The Damaging Effects Of Pests You Need To Know

Why Pests Are Harmful?

They Carry Harmful Diseases

Pests create a significant health risk for you and your family. Roaches, mice, mosquitoes, and fleas are the most common kinds of pests that carry harmful diseases. These pests are normally inside your home so you must take all appropriate measures to prevent them from coming.

Roaches, for example, can spread diseases by contaminating our food with germs they picked up from garbage or filthy places. They can contaminate human food with their waste and saliva which contains bacteria that may cause food poisoning, diarrhea, and other types of infections such as Staphylococcus.

Aside from roaches, the most known kind of pests that bring diseases that lead to serious illnesses are mosquitoes. They are the carriers of the Zika virus, Chikungunya, dengue, and malaria. All of these are life-threatening diseases if they are treated accordingly.

Rodent droppings also spread diseases and viruses. These viruses include salmonellosis, rat-bite fever, bubonic plague, and leptospirosis. Feces from mice and rats can spread bacteria, bring skin diseases, and trigger allergic reactions. When fecal matter becomes dry, it can be a hazard to those who breathe it in.

Fleas, just like all the other pests carry diseases. They transmit illnesses through bites such as plague, typhus, cat scratch fever, and flea-borne spotted fever.

Property Damage Or House Destruction 

One of the most obvious destruction that pests can do is property damage. Termites, as we all know them, are tiny yet destructive critters that can be found in your home or establishment. They eat wood and can be present in windows, doors, and foundations without being noticed. Drywood termites, for example, can survive in undecayed wood which has a very low moisture content. If you suspect that dry wood termites exist in the neighborhood, best to check around and look for termite signs inside your home to catch them and prevent them from causing further damage. Signs that there are dry wood termites in your home are:

• Flying termites and termites wings - Termites lose their wings after finding a mate. If you see discarded wings in some parts of your home, then it is a clear sign that your home is invaded by these critters. 

• Clicking noise - Termites shake their bodies or bang their heads against the wood. This is what they do to alert their colony that there is danger nearby. 

• Hollow wood - Termites devour woods from the inside and out. When they infest a piece of wood, they develop their feeding galleries and leave a mark in that piece of wood they infested. 

• Tunnels - Termites create tunnels that serve as their colonies’ connection from the ground to the source. These tubes or tunnels are made of wood and soil joint with termite saliva. 

• White ants - People often mistake termites from white ants. They surely look almost the same in appearance but they are not. Termites are not white. In fact, they in color cream and sometimes look transparent.

Aside from termites, another pest that could cause damage to your property is rats and mice. These creatures chew just about almost everything they could use to build their nest. Woods, cardboard, cloth, and paper are what they normally use to build their nest. They also gnaw furniture and seats to create their nest. Moreover, they chew electrical wires which may lead to the risk of fire. 

Triggers Asthma & Allergies 

Most household pests like bed bugs, roaches, fleas, and mosquitoes can cause allergic reactions to humans. Those people bitten by these insects suffer pain, stinging redness, itching, and minor swelling in the area around the bite. No need to worry though as this is nothing serious and people usually get better within a few hours or days.

The most common kind of pest that can trigger asthma are roaches. People, especially children, who are allergic to roaches, and are exposed to them often go to the hospital more than other children who also have asthma. These creatures contain protein that is an allergen for many people. If cockroaches trigger your asthma, you may experience difficulty in breathing, and a wheezing or whistling sound when breathing out. Also, chest pain or tightness, and trouble sleeping caused by coughing, sneezing, and shortness of breath. Avoid exposure of roaches and the droppings by making sure your place is clean. Keeping your place clean reduces the chance of having these unwanted guests. 

Damages Plants & Crops

Insects are known to cause damages to plants and crops. The damages they cause vary on the kind of creature they are and the way they feed on plants. Insects with chewing mouthparts like beetles, leaf worms, grasshoppers, and locusts eat leaves, fruits, stems, or roots. These insects cause feeding damage such as notches and holes, leaf skeletonizing, leaf defoliation, and consumption of roots. They also bore or tunnel into plant tissue.

You can get rid of these insects with some simple easy steps. If you see some insects in your crops or plants, you may blast them off plants with a hose or strong spray of water, handpick and drop them in a jar of soap and water - which works for insects like squash bug and tomato hornworm - or use organic solutions like spraying horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. However, when infestation starts and the number of insects have multiplied and became uncontrollable, it’s time for you to try a different approach.

Now that you know the damages that these creatures caused, it’s time for you to take action. You can prevent these pests from entering your home or from damaging your plants and crops. Yes, pests are small creatures and may seem harmless but do create multiple damages as discussed earlier. But hey! It is not too late. We can still prevent infestation. 

How Do We Prevent Pests From Invading Our Homes & Damaging Our Crops?

• Remove any sources of food, water, and shelter as these are the things that attract pests like cockroaches, ants, mice, and rats. Practice sanitation and keep your area clean, especially your kitchen. You can store food in safe and enclosed containers. Dispose of garbage regularly and make sure they are tightly closed. Reduce clutter and check any areas where pests can hide, multiply, and build their nests. Seal off any cracks or holes to eliminate outside entry.  

• Reduce the risk of termite attack by removing any lumbers, woods, plants, cardboard, and paper from the foundation. Termites eat woods, thus, they won’t be able to survive without any means of going to the source. 

• Regularly check furniture, beds, sheets, and couches for any signs of pests such as bed bugs. Vacuuming frequently not only helps clean surfaces, carpets, and floors but also kills bed bugs as they don’t survive in dryers on a high frequency. 

• Keep your doors and windows closed to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home. Remove any items where water stands as this is where mosquitoes lay eggs. Empty objects like tires, buckets, planters, and bins. It’s a good thing to have plants that have natural mosquito repellents too. Plants like basil, lavender, citronella grass, and rosemary are some of the common plants that are known to keep mosquitoes away. 

• There are natural ways to keep ticks and fleas away from our pets. A homemade spray solution made of part of vinegar and water is known to be an effective way to keep these parasites away from your dogs. Just spray them to your dogs but make sure not to get it to their eyes. You can also make essential oils made of citronella and citrus. 

In situations wherein the infestation occurs, there are many different ways on how you can manage and control pests. Involving a pest control technician is the best option to go, though. Getting assistance from the professionals has many benefits and will give you the peace of mind. These experts perform a thorough inspection to find out the kind of pest we need to get rid of and the best solution and action that needs to be done to completely resolve the issue.

For hassle-free pest control, choose only the best. For the best pest control management, choose Go-Forth Pest Control.  

Your Pest Control Company Since 1959

Finding the best pest control management is important if you want to completely eradicate these troublesome pests in your home safely and efficiently. For their pest control needs, people for North and South Carolina trust only one name: Go-Forth Pest Control.

If you have these unwanted pests in your house or lawn, be sure to contact the best pest control management in the Carolinas, Go-Forth Pest Control.

Let Go-Forth Pest Control handle the job!