2025’s Most Vulnerable States for Indoor Pests

What are the top three factors that make a home more vulnerable to pests?

First, we can’t underestimate LOCATION! What I mean, simply put, is that the very region in which your home is built will be the most important factor in determining which pests may become problematic. For instance, some southern and coastal regions have major termite problems that will never be found in northern or interior parts of the country.

A property owner should learn about the common and/or most serious pest issues in their region. With that said, the following three factors will (secondarily) influence pest vulnerability: moisture, age, and construction style.

Moisture: homes with roof leaks, faulty grades, or inefficient irrigation systems will always be more attractive to pests (pests need water to survive).

Age: older homes generally have more crevices in which to hide, entry points through which to invade, and established vegetative landscapes that may provide resources to pests. Newer homes, of course, may have shoddy building practices or materials that may make the home less durable and less resilient to weather over time, creating potential pest problems in the future.

Construction style: raised foundations are easier to inspect for pests but may harbor rodents, wildlife, and other pests. Slab foundations can easily hide subterranean termite incursions. Stucco sheathing installed below grade, brick veneers, and many other exterior finishings may contribute to moisture issues and invasions by termites or ants.

Which household pests pose the biggest risks to human health, and why?

Commensal rodents such as rats and mice pose major threats due to direct injury and disease transmission; they may also cause fires when chewing on electrical wiring. Pests that transmit disease through their bites, such as mosquitoes and fleas, also pose significant risks. German cockroaches, which live and breed indoors, may cause asthma and allergies, especially in young children. All these pests are considered significant risks to public health.

What are the most effective natural or eco-friendly ways to prevent and control common household pests?

What does “natural” mean? What is an “eco-friendly” pest control method? These terms are so loosely defined that they’re almost meaningless. All pesticides, whether naturally derived or synthesized, are designed to kill. Otherwise, they would not be considered effective.

The best way to manage pests — of any kind — is via integrated pest management (IPM), a strategy that requires education and understanding of the pest biology and ecology, preventive actions (especially exclusion: keep the pests out and no management will be required), monitoring (detect pests before populations become problematic), and an effective combination of physical and chemical control tactics. Exclusion may involve properly sealing doors and windows, sealing crevices, reducing excess moisture, reducing outdoor lighting, etc. To review specific examples of research-proven IPM programs for key urban pests, visit this University of California website: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/menu.house.html

How does climate change impact household pest activity and migration patterns?

Warmer temperatures mean increased pest activity and faster reproductive cycles, especially for insects. Shorter winters mean pests may become problematic earlier in the year than expected. Sustained warming means range shifts may occur of subtropical or tropical pests northward and towards the interior of the country. Increased precipitation means increased pressure of many pest organisms. Note that indoor climate (inside our homes) may not be much affected by outdoor climate, so indoor pests such as bed bugs and German cockroaches may be largely unaffected.

What are the three most common mistakes homeowners make when dealing with pest infestations?

I don’t presume to know which mistakes are “most common,” but I’ll list a few I commonly see or hear.

1. Ignoring pest problems until they are very serious. If you know which pests to expect in your region, then you can constantly be vigilant or hire a professional to conduct regular monitoring, thereby never being caught off guard when it comes to serious pests like termites, rodents, and mosquitoes.
2. Trying to solve serious pest problems on your own, with consumer products. Unless you are knowledgeable and trained, most consumer pest management products will not produce the desired results and may create more risk due to pesticide exposure and environmental contamination. Either do sufficient research via trusted sources (university, government, national pest management associations) before embarking on your effort or call a professional.
3. Concocting and using some “home remedy.” No matter how eco-fabulous this may seem, the concoction will often be ineffective and may damage your furnishings or even your health. Despite what the internet says, there are very few, if any, “silver bullet” pest control tactics you can mix up or create using household ingredients.

What are the top three factors that make a home more vulnerable to pests?

In general, the three factors that make your home more vulnerable to pests are accessible entry points, access to food, and excess moisture or leaks.

Entry Points: These are areas around the exterior of your house that, while they may appear harmless to you, can actually serve as superhighways for pests to enter your home. Small gaps around windows and doors can allow ants, cockroaches, and rodents to enter. Broken crawlspace vents or damaged soffits can serve as open doors. It’s important to make sure your house is well-sealed and that any damage, holes, or gaps are quickly sealed up.

Access to food: For pests that enter from outside, or those that hitchhike in on items or furniture, if they find an easily accessible source of food, they are far more likely to settle down. It is important to clean up food residues frequently, properly store food to prevent pest access, and consider food sources outside of the kitchen. Do you have chickens? Improperly stored feed can be a buffet for rodents. Do you have dogs or cats? Feces left in the yard is a dinner bell for flies.

Excess moisture: Similar to humans, pests need both food and water to survive. The presence of standing or leaking water around the home makes it much more habitable for them. This can also cause the wooden components of your home to be more enticing for termites and carpenter ants, wood-destroying insects which can threaten the structural integrity of your home.

Which household pests pose the biggest risks to human health, and why?

Within homes, the most concerning by far are bed bugs and German cockroaches.

Bed bugs are tiny insects that love to feed on unsuspecting hosts, and the only thing they eat is blood. They are a risk for two main reasons. Firstly, their bites can cause varying levels of allergic reaction. Many folks will never know they were bitten, but if you are allergic, your response can range from itchy bites to puss-filled burning lesions. It can be horrible. Secondly, bed bugs deposit a high amount of histamine into their environments, which is a chemical associated with the immune system’s allergic response. Prolonged exposure can lead to various health issues.

German cockroaches, an incredibly prolific pest, are a major risk to human health largely due to allergies, but also for greatly increasing the risks of developing asthma. These insects deposit incredibly high levels of allergens into their environments via the poop, shed exoskeletons, saliva, and even their own dead bodies. These allergens can easily become airborne, where we breathe them in, and prolonged exposure can lead to asthma and other respiratory issues.

There are a variety of pests around the exterior of the home that pose risks to humans, including mosquitoes, ticks, flies, American cockroaches, fire ants, etc. I am happy to talk about these in more detail at some point!

What are the most effective natural or eco-friendly ways to prevent and control common household pests?

Certainly, there are a variety of essential oil-based products on the market, and many of them have shown the ability to kill pests. These can be used safely to help mitigate pests around your home (you don’t want to over-apply them). Be sure to consider allergies and pets prior to using any essential oils, as some are toxic to animals. Additionally, consider addressing the top 3 factors mentioned earlier. These are non-chemical ways to make your home less appealing to pests looking for somewhere to settle down.

That said, with certain pests it is critical to rely on the pest management industry, as the last thing you want to do is let them live in your home longer. Currently, there are no reliable essential oil-based products that will eliminate bed bugs or German cockroaches. Don’t worry though –– while chemical treatment is incredibly effective and an option, there are non-chemical methods that can be just as effective for a price. The most common of these are heat treatments, steaming, and the use of inorganic dusts (i.e. silica). These methods do have risks if done incorrectly, so work with professionals.

How does climate change impact household pest activity and migration patterns?

Nearly all insects thrive in warmer climates, and as climate change continues to increase the average global temperature, lead to milder winters, and result in more intense summers, pests will expand. This can lead to larger numbers of pests, infestations earlier in the year, or even new pests relocating or invading areas that they previously were not able to survive in.

What are the three most common mistakes homeowners make when dealing with pest infestations?

The biggest mistake we see is to spend too long thinking “I’ve got this under control.” We want to encourage you to attempt management safely, but if you are unable to manage the pest quickly, involve the professionals. Failure to do this can make the problem so much worse, could risk your and your loved ones health, or could place your structure at severe risk for damage.

Second, we often see homeowners applying products in an “off-label” manner. In pest management, the label is the law, and applying a product in a manner inconsistent with its label is not only illegal, but could lead to serious health consequence from unintended or over-exposure. Read and understand all packaging prior to applying any product for pest management.

The third most common mistake we see is incorrect identification of the pest they are dealing with. Many pests look similar to one another, but have incredibly different behaviors, which can make management challenging. When encountering a pest, get a picture or samples (store them in a Ziploc baggie in the freezer if you can) and reach out to your local university, citizen scientists, or pest management company for ID and management advice. You have resources at your disposal – use them!

What are the top three factors that make a home more vulnerable to pests?

Pests need three things to survive in your home: food, water, and shelter. Things like garbage cans with no lids, food stored in non-airtight containers, or dirty dishes in the sink can attract pests. Leaky pipes, bathrooms without good ventilation, shrubbery touching the side of the house, and standing water found in bird baths or buckets outside are all places that collect moisture and attract pests. Regularly cleaning and organizing your house and removing standing water outside reduces the food, water, and shelter resources that pests require.

Which household pests pose the biggest risks to human health, and why?

Fortunately, in the U.S., we have essentially life-threatening diseases (Chagas, malaria, etc.) that are carried by pests. However, cockroaches still pose significant health risks. Many people are allergic to cockroaches, and they can trigger asthma and allergy symptoms in many people. The allergens that trigger these immune responses can be found on their body, in their saliva, and in their excrement. In addition, cockroaches can be found in dirty places. Bacteria can get stuck on their body and be moved to other places, increasing disease risk, like food poisoning, to people.

What are the most effective natural or eco-friendly ways to prevent and control common household pests?

The best way to control any pest is first through habitat modification. Store your cereals, grains, pastas, snacks, sugar, etc, in airtight containers. Make sure your garbage cans have tight-fitting lids and empty them regularly. Make sure dirty dishes are taken care of and don’t build up in the sink. 

Regularly vacuum, mop, and sweep the floors, and don’t forget about those deep cleans under the fridge, behind the stove, and under the furniture cushions. Regular vacuuming can remove pest eggs in addition to removing food sources. These actions reduce food options for pests, which is the easiest way to prevent unwanted visitors from the beginning. 

Once you have a pest problem, it’s recommended to contact a pest company in your area because treating different pests requires different techniques. You’ll first have to identify your pest before moving forward. Treating termites has different solutions than treating cockroaches, mosquitoes, ants, bedbugs, or fleas, which all have different solutions from each other. 

How does climate change impact household pest activity and migration patterns?

This is such a great question. Scientists and ecologists are most worried about diseases expanding in range. For example, scientists are worried that diseases like malaria, chikungunya, dengue fever, and others, while currently eradicated in the U.S., may move from Central and South America northward into Florida and Texas as climate changes and perhaps even further. Habitats that may have been previously inhospitable to various pests may open up and become available for colonization by pest species and diseases. 

Places that perhaps haven’t seen hurricanes or storm surges may be particularly vulnerable to mosquito outbreaks as infrastructure isn’t designed to handle these big storms and intense flooding, which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Invasive species may also be able to expand their ranges into colder climates, both northward and up altitudinal gradients, possibly affecting agriculture. And while invasives may be more temperature resistant, local beneficial species and predators may be more sensitive and die out, unable to compete with pest species. Climate change is likely to have a very profound effect on pest species and local ecologies, some of which we’re just beginning to see.

What are the three most common mistakes homeowners make when dealing with pest infestations?

1. Not taking preventative action. The easiest way to manage pests is to prevent them. De-flea and de-worm your pets. Keep your spaces clean. Remove standing water outside. Prevent your shrubbery and garden from touching the side of the house. If you’re worried about bed bugs because you’re traveling, wash everything in hot water and on the highest heat setting in the dryer.

2. Waiting until it’s a BIG problem before contacting a professional. Taking care of a few ants you see wandering around is way easier than waiting until they’re literally pouring out of the outlets. If you see one roach, it probably wandered in from somewhere, and it’s not something to worry about. If you start seeing a few a day, and especially if they’re nymphs (no wings), then you’re starting to have a problem.

   Maybe your dog comes in and you notice a few fleas on it. Treat the dog now and wash everything they’ve touched (blankets, dog beds, cushion covers, etc.) in hot water and dry on a high heat setting. Then call a professional while the problem is still easily manageable for their opinion and advice. Many places will do a free consultation. Now is the time to take action, because managing a few pests in your home is way easier and less resource-intensive than dealing with a full-blown infestation.

3. Going immediately to insecticides. Pest control is a complicated issue, and insecticide is just one of the tools in our toolbox. Pest control is handled best by a multifaceted approach called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Insecticides are used in conjunction with other strategies. I’d personally recommend finding a pest control company specializing in IPM techniques. Defaulting straight to insecticides can put a “band-aid” on the problem in the short term, but may not be an effective long-term strategy. If problems recur, you’ll need to address the root cause, which likely leads back to food availability, increased moisture, and suitable shelter for the pests. In some cases, insecticides may not work at all, depending on the pest or the life stage they’re in. Bed bugs and flea eggs are two examples of insecticide-resistant insects and insect life stages. Overuse and misuse of insecticides can also cause resistance and pose significant health problems for humans and pets. 

What are the top three factors that make a home more vulnerable to pests?

Gaps, cracks, and crevices around windows and under doors can allow insects and other arthropods to enter the home. Clutter inside and outside the home can also act as good harborage sites that support pest populations. Landscaping, like trees and bushes that are touching the home, can also act as bridges that allow pests to gain access to the home. 

Which household pests pose the biggest risks to human health, and why?

German cockroaches produce several potent allergens that are associated with the development and exacerbation of asthma. Cockroaches are also likely to mechanically transmit disease-causing pathogens by moving from contaminated surfaces to food/food-prep areas. Flies also carry a significant risk of transmitting pathogens like bacteria to food/food-prep surfaces. 

What are the most effective natural or eco-friendly ways to prevent and control common household pests? 

Installing weatherstripping around doors, including garage doors, and sealing any cracks and crevices that can act as entry points for pests can be very effective at managing problems from peridomestic pests and occasional invaders, or even preventing pest problems in the first place.

Additionally, reducing lighting on the exterior of the home or switching incandescent or halogen bulbs out for ones marketed as “bug lights” with a longer wavelength that produce lower UV light can reduce insects attracted to the building and therefore reduce the possibility of them entering the home.