in the walls. Carpenter ants are active in the daytime, so it is possible to catch them in the act if you are investigating during the day. If you find some stray carpenter ants inside, try to follow them back home. They will lead you directly to the holes that they tunneled so you know exactly where they live. Carpenter ants are another problem that is best handled by a pest control professional. Since they can cause expensive damage to the structure of the house, it is crucial to be sure that they are completely gone and the damage is repaired. 

Pest Control Backs Pests Against the Wall

There are few things you can do if you have pests within the walls of your home or business. The larger infestations are even more frustratingly impossible to handle with DIY solutions. The largest preventative methods you can do are to make sure there aren’t any holes or cracks in the actual structure. Insects, rats, and mice can fit through the smallest of openings, so it is important to not overlook any kind of hole. Caulk is an easy fix for these situations, as well as copper mesh if the hole is big enough. Also, check for any leaks in sinks and pipes. Pests are very drawn to moisture and standing water, so any small puddle is fair game. 

But once you have pests invading the walls of your space, it’s honestly best to call in the pest pros. Technicians have the equipment and expertise to completely handle the problem without ruining the structural integrity of the building. Contact our team to learn how you can get rid of any wall-dwellers and return the peace and quiet to your walls! 

Citations

Carpenter ant. (n.d.). Pest World. Retrieved May 6, 2022, from https://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/ants/carpenter-ants/ 

Delaplane, K.S. (2014, July 18). Honey bee swarms and bees in walls. University of Georgia Extension. Available at https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C824&title=Honey%20Bee%20Swarms%20and%20Bees%20in%20Walls (Accessed on May 6, 2022).

How to get rid of rats in walls and ceilings. (n.d.). Weekend Builds. Retrieved May 6, 2022, from https://weekendbuilds.com/how-to-get-rid-of-rats-in-walls-and-ceiling/ 

How to Murder Pests. (n.d.). How to find a wasp nest in your wall? 3 signs you’re ignoring. How to Murder Pests. Available at https://howtomurderpests.com/how-to-find-wasp-nest-in-wall/ (Accessed on May 6, 2022).

Lynch, A. & Vila, B. (2020, September 30). Solved! What to do about mice in the walls?. Bob Vila. Available at https://www.bobvila.com/articles/mice-in-the-walls/ (Accessed on May 6, 2022). 

Russell, H. (2017, August 11). Getting rid of wasps’ nests. Michigan State University. Available at https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/getting_rid_of_wasps_nests# (Accessed on May 6, 2022).

Stidd, C. (2020, December 3). How to get rid of rats in your walls. Ecoclear Products. Available at https://www.ecoclearproducts.com/blogs/news/get-rid-of-rats-in-walls (Accessed on May 6, 2022).

Stinging insect nests: Identification guide. (n.d.). Pest World. Retrieved May 6, 2022, from https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/stinging-insect-nests-identification-guide/