What are some of the most dangerous household pests?

Many people don’t like bugs and for good reason. A lot of bugs and pests that you find around your home can actually be harmful not only to yourself, but your kids, your pets and your household items.

If you’re like us here at Abolish Termite and Pest Management, you won’t be too bothered by the odd moth or mosquito here and there, but when you start seeing infestations of redbacks, wasps, hornets or termites in your home, this is an altogether different equation.

If you’ve got any of the following bugs or pests hanging around your home in considerable numbers, it’s a good idea to give us a call and have us come out and conduct a pest control treatment so you know that you, your kids, your pets and your home are safe, happy and aren’t going to be bothered by pesky poisonous insects and dangerous bugs.

Mosquitoes

Despite their small size, mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals on the planet, with an estimated one million people every year being killed by infectious diseases carried by this innocuous little insect.

Many research and medical institutions call the humble mosquito the ‘deadliest animal on the planet’ and it’s estimated mosquito bites and the resulting sicknesses that can occur from them accounts for 17% of the global burden of infectious diseases.

To put this into perspective, around 10 people a year are killed by sharks globally, or in other words, you’re 0.000001% more likely to be killed by a shark than by a mosquito.

Fire Ants

Fire ants continue their march into Queensland (marching one by one… sorry, couldn’t help it!) and with this comes sometimes severe reactions. Although rare, fire ants have been known to cause severe reactions and sometimes fatal allergic reactions (anaphylaxis).

Termites

Whilst not likely to cause damage to your person it’s estimated that termites create upwards of 4 billion (yes, with a B) dollars in damage to buildings every year in Australia alone. Granted they’re not dangerous to your health or body, but they can be incredibly dangerous to your bank account and insurance premiums.

Rodents

Rats and mice in your home are not a good thing in general as they can damage electrical wires, destroy foodstuffs, make a mess of your home and really, really smell if they die in the walls or ceiling, etc.

That being said, many people aren’t aware of the range of different rodent-borne infectious diseases rats and mice can carry. As an example rats and mice can carry Leptospirosis, Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, Rat bite fever (yep, that’s a real thing) and gastrointestinal infections such as salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and cryptosporidiosis.

In 2021 Darrell Jordison – a farmer from Gulargambone, was lucky to be alive after spending a week in hospital when he contracted lymphocytic choriomeningitis, a type of bacterial meningitis from rats and mice around his property.

Redback Spiders

These sneaky little spiders love to hide under bricks, blocks of wood, under homes and yes, the occasional dunny seat. Whilst they may be small, their bite can pack a mighty punch and they account for approximately 40% of all spider bite hospitalisations in Australia (source).

If you’ve been bitten by a redback it’s likely you will experience the following symptoms:-

• Sweating
• Loss of coordination or feeling dizzy
• Nausea and vomiting
• Muscular weakness
• Convulsions

If you think you’ve been bitten by a redback spider, get yourself to a hospital right away as anti-venoms are available.

Wasps and Bees

Anyone that’s been stung by a wasp or bee knows how much their stings can hurt. If you’ve got a large infestation of paper wasps or bees, this can pose a threat to family members, pets and visitors to your home.

If you’re allergic to bees or wasps, this makes these pests particularly dangerous as almost 33% of hospital admissions for bites and stings were from bees and wasps (source).

If you’re worried about pests in your home, Abolish Termite & Pest Management can help. Feel free to contact us at any stage about your pest control needs and one of our trained experts will be more than happy to chat with you.