Ants (Formicidae) have been commonly considered a pest since before humans were able to write. Though most ants are not aggressive in nature, they’ve long been associated with destroying food crops and other man made objects. In addition, an ant bite can be quite painful and in some rare cases can cause some health issues.
Ants Classifications
Ants classified as pests include the Pavement Ant, Yellow Crazy Ant, Sugar Ants, the Pharaoh Ant, Carpenter Ants, Argentine Ant, Odorous House Ants, Red Imported Fire Ant, and European Fire Ant.
Controlling ant populations is performed using insecticide baits available in granule and liquid form. The insecticide bait is gathered by ants as food and brought back to the nest where the insecticide is inadvertently spread throughout the ant colony. Boric acid and Borax are often used as insecticides which are relatively safe for humans in low doses. Insecticide bait may be set over a large area to control species such as the Red Fire ants that occupy large areas.
Ant Bites
Ant bites for the most part are more of an annoyance than a threat, but ant bites can cause severe allergic reactions when bit by certain ant species. Your common ant bite is about as painful as a pinch to the skin, yet some ant species, such as the Fire ant, commonly known as red ants, will bite hard and continue to do so till you get them off. Some ant bites can cause so much pain that the victim actually passes out.
Ant Bite Symptoms
Ant bites rarely go unnoticed and is likely to immediately grab the victims attention. Symptoms include reddening of the skin, itching and swelling.
Severe allergic reactions can be caused by ant stings in particular and venomous stings in general. Allergic reactions include severe chest pain, nausea, severe sweating, loss of breath, serious swelling, and slurred speech. If any of these are experienced, seek medical attention immediately.
Ant Bite Treatment
Ant bites generally don’t cause anything more than pain, swelling, irritation and itching, but for light allergic reactions to ant bites, antihistamines and topical steroid creams are able to help reduce most bite symptoms. Any severe allergic reaction should be cause to seek immediate medical attention.
Entomologists estimate that there are between 5 and 10 million species of insects on Earth. But if asked which insect they hate the most, many people would have no trouble choosing just one — the cockroach.
There are plenty of reasons to dislike cockroaches. Their flattened bodies, leathery wings, skittering legs and long, waving antennae give some people the creeps. Because roaches eat garbage and waste, they can spread bacteria like Salmonella and Shigella from place to place. As they walk, they leave trails of fecal matter, which they use to find their way around. On top of being gross, these trails can cause stains and odors. The proteins in cockroach saliva and waste can also cause allergies and aggravate asthma.
People also hate roaches because they can be extremely difficult to get rid of. One reason is because of their natural behavior. They reproduce quickly and are hard to kill. Since they’re nocturnal, many people don’t notice their presence until there are so many that they’ve run out of places to hide. Roaches are particularly good at dodging and running from shoes, newspapers and other weapons, and several species have become resistant to insecticides.
But of the 4,000 roach species that exist in the world, only a handful of them plague homes and businesses. These pest species include:
Blatella germanica, the German cockroach
Periplaneta americana, the American cockroach or palmetto bug
Supella longipalpa, the brown-banded cockroach
Blatta orientalis, the oriental cockroach
In fact, in many parts of the world, just one species — the German cockroach — is responsible for most infestations. Unfortunately, people take much of the blame for this worldwide prevalence. Most cockroach pests have spread across the planet by hitchhiking on boats, airplanes, trucks and even in moving boxes and grocery bags.
While Blatella germanica and a few others make nuisances of themselves, most species of cockroach generally mind their own business. Many cockroaches live in warm, tropical areas and feed on decaying wood and leaves. They help break down this organic debris; in the process, they add nutrients to the soil through their waste. They’re also a food source for small reptiles and mammals. In other words, in spite of their bad reputation, cockroaches are an important part of many ecosystems.
House Mouse
The house mouse is one of the most common rodents we deal with at Authority Pest Management. Mice are small, furry rodents, capable of reproducing and living almost anywhere. Although mice are considered a wild animal, the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans and is known for causing damage to crops and stored foods.
It’s a long standing belief that house mice are the primary reason for domesticating the cat, which are naturally one of the best rodent exterminators out there.
The dangers of mice don’t often come from their bite, but the diseases they can carry and transmit to humans through food contamination though they can do the same through bites as well. These include: leptospirosis, murine typhus, rickettsialpox, tularemia, lymphocytic choriomeningitis and potentially bubonic plague.
Mouse Bite Treatment
If you suspect you’ve been bit by a mouse, wash the wound thoroughly with warm, soapy water. Swelling may occur. Watch the wound for any signs of infection for the next few hours. At any sign of irregular skin symptoms, it is recommend you seek your nearest health services to assess the mouse bite. To be safe, It may be within your best interest to seek out your health services before any possible symptoms occur.
Rats
Rats have long been considered deadly, disease spreading rodents. The Center for Disease Control lists nearly a dozen different diseases directly linked to rats.
Most urban areas throughout the world battle rat infestation of some kind. New York for example, has specific regulations for getting rid of rats—multi-family residences and commercial businesses must use a specially trained and licensed exterminator.
Rat Habits
Rats don’t limit themselves much when it comes to finding a suitable place to live which makes rat removal very difficult to do yourself. Rats can live in walls, crawlspaces, ceilings, attics, basements, garbage cans…you name it, a rat has probably lived in it. The most common places to look for rat infestations are around pipes, behind walls and near garbage cans, but you can be sure anywhere around food.
Rat Bite Treatment
If you suspect you’ve been bit by a rat, wash the wound thoroughly with warm, soapy water. Swelling may occur. Watch the wound for any signs of infection for the next few hours. At any sign of irregular skin symptoms, it is recommend you seek our your nearest health services to assess the rat bite as soon as possible. It may be within your best interest to seek out your health services before any possible symptoms occur to be safe.
Spiders
Black Widow
Although it’s “common knowledge” that black widows have a distinct red marking, it’s not always the hourglass figure that many think.
Interestingly enough, not all adult black widow spiders exhibit the red hourglass on the ventrum underside or top of the abdomen — some may have a pair of red spots or have no marking at all. Female black widows often exhibit various red markings on the dorsal or top side of the abdomen, commonly two red spots. However, young black widow spiders are believed to have at least some sort of marking on their abdomens.
Adult male black widows are roughly half the size of the females and are usually gray or brown rather than black and red; while they may sometimes have an hourglass marking on their ventral abdomen, it is usually yellow or white, not red. Variation in specifics by species and by gender is vast; any spider exhibiting a red hourglass or a pair of large red round spots on the ventral abdomen with an otherwise black shiny body is an adult female black widow.
Brown Widow Spider
The brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus, became established in Southern California in early 2000 and has become well entrenched as part of the local spider fauna in urban Los Angeles and San Diego. The brown widow spider is continuing its expansion in Southern California and could possibly move northward into Central California.
Garden Spider
There are many different types of garden spider, most of the time these spiders are found in the lawn or garden but can also be found within the home as well. Garden spiders include the following: meshweb spiders, crab spiders, running crab spiders, wolf spiders, nursery web spiders, comb-footed spiders, stretch spiders, orb-web spiders, sheet web spiders, dwarf spiders, sac spiders, and buzzing spiders. Most all of garden spiders are orb weaving, which basically means that they are known for their orb looking webs.
House Spider
This species is abundant and widespread across the entire world, and is closely associated with buildings and other man-made structures. The teardrop-shaped, papery brown egg sacs can aid in their identification. The spider’s color and body shape cause them to be mistaken for “brown widows” on occasion.