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(#10) Gypsy Moths
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and other northern states have a serious problem with gypsy moths. Residents can't kill the caterpillars or the moths fast enough, and the little guys can cause some serious damage due to their tendency to destroy wood.
Ledyard, CT, is one particular area that is heavily infested, as Lorraine Healy will readily attest. She had to cut down multiple trees that were getting chewed on by moths, since they posed a danger of falling. But after paying thousands of dollars to have the trees removed, Healy woke up one morning to find her yard and home completely covered with caterpillars.
Healy says the infestation is under control for now, but she takes yearly precautions to make sure they don't return. Other people haven't been so lucky, and continue to struggle with swarms of moths.
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(#5) Garter snake
- Thamnophis
Buying your dream home is usually cause for celebration. Unfortunately for one family, the celebration was short-lived. When Angie Whitley and her family moved into their new Minnesota home, they thought everything was perfect – until Whitley brought her first box to her bedroom and found a snake. At first, she thought it was a fluke. But six months later, she'd found about 95 snakes inside the house, and hundreds more outside. Even some of the exterminators who came to help acknowledged that it was a very extreme snake infestation.
How did it happen? Pest experts told Whitley there was a garter snake nest somewhere under the foundation. The newly hatched snakes came into the home because it was warmer and more comfortable. The infestation has cost the family thousands of dollars in failed attempts to rid the place of them.
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(#12) Frog
- Anura
Paul Marinaccio was afraid of frogs. Luckily, he had a 40-acre property in New York that was totally frog free – until a nearby development project turned his little slice of paradise into his own personal hell.
The runoff created a water flow that brought a whole lot of debris to his property... and also a whole lot of frogs. The animals infested Marinaccio's land to the point that he couldn't even get to his garage for fear of the massive numbers of amphibians just outside his door. It rattled him so badly that he could barely leave the house, and he eventually sued the company in charge of the development for all the suffering he had incurred. Marinaccio won $1.6 million from the case.
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(#8) Squirrel
- Sciuridae
Squirrels are smart creatures, and sometimes they decide that instead of building their own homes, they'd rather use ours. Ward's family had just such a problem with their old Victorian home. They began to hear scratching and chewing noises in the walls, and when they went to the attic, they found a nest of squirrels had taken up residence there, and were multiplying alarmingly quickly. What's worse, their son contracted a disease because of the infestation, and had to have emergency surgery to save his life.
Squirrel infestations like this are more common than you might think, and they can be dangerous. Veterinarian David Kolins says that every year, roughly 30,000 fires in the US are thought to be caused by squirrels chewing on wires.
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(#1) Spider
- Araneae
Spiders are often found indoors, but a few horror stories really stand out. For proof, look no further than the Torsts and their "spider house" of terror.
The Missouri couple bought a home in Weldon Spring country club in 2007. But they soon noticed a huge spider problem. And these weren't just any spiders – the house was infested with over 6,000 brown recluses, which can be quite dangerous. The Torsts weren't able to stay, and eventually had to tent the house. They then sued the company that sold the house, for pretty obvious reasons.
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(#2) House centipede
- Scutigera coleoptrata
If you've never heard of house centipedes before, get ready to feel creeped out. These nocturnal animals like cool damp places to live, like your bathroom. They can administer venom through their legs, smell really bad, and live for up to seven years. They also have so many legs you won't know where to look.
These guys live in lots of houses, but one city in particular becomes infested with them pretty much every year: Montreal. Hundreds of them pop up each spring and summer, and they're hard to get rid of, since they live in tiny cracks and dark basements. Even professionals struggle to exterminate them.
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About This Tool
You will not be surprised when you find one or two beetles that you have never seen before on the roadside or in your own courtyard. But in the eyes of biologists and ecologists, this may not be a trivial matter. In fact, many creatures often invade human houses. Especially in spring and summer, it is the peak season for their reproduction, these creepy creatures need to find a warm, comfortable, and safe place.
The terrible infestations may cause serious damage to the house and even threaten humans' life. The random tool introduced 12 scary infestations that will not only destroy the original ecological system in a certain area but also may cause incalculable economic losses to human society.
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