Insects and other pests are vital to our ecosystems. It’s when they make themselves at home in our house or business that problems arise. Insects have a profound impact on the health of humans annoying, inflicting bites and stings, and transmitting diseases. However, you might wonder how harmful can insects & pests really be to your health?
How Harmful Can Insects & Pests Be To Your Health?
When you have pests in your home, it sometimes seems like keeping their numbers under control is an unending battle. If you let pests run rampant in your home, you’re setting yourself up for any number of losses – from home to your health.
Here’s what you should know about some insects and their relation to the most common serious health conditions.
Roaches
Exposure to roach allergens early in life may contribute to the development of asthma in susceptible children. Also, cockroaches transmit diseases like Salmonella through organisms on their legs and other body parts.
Rodents
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a deadly disease transmitted by infected rodents through their urine, droppings, saliva or bites. Humans can contract the disease when they breathe in aerosolized viruses.
Termites
They may bite and sting, but the wounds are not toxic. They are not known to carry diseases harmful to humans, but once homes are infested by termites, humans may suffer from allergic reactions or even asthma.
While there are many helpful insects encountered throughout the world, there are also plenty of harmful and deadly species that pass disease, destroy crops, affect animal populations and the like. Here are the additional list of insects & pests with the corresponding classifications, as follows:
The Most Dangerous & Harmful Insects To Your Health
Bullet Ant
Bullet ant is the largest of all ants in the world. Bullet ants named after their painful sting. After the bite victim would feel like being shot. The one-inch sized bullet ant is also known as “24-hour ant”. It is because one full-day pain followed by its sting.
Botfly
The larvae of botflies are internal parasites of mammals. The dangerous larvae penetrate through the skin and live beneath the human’s skin and cause horrible effects for more than 60 days. The parasite infestation makes severe changes in skin tissues known as “Myiasis”.
Fleas
Fleas are external parasites that suck blood from humans, birds, reptiles and wild and domestic animals. Young fleas can consume the volume of blood that is over 15 times their body weight. The flea bites on the human body result in red bumps. They are commonly found around the waist, knees, and elbows. The bite of fleas is very itchy, and it may also lead to infection.
Fire Ants
A dangerous insect that has 285 different species in the world. Once disturbed, they would sting the intruder repeatedly. A white pustule caused by fire ant sting will last for weeks. Their venom also would cause several skin problems which may result in an allergic reaction.
Kissing Bugs
An aggressive insect that grows up by sucking the blood of vertebrates. Kissing bugs named after their habit of biting the lip of the human while they sleep. The kissing bug disease or “changes” kills 12,000 people every year. The kissing bug bite results in instant changes within the victim’s body such as welts and rashes.
Giant Japanese Hornet
It’s the largest species of hornet in the world. Every year up to 40 deaths are recorded by the sting of Japanese Hornet. The venom of Japanese Hornet would cause an allergic reaction and dissolve tissues within a short time. The repeated stinging from the group of Hornets could also result in death.
Tsetse Flies
The deadliest biting insects native to Africa. They mainly feed on the blood of vertebrates. About half a million people lost their life by the attack of tsetse flies in Africa. At the primary stage, the venom of tsetse flies would make sleeping sickness on the victim. But it may lead to fatality without proper treatment.
Killer Bees
Also known as Africanized honey bees. It’s one of the very aggressive and dominant insects in the world. They attack the group and made repetitive stinging on the face and eyes of humans. Their toxin is not so dangerous. But an attack by a group of killer bees of about 80,000 members could cause even death.
Driver Ants
It has the largest colony than any other insects in the world with members up to 22 million. Even elephants would run away from the group attack of driver ants. They try to finish off any animal that comes across their path. They make repetitive wounds on animals and humans using their strong mandibles.
The Most Poisonous Pests
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are the most dangerous insect species on Earth. This deadliest insect causes 1 million deaths every year by transmitting deadly malaria disease and they spread germs into the blood of the victim by biting. Also, they transmit certain specific diseases according to the specific species, climate and habitat: chikungunya virus, dengue fever, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, lymphatic filariasis.
Bed Bugs
On the South American continent, the triatomines or Reduviidae (bed bugs) transmit Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis). They live in the walls of damp houses and are only active at night.
Lice, Fleas
Lice transmit different bacterial infections: bartonellosis (Trench fever), borreliosis (relapsing fever), and certain types of rickettsiosis (typhus). Rat fleas are a vector for the plague.
Ticks
Tick-borne meningoencephalitis is a disease of the central nervous system caused by a Flavivirus (Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus). Tick bites result from contact with grassland. Once the ticks are on the skin, they migrate towards the major skin folds (groin, armpits) where they implant themselves. They also cause the tick-borne spotted fevers caused by bacteria of the Rickettsia genus. Besides the various spotted fevers, they are responsible for typhus (epidemic typhus, endemic typhus, scrub typhus).
Other Venomous or Poisonous Insects and Spiders
- The cow killer
- Blister beetles
- Japanese oriental wasp
- Black widow spider
- Monarch caterpillar or butterfly
- The brown recluse
Public Health Issues Caused By Pests
Vector Borne Diseases
Vectors such as mosquitos, rodents, ticks, and other animals can carry and spread infectious diseases including:
- Zika virus
- Lyme disease
- Rabies
Asthma and Allergies
Cockroaches and other indoor pests can trigger asthma or allergy symptoms.
Microbial Diseases and Infections
Microbial diseases and infections can be caused by various microorganisms and particles not composed of cells (acellular particles) such as bacteria, viruses, protozoans, and prions.
Now that you have a better idea of just how harmful insects & pests can be to your health, it is vital that you call a local pest control company to help control these pests and reduce their impact on public health.
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