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If you spot a wasp nest on your property, call a professional exterminator as quickly as possible. The longer you wait to call a pro to remove the wasps, the more you risk a painful sting. The concern is elevated if you or any family members are allergic to wasps or bees—the sooner you remove the threat, the better.

If you seal bees in a wall and don’t leave them any way to escape, they may make one of their own. Otherwise, they’ll die inside the wall, and that creates many additional problems. It takes a long time, and the bees will start rotting, which can make your home smell miserable. All the dead bees and any honeycombs they may have created will also attract a number of bugs or other pests to your home. That’s why we suggest removing the bees entirely, and not trying to seal them away.

While bleach is an effective roach killer, we don’t recommend using bleach as a drain cleaner. Bleach can release toxic fumes from your drains. Applying this chemical could cause damage to the entire drain system over time. It's better to use homemade drain cleaners or cleaners that don't contain bleach.

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.