Categories Pest Control

Common Health Risks from Pests

Pests

Far too many people take an “out of sight, out of mind” approach when it comes to pests.

Be honest here — do you think about potential pests in your home or only when you hear your neighbor screaming about a mouse in the garage or a hornet’s nest appears on your door?

Pests can cause, and carry, many different health risks when inside your home, regardless of whether or not you notice them. Risks vary from allergies to infections, to dangerous bites.

Knowing what potential dangers common household pests bring will give you a better idea of how to prevent and protect yourself and your family.

Here we talk about pests and how they affect your health. To help ensure your home is a healthy one, we’re going to lay out the most common hazards:

 

Allergies

Most rodent and insect species have the ability to cause major allergies and even agitate asthma.

Actual contact is not necessary to onset allergic reaction, just the mere presence of the pests in the walls will be enough to do some damage.

 

  • Mice leave droppings and dander that cause allergies. You can inhale aerosolized particles, which trigger an immune response and related allergies.

 

  • Cockroaches also leave droppings; however, their saliva, and even decayed cadavers, can trigger allergies.

Cockroach infestations can have long-term effects, even after extermination, since decaying cockroaches in walls still produce allergens if not properly cleared out.

 

  • Dust mites absorb water from your home’s air. The resulting dryness and dust mite debris in a house can cause major allergic reactions.

 

  • Termites cause allergies by spreading dust in the air in your home. It’s possible to suffer from asthma attacks or sever allergies. Ventilation systems ensure this dust gets spread even further.

 

Infection

Rodents and insects carry many germs thanks to the long periods of time they typically spend in contaminated areas like pipes and sewers. As they move around your home they are spreading the various germs they’ve picked up during their “travels”.

While we don’t have to worry about the plague nowadays, rodents still carry many harmful bacteria. Airborne particles from mice transmit Hantavirus.

Rodents also carry salmonella, which can contaminate food, cookware, and kitchen surfaces.

Cockroaches pick up salmonella and E. coli bacteria as they climb around garbage.

Ticks and fleas carry a number of diseases, including Lyme disease and different types of viruses that cause fevers (depending on your location).

 

Bites and Stings

These pose an immediate danger because bites/stings from rodents and insects can carry disease or cause a serious allergic reaction.

Bed bugs, which normally nestle between sheets, can leave painful red bites. If found in your home, this bug problem needs to be addressed immediately.

Bees, hornets, and wasps can lead to allergic reaction or worse if they attack in swarms. Finally, depending on the species, spiders can also lead to painful and potentially dangerous bites.

 

Now that you know what to look out for, you can start making the best plans to keep these pests out of your home. If you haven’t had an inspection or you think you may have a pest problem, like termites, we can help!

EIG can help diagnose a termite issue (and other wood destroying insects). Book your inspection today!

 

We Can Help

 

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Categories Pest Control

Common Summer Pests and How to Fight Them

fight pests

Longer days and warmer weather are the makings for a fun summer, but unfortunately, this time of year also attracts some unwanted visitors into our homes – pests!

Insect and pest activity will increase with warmer weather as many start to forage for food.

And you should take immediate action to prevent a real problem from taking over your time and your space. Although annoying, preventing an insect infestation doesn’t have to take over your time or your wallet!

We have some easy tips and DIY tricks that you can apply to keep your house pest free all summer long!

The National Pest Management Association cites the three most common summer pests as mosquitoes, ants and ticks. While there are certainly more annoying guests that can invade your home, we’ll focus our tips around these three.

1. Mosquitoes

For most Texans dealing with mosquitoes in the summer is nothing new, but particularly in North Texas, the problem can be really harmful.

While these pests don’t necessarily invade your home, they will interfere with your outdoor BBQ or relaxing deck time.

Some of the easiest ways to limit exposure to mosquitoes include:

  • Staying inside during peak mosquito times, usually dusk and dawn.
  • Drain standing water from birdbaths, gutters, ponds, etc.
  • Install yellow ¨bug lights¨ on outside deck areas that don’t tend to attract as many bugs as incandescent lights.
  • Invest in a large fan for your deck, as mosquitoes are generally weak fliers the strong wind will keep them away.
  • Regularly check windows, screens and doors for any issues to keep mosquitoes out of your home!

2. Ants

Possibly the most annoying home invader, ants can cause serious issues if they get in and remain undetected.

While not directly detrimental to your health, a growing ant colony can lead to lots of stress and potential structural damage to your home.

Check out these easy, inexpensive ways to keep these unwanted guests out of your home!

  • Clean, clean, clean. Keeping a clean home (especially areas around windows, sinks, and cracks). A great natural home cleaner is one part vinegar and three parts water.
  • Keep food stored and crumbs off the floor.
  • Seal cracks and small holes on the exterior of your home.
  • An excellent, inexpensive tool (and safe for homes with pets or children) is cornmeal. If you find the entry point of a colony of ants in your home, leave a plate with some cornmeal on it and wait. Ants can’t digest this, and it will slowly kill a colony.

Remember, if you have a total infestation then it’s time to call a professional.

3. Ticks

For those who spend a lot of time outside or have pets inside the home, you’re more susceptible to ticks.

Accumulated dust, hair and dirt in carpets or rugs in darker areas of the house that don’t get fresh air or sunlight are all factors that ticks thrive on.

  • If going out, use a product with at least 20% DEET, wear long pants/sleeves and a bandana if going into wooded areas. Be sure to check yourself and family members thoroughly upon returning home.
  • Mow your lawn regularly.
  • Remove leaf litter, like sticks, grass clippings, or leaves.
  • Create a barrier between your yard and wooded areas by adding wood chips or gravel, which make an uncomfortable obstacle for ticks to cross.

These tips should serve as a solid base of preventive measures to take in protecting your home and your loved ones from these pesky creatures all summer.

If you find yourself with more than the basic pest issue, don’t hesitate to seek professional services.

Let us know what measures you’re already taking to keep your home pest free!

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