Hidden Ways how Pests Spread Between Environments

Pests move in many ways. Some migrate on their own, flying, jumping, crawling or squeezing through the smallest gaps in search of food, water and shelter. Others take a far more efficient approach. They hitchhike.

Hitchhiking pests don't rely on wings or legs. They rely on us. Homes, workplaces, schools and community spaces are all connected through the daily movement of people, furniture, packaging and deliveries.

Understanding how pests can transfer between environments is key to preventing infestations when this happens.

Transfer from one environment to another: Pests can hitchhike on bags, cloting, lunchboes and equipment

How Pests Commonly Spread to Your Home

Pest transfer is normal in shared environments and is not about cleanliness, blame, or poor hygiene. The following scenarios are ways pests or their eggs can hitchhike into your home.

1. Second-hand items and furniture

Second-hand items such as washing machines, couches and cupboards provide warmth, shelter, and ideal hiding places for unwanted passengers. This is why cockroaches, ants and even rodents can be transported inside appliances, motors, seals and drawers. From the pest's perspective, it's a door-to-door transport, no fuel required!

2. Cardboard boxes and deliveries

Cardboard is a major vector for pests. Cockroaches, in particular, are commonly introduced via cardboard boxes, including those for online shopping deliveries, moving boxes and stored packaging. Cardboard boxes provide shelter, warmth, food residue and easy hiding places.

Some pests are excellent hitchhikers. (i.e., bed bugs, cockroaches, ants, and fleas)

3. Bags, clothing and personal items

Bags and personal items are one of the most common and least recognised ways pests move between environments. Because this movement is routine, pest transfer through personal items is normal and unintentional. Unlike furniture or deliveries, these items travel daily between homes, workplaces, schools and community spaces, making them ideal transport for hitchhiking pests.

Pests are usually drawn to bags and clothing because they provide dark, enclosed spaces, warmth and often traces of food. These items are often stored on the floor or under desks, where they can pick up pests from infested environments. Once inside, pests can go unnoticed as they are carried and spread from place to place. Common examples include:

• Handbags, gym bags and backpacks

• Prams or nappy bags

• School bags

• Work equipment

4. Groceries and food packaging

Groceries and food packaging are among the most common and well-documented pathways for pest transfer, particularly for cockroaches, ants, and pantry pests. It's based on how supply chains, storage and pest behaviour actually work. Groceries move through warehouses, distribution centres, transport vehicles, stockrooms, and shop shelves. Even well-managed facilities cannot be sterile 100% of the time.

Also, packaging provides shelter and food cues in folds, seams and gaps, and unlike furniture or deliveries, groceries are taken straight into kitchens, pantries or cupboards, exactly where pests need to be. The following environments are ideal for short-term shelter:

• Cardboard food boxes

• bulk food packaging

• reusable shopping bags

• stored pantry items

Shared infrastructure creates hidden pathways pests use to spread from one dwelling to another (interconnected/shared environments)

Why Pests Stay: Maintaining Factors

Most homeowners are surprised to learn that pests don't stay because a house is "dirty" or poorly kept. They stay because the environment quietly continues to meet their needs, often without anyone realising. These are known as maintaining factors, and understanding them is one of the most important steps in preventing ongoing pest problems.

The Most Common Maintaining Factors in Homes:

• Food, even tiny amounts: Pests do not need open bins or obvious mess. For many species, especially cockroaches, very small food sources are enough. Common examples include crumbs under appliances, food stored in drawers or unsealed containers, pet food left out overnight, and grease build-up on cooktops and rangehoods. When food is consistently available, pests have no reason to leave.

• Water - often the hidden driver: Many pests, particularly cockroaches, rely heavily on moisture. Sinks and basins, leaking taps or pipes, bathrooms and laundries, condensation from fridges, freezers, dishwashers and coffee machines. Even a slow drip can sustain a population.

• Shelter: places we rarely check. Pests look for dark, warm, undisturbed spaces. These include behind fridges, dishwashers and ovens. Inside cupboards and drawers, cracks in cabinetry or walls, cluttered storage areas, and cardboard boxes stored in kitchens or garages.

• Lack of early detection (often overlooked): This is the major maintaining factor. Many homeowners don't recognise early signs of activity, assume occasional sightings are normal or don't realise pests are nocturnal. By the time pests are seen regularly, they are often already established. Knowledge Gaps can perpetuate the problem, as many people don't know that pests can arrive in groceries, bags, or packaging.

Why German Cockroaches Are Especially Difficult

German cockroaches are not the same as larger outdoor cockroaches. They are more challenging because they -

• Reproduce very quickly,

• Hide in extremely tight spaces,

• Live close to food and water sources,

• Are active mostly at night,

• Have developed resistance to many common pest sprays.

Interesting fact: If you see a single cockroach during the day, it is very likely not the only one. When they are visible, it often means the population has grown large enough that hiding spaces are full, or that it has been disturbed (by cleaning, heat, movement, or sprays). Additionally, store-bought sprays often scatter them, spreading the problem rather than solving it. Without addressing maintaining factors, treatments alone rarely succeed.

The Takeaway for Homeowners

Pests hitchhike, and it's normal. What matters is whether your home allows them to stay. Managing and maintaining factors, combined with targeted pest control when needed, delivers

• faster resolution

• fewer repeat treatments

• less chemical use

• longer-term control