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How Pests Can Affect Your Health
Pests and rodents can have harmful effects upon your health and your family’s health. It is important to fully understand the dangers stemming from these types of infestations. Did you know that some of the most common pests in homes are cockroaches, rodents and ants?
It is unsettling to think of us sharing our homes with these pests because of the serious threats they pose. Below is a more detailed overview of the health risks associated with particular pests.
Cockroaches
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) reports that one-in-five children in the United States have severe sensitivities to cockroach allergens, which increase the severity of asthma symptoms. These allergens are most commonly introduced in homes through cockroach saliva, droppings and the decomposing bodies of these pests. Cockroaches can also carry bacteria such as E coli and salmonella on their bodies, which can contaminate food, cooking equipment and food surfaces.
American Cockroach
Size: 1 ½” – 2”
Description: Adult is light brown body with reddish-brown wings, yellow on the back between head and wing, wings extending beyond end of body.
Life Cycle Length: 1-2 years
Habitat: Any room in building, beneath building or outdoors. Prefer damp, warm places, Common in food establishments.
German Cockroach
Size: ½” – ¾"
Description: Dull brownish yellow. All limbs much paler than body. Disc of pronotum with 2 dark brown longitudinal stripes. Wings of a female slightly longer and narrower.
Male same length. Male body longer and narrower.
Life Cycle Length: Most prolific of all common roaches. Up to 4 years.
Habitat: In home or near home. Prefers warm moist areas.
Brown Banded
Size: 3/8”- ½”
Description: Adult yellow to reddish brown, two cross bands on wings, Female is short and broad with female is short and broad with wings barely reaching end of body. Male is slender and long with wings extending beyond end of body. Pronotum 1/3 wider than long.
Life Cycle Length: about 6 months, possibly two generations per year.
Habitat: Found in any room in home, preference for high places and often around furniture.
Oriental Cockroach
Size: 1” - 1 ½”
Description: Adult is uniformly black but occasionally dark reddish-brown, females almost wingless, male with wings a little shorter than length of body.
Life Cycle Length: 1 year
Habitat: Most common in dark damp basements or crawl areas. Often live in debris, such as leaves, garbage. Etc.
Smoky Brown Cockroaches
Size: 1”
Description: Dark brown in color with no lighter distinguishing marks.
Habitat: It prefers concrete wood or sheetrock surfaces over other types. Can often be found in the attics, on roofs, and in gutters and downspouts. They are also found in crawl space areas and fireplaces. May come in with firewood. They are excellent fliers and will come in through any opening. They probably live in trees in nature.
Spiders
Black Widow
Size: 1”
Description: adult female is usually jet black but occasionally have light streaks on upperside of the abdomen. Usually has a hourglass – shaped bright reddish spot on the underside of the globular abdomen.
Nature of Injury: the venom is a neurotoxin, that is it acts on the nervous system.
If bitten call a doctor immediately. Never attempt self treatment.
Brown Recluse
Sizes: 1/3” diameter ½” inch long
Description: adult brown tan, can be identified by the distinctive violin-shaped mark on the upperside of the cephalothorax.
Life cycle length: about 1 year
Habitat: Likes sheltered, dimly lighted places where insects might occur such as barns, garages, crawl spaces, outdoor toilets, basements, etc.
Nature of injury: the initial pain associated with the bites is not intense, and it is generally less troublesome than a bee sting. Within 8-12 hours the pain becomes, quite intense and over a period of a few days a large ulcerous sore forms. This sore heals very slowly and leaves a large, ugly, disfiguring scar. A doctor’s care can reduce this. If bitten call a doctor immediately. Never attempt self treatment. Place ice over site of bite until doctor arrives.
Wolf Spider
Hobo Spider
Mosquitoes
With the increased prevalence of West Nile Virus in the summer months, mosquitoes continue to be, not only a summer nuisance pest but also, a major health threat. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), West Nile Virus infections have appeared across the United States in recent years, which makes avoiding mosquito nesting/breeding sites and eliminating standing water in or around the home even more important to the protection of public health. In addition, to the potential for West Nile Virus, mosquitoes can also cause itchy, unsightly marks as well as severe allergic reactions in human beings.
Ants
Ants are social insects. Therefore, spotting one ant unfortunately signifies there are many more to follow. Ants are not simply unsightly – they can also be dangerous contaminates to food. The presence of ants and the potential for food contamination from their presence is an issue that must be addressed when considering your health and the health of your family.
Fire Ants
Fire ants not only affect your outdoor enjoyment, they are responsible for countless emergency room visits every year. Controlling these voracious pests takes special care and expertise. If you have fire ants present on your property, you can trust OneWay Exterminators to provide a solution that will safeguard your family and pets.
Crazy Ants
Size : 1/16” -1/8” long
Description: Adult brown to black with extremely long legs.
Habitat: Nests are found in soil under cover, plant, cavities, rotted wood, trash and building walls.
Carpenter Ants
Size: 1/4” – ¾” length
Description: black or black variegated with red or rusty brown. Have four wings, front wings are larger then hind wings.
Pavement Ants
Size: 1/7” long
Description: Hairy, robust, and hard body. Abdomen is black and the appendages pale. Head and thorax are grooved with fine parallel lines.
Pharoah Ants
Size: 1/7” long
Description: Hairy, robust, and hard body. Abdomen is black and the appendages pale. Head and thorax are grooved with fine parallel lines.
Stinging Insects
Stinging insects send more than 500,000 people to the emergency room eagh year. These pests are aggressive in nature and often sting as a way to protect their colonies or larvae from human beings who attempt to remedy an infestation on their own. This aggressiveness, combined with being disturbed, often means that these pests tend to sting repeatedly, which adds to the potential for greater skin irritation or a serious allergic reaction. An OneWay Service Professional can provide a level of expertise and knowledge of technology that can best rid these stinging insects and prevents future infestations.
Wasp (Paper and Red)
Hornet
Yellow Jacket
Bees
Scorpions
Ticks
Lyme disease has emerged, in recent years, as a major health risk to human beings. Transmitted by ticks, typically between May and October, lyme disease is largely found in the Northeastern, upper mid-western Western states of the U.S. However, there has been an increase in the diagnosed cases of lyme disease in the South. It is critical to be vigilant of ticks, especially if you are in wooded areas. Symptoms of Lyme disease include a "bull's eye" rash around the bite, flu-like symptoms and extreme fatigue.
Fleas
Fleas aren’t just a problem for man’s best friend. These pests, which commonly appear in warmer months, feed on the blood of any warm-blooded body. Typically biting human beings, fleas can cause itchy, unsightly marks as well as severe allergic reactions. Fleas tend to travel with mammals on the move, which can include not only you and your pet but also rodents. If you have a rodent problem in your home, fleas may be soon to follow. If you suspect a flea infestation, contact an OneWay licensed Service Professional to rid your home of fleas and to prevent future infestations.
Common House Bugs
Silverfish & Firebrats
Earwigs
Springtails
Size: 1/5”
Description: Wingless and have a forked muscular appendage at the tip of the abdomen which is used to spring them into the air.
Habitat: In soil woodlands, in decaying vegetable matter and other damp, dark places.
Box Elder Bugs
Size: ½”
Description: flat, narrowly oval in shape, brownish black with three red strip on the thorax and red veins on the wings.
Life cycle length: approximately 3-4 months with 2-3 generations per year.
Pill Bugs
Size: up to ½” long
Description: light grey to slate colored, fat body.
Life Cycle Length: approximately 2 years
Habitat: Live in warm, humid place such greenhouse, flowers beds, under rocks, boards. etc., commonly found under crawl space buildings.
Ground Beetles
Description: most species are dark, shiny and somewhat flattened. They have hard shell like wing covers. Abdomen usually widest part of body, thorax smaller and head usually the narrowest part.
Life Cycle Length: about 1 year for most species
Habitat: Usually found under stones, logs, leaves, bark, or debris. Mostly nocturnal insects that prefer dark places.
Crickets
Size: ¾” long
Description: light yellowish-brown, with three dark bands on the head, and long thin antennae.
Field Crickets
Size: ¾” – 1” long
Description: Dark brown to blackish in color, bottom wings often extended past end of top wings.
Rodents (Rats, Mice, Raccoons, Possums)
Rodents can enter a home through almost any opening or crack. It is important to inspect for rodent droppings, especially in undisturbed areas such as pantries, under baseboards, in attics and along walls. Rodent droppings most often cause allergic reactions in human beings but can also cause disease, including the potentially deadly Hantavirus. More frequently, though, rodents serve as vectors, carrying bacteria, such as salmonella, on their bodies and contaminating food sources, kitchen surfaces and equipment. OneWay’s trained service professional can offer the expertise and knowledge of rodent biology to best protect your health and rid your home of a rodent infestation.
Rats
Mice
Raccoons
Possums
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