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Some pest control treatments, such as spraying insecticides or bug bombs, can cause severe health problems for your household members if you are improperly exposed to them. That's why putting away pet toys, dishes, bedding, children's toys and items is essential. Pest technicians are trained to reduce risk, but it's best to take caution by avoiding the risk of items being accidentally sprayed. Discuss any concerns you may have with your pest control specialist.

Generally, squirrels are not considered aggressive toward humans. They are more likely to flee than confront people. However, like many animals, they may exhibit aggressive behavior if they feel threatened or cornered. If you approach a squirrel too closely or try to handle it, especially if it's a mother protecting her young, it may resort to defensive tactics such as biting or scratching.

It can be difficult to know what type of animal is in your attic until you see it. But several clues can help you narrow down the suspects:

• Sounds: Smaller animals like rats and mice make scurrying and tapping/gnawing sounds. Larger animals like raccoons and opossums make louder clambering noises. Also, note when animals are noisy: Squirrels are active during the day, while rats are busiest at night.

• Droppings: Rats and mice leave small, rice-shaped droppings (the rat’s version is significantly larger). Bigger droppings belong to larger critters like raccoons. As long as you’re not squeamish, an image search can help you identify what you’re seeing in your attic.

When in doubt, take photos of damage or other evidence and show them to an experienced pest control pro.

False chinch bugs are generally smaller and somewhat paler than true chinch bugs, although they otherwise look similar. The name is a bit of a misnomer: They act very similarly and both feed on plants by sucking out their juices. However, chinch bug feeding tends to be very destructive to the plant, while strangely the false chinch bug does relatively little damage.