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Other Pests and Treatments
Home » Home Improvement » Pest Control » Other Pests and TreatmentsThere are many pests besides termites that can invade your houses. We will cover a few of the more common pests and their treatment.
• Cockroaches – Cockroaches cause more problems to homeowners and especially apartment dwellers than any other insect. There is a negative stigma attached to having cockroaches. People have believed for a long time that you only have cockroaches if your home is dirty. This is not necessarily true because cockroaches can be brought into your homes in avenues such as paper grocery bags. Cockroaches do not cause damage to your home but they do bring in germs. There is a link to cockroach dust and asthma. If you have a severe influx you may want to consult a professional for treatment. Otherwise, you can treat your own home for cockroaches by using an insecticide.
• Ants – Ants live almost everywhere but are more often seen in warm weather. There are believed to be about 10,000 different types of ants. Ants live in colonies that include one or more queens as well as worker ants. The worker ants work to develop nests for protection. Often these nests are placed near water, food, or wood. Ants will not eat wood but carpenter ants dig out their nests in wood. Treat all cracks and crevices to prevent and/or rid your home of ants. Depending on the kinds of ants you have, certain commercial baits can be ingested by workers, taken back to the nest to feed and kill others in the colony.
• Fleas – Fleas are parasites that feed on pets or humans. Fleas require warm and humid conditions for development. If a flea has bitten you, your skin will normally have a slightly red raised itchy spot. There are several types of fleas with the most common being the cat flea, which is also found on dogs. They also are most often found in your pet’s bedding but can also be found in your carpet and upholstery. Because they get tangled into the carpet fibers, they are very difficult to just vacuum up. If you have them professionally treated, the entire floor of your home will be treated. The chemicals are designed to leave a residue in the carpet that kills fleas as they come out from their cocoons. There is also an additive that is used to kill the eggs, preventing them from ever reaching adulthood. It is best to start a treatment program in the late spring before infestation.
• Spiders – Although most people do not look at spiders as being beneficial, they do feed on other insects. Spiders will bite humans and some can be dangerous. There are various insecticides available in retail stores that are labeled for spider control. A couple of the more dangerous spiders are Black Widows and Brown Recluse.
o Black Widows – Black Widows are jet black with an hourglass shaped red mark on the underside of its abdomen. Males are not often seen and are harmless. The female’s bite however, is poisonous to humans. The symptoms of a Black Widow bite are pain, swelling, nausea, and you may have a difficult time breathing. The bite can be fatal.
o Brown Recluse – The Brown Recluse is also known as the violin spider because of the violin shaped patch on its head and mid-region. The bite of a Brown Recluse can be very dangerous. The bite can cause a sore that eats away at the tissue. The bite can be life threatening.
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