No one likes being surprised by an insect, whether that’s a spider making a sudden visit while you’re in the shower or finding a cockroach when you turn on the kitchen light. Still, finding a bug in these places – while startling in the moment – isn’t unusual. However, some insects can and have hidden in some truly unusual places over the years.
Some of the odd places bugs have been found:
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Door hinges
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Under loose wallpaper
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Dishwashers
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Spices
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Books
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Light fixtures and electrical outlets
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Violin bows
While this tends to only happen in severely infested homes, it can happen. Bed bugs are the most common culprit for this location and can pose a significant problem.
If an infestation has gotten bad enough to for bed bugs to hide in door hinges – instead of their usual fabric-oriented hiding places – professional treatment is essential to ensure that none are missed to start the infestation cycle all over again.
While bed bugs are associated with, well, beds… they can be found in any upholstered or fabric surface in your home or business. So, while they’re commonly found at home in beds and on sofas, they’ve also been found in upholstered chairs, couches, and more. Even in hospitals, doctor offices, corporate offices, and in movie theaters – but would you believe bed bugs have also been found under loose wallpaper? The EPA has documented exactly that.
You might assume it’s impossible for a bug to get into your dishwasher unnoticed… but think again. No matter how close the dishwasher has been installed against the wall behind it, insects can get through that gap and crawl into the dishwasher from the back. Between condensation and water lines, the moisture inside the dishwasher provides much-needed water for insects and the scraps on the dishes provide food.
Insects in food are gross but not surprising. Finding them in your spices is a bit more unusual but Jody M. Green, an entomologist at the Lancaster County Extension at the University of Nebraska, confirms that it can happen with turmeric, ginger, fennel, cumin, and more. However, bugs love pepper – including cayenne, paprika, chili powder, and black pepper – more than any other spice and making them especially prone to infestation.
Carpet Beetles can actually nest in books and not just their namesake carpeting or similar fabric-based items (like upholstered clothing and mattresses). Cockroaches have also been found in and around books.
As strange – and creepy – as it sounds, electricians can tell you stories about insects crawling out of electrical outlets, out of light fixtures, and more. Cockroaches are most likely to do this, but it’s not limited to only that species. For example, fire ants have been found in traffic signal switches and electrical boxes.
Bow mites live up to their names and infest violin, viola, and cello bows. It’s such a common problem that most musicians who have been playing for a long time have experienced it, whether they realized it or not. One sign of a bow mite infestation is finding that your instrument strings have broken while in their case.
Arrow Keeps Your Home Pest-free
Protect your home from pests. Talk to our experts at Arrow about preventative pest control any time of the year. To get started, contact Arrow Exterminating today.
