Household pests are more than annoying. They can be downright dangerous. Let’s take a closer look at what diseases common household pests are bringing into your home.
The Angst of Ants
Ants are the most common household pest in South Florida, and they are a big target for parasites. Tapeworms are known to use ants as an intermediate host before moving on to develop in their final host (and yes, that does sound like a horror movie but it is absolutely true). Ants can carry and transmit salmonella, staphylococcus, clostridium, and streptococcus to humans, and infect food with e.coli, shigella, and salmonella.
Cocky Cockroaches
It’s not enough for these critters to have survived for millions of years; cockroaches have leveraged their “immortality” to carry dysentery, diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid fever. The good news is cockroaches don’t bite. The bad news is, they scratch. If they scratch your skin, the bacteria can infect the wound. When cockroaches get into your food, they can leave behind salmonella, staphylococcus, and streptococcus.
Ticked Off
Ticks are notorious disease carriers. They are best known for infecting humans with Lyme disease, but this is just one of their many (many!) diseases that affect humans and household pets. Sometimes the tick bites/burrows into your dog and then your dog unwillingly infects you. Ticks are big trouble. Call the best exterminator in South Florida the minute you see a tick in your home or on your pet. If you have been bitten, seek medical treatment.
Mooching Mice
Mice love to get into homes because mice like to be comfortable and well-fed. Your house is a constant source of shelter from wild predators and there are so many treats in the pantry – at least, that is how mice see your abode. In return, mice offer hantavirus, Lassa fever, monkeypox, salmonellosis, rat-bite fever, and leptospirosis, just to name a few. Oh, it gets worse… those are diseases mice are directly responsible for. Indirectly, ticks, lice, fleas, beetles, and cockroaches that have been infected by mice can transmit a host of diseases too – like west Nile and the plague.
Irritating Iguanas
Iguanas carry salmonella in their intestines and can transmit it by touch and by contact with water. This is bad news if you have a private pool or pond. Salmonellosis is frequently caught by touching an infected animal, but an iguana can also pass on the bacteria through its waste and saliva.
The Best Pest Exterminator in South Florida
Duck Duck Pest Control comes to your rescue in Broward County, Miami-Dade County, and Monroe County. When common household pests invade, call us for prompt, friendly, effective service. Our processes are safe for the children and pets in your home, and we are as humane as possible. Larger pests are trapped and relocated, while bugs and dangerous pests are quickly exterminated. We offer a variety of pest control services for your household and your business. Don’t let pests make you sick. Call us today and tell us what’s bugging you.