In our previous blog post, we described some of the damage that wildlife and insects can cause to your home. They can damage the exterior and interior of your home, and can even increase your risk of fire. But the danger of pests doesn’t stop there: these unwelcome animals and insects can also be dangerous to you, your family and your pets.
For the most part, animals such as skunks, raccoons and squirrels are more afraid of us than we are of them: cross paths with one of these animals and they’ll quickly scamper away.
However, these types of animals also have the flight-or-fight instinct. If they feel threatened, or if they feel like their babies are threatened, then they can become quite aggressive. They will arch their backs and hiss to ward off any threats. If the threat doesn’t back away, or if it gets closer, the animal can get aggressive and attack.
Some insect pests can also get aggressive if they feel threatened. Wasps and hornets will try to aggressively sting if they feel like they or their nest are threatened.
Aggressors can be people or family pets. Family pets might be quite curious about the presence of another animal, ending up with a scratched-up nose or worse if they get too close! Young children might sometimes want to touch an animal that, for example, gets trapped in a window well, getting a nasty bite or scratch. Sometimes adults can unintentionally disturb a wasp or hornet nest while doing normal yard work, leading to a swarm of attackers and some nasty stings.
Wildlife and insects can carry and transmit many different types of disease, parasites or pathogens that can make people and pets sick.
Raccoons, skunks and squirrels can carry raccoon roundworm, leptospirosis, salmonella and rabies, all of which can be harmful to humans. Mice and rats can carry Lassa Fever, Rat-Bite Fever and Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM). Insects can carry and transmit yellow fever, dengue fever, Lyme disease, malaria and, most recently, Zika virus.
These diseases, parasites and pathogens can be transmitted through the bites of insects or the droppings or urine of wildlife. Rodents especially pose a risk to humans in our homes because they will go scavenging in our cupboards and pantries for food, often dropping feces and urinating along their way.
And humans don’t have to come into direct contact with these microorganisms. Sometimes they are so light that they can be blown by the wind, so local exposure can be enough to transmit them.
Unwelcome wildlife and insects can not only cause real and expensive damage to your home, but they can also pose serious health risks to people and pets. Wildlife and insect pests can act aggressively if they feel trapped or threatened. They can also carry dangerous diseases, pathogens and parasites and transmit them through their bites, droppings or feces.
Pest Protection Plus offers a full range of professional wildlife removal and insect control services, including raccoon, skunk and squirrel removal and ant, hornets & wasps and mosquito control. Plus, we offer full home protection year-round with our Pest Guard Home Protection Plan. If you want to protect your family from wildlife and insects, call one of our pest control experts today!
And always remember …
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