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Besides checking your pet’s fur, you can use two other tests to find fleas in your home: the white sock test and the water and lamp test.

To perform the white sock test, simply put on a pair of long white socks and drag your feet along the carpets in your home. Fleas will gravitate to the heat created by your socks. The water and lamp test involves placing a bowl of water on the floor and shining a light over it. Fleas will then be attracted to the light and land in the bowl of water.

Typically, fleas won’t take up residence in human hair. Their natural preference is to live on the fur of animals, but they can bite and infest humans on a temporary basis. If there is a significant flea infestation in the surrounding environment, humans may inadvertently become a host. Again, though, this is a rare occurrence.

While you might want to cut corners by either borrowing or purchasing used live traps for catching rats, this can be dangerous because those traps could contain leftover viruses and bacteria that will enter your home. Always start fresh with new materials to avoid contamination.

Brown recluse spiders are attracted to homes in search of warm, dry, and dark spots that provide easy access to insects. An existing bug problem is a primary attractant, as spiders follow their food source. Other factors that attract brown recluse spiders include the presence of anything that might lure insects, such as food left out or poorly sealed trash cans. They are also drawn to excessive outdoor lighting, untended wood or cardboard boxes, and dark areas with nooks and crannies for nesting, like woodpiles or dirt piles.