5 Types of Creepy Crawlies and Why You Attract Them

Here's a spine-tingling fact: About 91,000 described species of insects are living and breathing in the United States. To make matters more hair-raising, an additional 73,000 undescribed pests are crawling in our motherland. Yikes.

Everyone's worst nightmare would come true if all 164,000 species of creepy crawlies found a way to invade our homes. Luckily, that is not the case, and only a few are persistent.

Below are five common household bugs that, no matter how unwelcomed, still make their way through our doors, windows, and any space they can fit it.

1. Mosquitoes

If vampires turned into bugs instead of bats, they would be mosquitoes. When these blood-sucking insects are inside your home, the chances are that you have stagnant water somewhere, which female mosquitoes use to lay about 300 eggs. Yep — 300.

Puddles and leaks, house plants, and even an unused toilet are common breeding grounds for mosquitoes. To prevent them from trespassing and multiplying in your home:

• Get rid of stagnant water around your property

• Light a citronella candle to repel them

• Put a screen or cover on windows

• Place mosquito traps strategically

• Opt for lighting that does not attract mosquitoes

Mosquitoes top this list because they carry life-threatening diseases, including dengue fever, West Nile fever, Zika infection, malaria, and many more.

2. Flies

With flies gorging on animal carcasses, garbage, fecal waste, and several other things that disgust us — there is no explanation needed as to why they carry diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), flies transmit at least 65 diseases, including skin infections, eye irritants, and diarrhoeal disorders.

If flies are swarming around your property, it is likely because you have decaying organic filth lying around, including rotting meat and animal feces. The best course of action is to get rid of the source. If they remain swarming, set a fly trap.

3. Cockroaches

Let's be honest. The sight of a roach is enough to make a full-grown man scream like a child. When roaches overrun homes, it is because they seek out warmth, darkness, and moisture. To these tenacious creepy crawlies, leftovers on the kitchen counter are just a delicious bonus.

Try the following to get rid of roaches in your home:

• Clean, clean, and clean more

• Put your leftovers inside the fridge

• Avoid leaving undone dishes in the sink overnight

• Seal any cracks and holes in your walls or floors

• Repair all leaks because roaches thrive on water

• Keep the temperature in your house as cool as possible

• Kill it with kindness, or kill it with roach-killer sprays

• If you suspect an infestation, bring in the experts

4. Bedbugs

Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite! Warmth, blood, and carbon dioxide attract the tiny insects our parents warned us about as children. However, a cluttered space provides them with more hiding spots.

To eliminate bedbugs from your household:

• Wash your clothing, bedding, linens, carpets, curtains, and other fabrics in hot water. Then, use the highest dryer setting to dry them

• Vacuum your mattress, as well as the above household items and surrounding areas regularly

• Call your local exterminator or pest busters

5. Spiders

The American Psychiatric Association states that phobias affect over 1 in 10 people in the United States, and of those men and women, up to 40 percent of phobias concern bugs, including the eight-legged, fangs-equipped, ever-dreaded spider. So, how do you ensure that one never steps foot in your home?

The truth is, spiders are attracted to every insect on this list. Mosquitoes, flies, roaches, and bedbugs — the itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout to eat them. To make your home spider-free, make sure none of its favorite meals live there, too.