Pest Control and Public Health: 4 Pests to be Aware of

LOS GATOS — In this day and age, pest control is not a “nice to have”—it’s essential for preserving human health. Pests carry diseases that infect people and strain communities. For many years, North America seemed immune to the devastating consequences of pest-borne diseases, but those days are gone. Changing weather patterns, cross-border shipment of goods, population density growth and global travel have all contributed to an increase in diseases that can be tracked directly back to a specific host pest.

Here are the pests of most concern to public health and pest control professionals today:

Mice and rats

Mice and rats carry a wide array of pathogens, almost all of which can be transmitted to humans. Diseases can be carried by the rodents’ feet, fur and feces, and the trails they leave behind contaminate food, preparation surfaces, dishware, equipment, and living spaces. Worse, because mice and rats are so good at remaining unseen, an active infestation may not be noticed for some time.

Of course, mice and rats have always lived in close proximity to people, so why worry now? More people, more food, more waste and more opportunity for disease. As rodent populations are surging, most municipalities lack cohesive sanitation and rodent abatement programs.

Domestic cockroaches

Domestic cockroaches search for food in kitchens, food storage places, rubbish bins, drains and sewers. The most prevalent domestic cockroaches are the German cockroach and the brown-banded cockroach. Cockroaches are a significant threat to public health and share many of the disease-carrying characteristics of rodents, as diseases are carried by the feet, exoskeleton and feces. They contaminate food, preparation surfaces, dishware, equipment and living spaces. They also shed allergens that trigger asthma and allergies, and they can even cause asthma to develop in preschool-aged children.

Mosquitoes

California already had 53 established species of mosquitoes before the recent introductions of Aedes albopictus (2011) and Aedes aegypti (2013). These mosquitoes arrived in cross-border shipments of goods. Shipments from around the world have entered California for years, so why are these pests a problem now? One suspicion is that the changing California climate has allowed these species to flourish. Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are daytime biters, can breed in very little water, are difficult to eradicate, and carry diseases that are new to North America.

Ticks

Unlike mice, rats, cockroaches and mosquitos, ticks are rarely encountered in residential settings. Pest control professionals aren’t usually called upon to treat for ticks, even though ticks can transmit eight very serious diseases to people. Of these diseases, the most harmful and concerning is Lyme disease. Though this disease is difficult to detect and diagnose, timely and accurate diagnosis can help prevent potential complications and persistent symptoms. These include chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headaches, episodes of “dizziness” or blackouts, cognitive difficulties, and arthritis.