Pest Control for Musicians: Keeping Guitars and Studios Pest-Free

There are musical magic factories all over Nashville, from indie studios in East Nashville to historic recording spaces downtown. However, lurking in the corner of many musicians’ rehearsal spaces and studio owners is an uninvited guest: Pests. Termites love wooden instruments as nesting material, and a home studio is the ideal, comfortable, and hidden shelter for rodents. Mice munch cable insulation like a midnight snack, while cockroaches can scuttle inside equipment cases that remain open through the night. 

These are not just minor inconveniences; they are threats to thousands of dollars’ worth of gear and your carefully tuned acoustics. If you see droppings near your amp and are unsure how an instrument case got damaged, Saela Pest Control can help resolve the issue before it ruins your gear.

Why Music Studios Attract Pests More Than You Think

Pests thrive on the surprisingly perfect conventions of music studios. The sound-dampening materials, such as foam panels, carpet, and fabric, retain heat and serve as nesting sites preferred by insects and rodents. Studios often occupy damp basements or transformed garages with moisture levels higher than the rest of your home. Long recording sessions that include food and drink result in crumbs and spills that draw ants and roaches. Throw in uneven cleaning schedules (who has time to vacuum during a creative flow?) And voila, your very own pest buffet. Those dark, silent corners in which you stow away a few instrument cases? Those are fine hotels for unwanted critters.

Common Pests That Threaten Instruments and Studios

• Termites and Wood-Boring Insects

Termite targets include acoustic guitars, violins, pianos, and drum shells. The cellulose-eating pests can reach the rate of 300,000 termites in a single colony and operate 24/7. With pest industry statistics indicating that 70% of homes in the Nashville area have termite pressure, wood instruments in the hot and humid climate have been isolated before. You usually do not realize the damage until you find tiny holes or wood dust in the vicinity of your guitar stand.

• Rodents (Mice and Rats)

Mice and rats chew through cable insulation, foam padding, and even plastic equipment cases. They like the dark, unused areas where you stash your equipment. Their urine eats away metal parts and leaves residues that smell in the studio.

• Cockroaches and Silverfish

These pests look for dark, damp places and feast on paper, cardboard, and adhesives, which means sheet music, album covers, and the glue in an instrument case. Cockroaches excrete damaging droppings, and silverfish can ruin valuable vinyl records and even critical paperwork.

How Pests Can Damage Musical Equipment

The financial impact hits hard. Termites can weaken the structure of the acoustical instrument, damage it, cause cracks, and affect sound. One vintage guitar that loses thousands of dollars in value overnight due to termite damage. Exposed electrical wiring in amplifiers, mixers, and recording equipment poses a fire hazard due to rodent activity. They can chew through microphone cables that are over $100 to replace. Cockroaches shed and leave waste behind, which can eat away at and damage circuit boards in digital equipment. Pest poop on soundproofing materials also causes health hazards and smells that can make recording sessions impossible, and studio spaces permanently uninhabitable.

When to Call Professional Pest Control for Studios

You should not do it until you see a mouse on top of your mixing board and it is running. If you notice droppings around the hardware, unexplained chew marks on cables or cases, or an unusual smell in your studio, it is best to bring in the professionals. Saela Pest Control partners with several studios in Nashville and knows the pressures that come with being a musician. They utilize treatments that are safe near sensitive equipment and can arrange services to work around recording sessions to avoid disruption.