4 Dangerous American Pests that Can Be a Threat to Home Security
A number of pests are threats to your health, while others are a threat to your home’s integrity with secondary impact on your health. We’re not talking about termites whose damage affects your home’s value and can leave a door vulnerable to being kicked in. Instead, we’re looking at the pests that pose the greatest risk to your health and home. Here are four dangerous American pests that can be a threat to home security.
Mojave Rattlesnakes
Mojave rattlesnakes live in the Southwest from Texas to California, north all the way to Nevada. The Mojave rattlesnake produces two types of venom. Type A affects your nerves but doesn’t produce a severe reaction at the surface of the skin, causing many to think that it isn’t as bad a bite as the Type B venom that creates a severe local reaction but is actually less likely to kill you. The most dangerous rattlesnakes are the juveniles; they are young enough to react to humans whereas adults may be more wary but still have enough venom to kill you. In either case, you need to seek medical attention.
Bees and Wasps
Bee stings are always life threatening to those who are allergic; the problem for parents is that you don’t know if your child is severely allergic until they are stung by a bee or undergo allergy testing for that particular substance. For the rest of us, letting a potential hive grow into something bigger poses a real hazard since several dozen stings by bees can be deadly to a healthy adult and certainly for pets. This is why it’s important to contact a good extermination service to remove bee hives on your property as soon as you see one.
Wasps aren’t known for the same risk of a fatal allergic reaction, but it does occur. For example, an Iowa State department chairman was killed after an allergic reaction to a wasp sting he received while jogging. A Quebec mayor was killed after stepping on a wasp nest in 2014. And while wasps don’t produce the same large swarms as bees, their ability to inflict multiple stings can make them deadly when they attack in a swarm. Always seek medical attention the moment someone who has been stung begins to show signs of anaphylactic shock, which can be within minutes of the sting. If the immediate medical emergency has been dealt with, a pest control service can exterminate the colony.
Bark Scorpions
Bark scorpions are the most venomous scorpion in the United States, and they are found across the southwestern United States. It lives under rocks, wood piles and pieces of bark, while their brown color makes them hard to see. They will sting anyone unlucky enough to disturb them. For adults, the sting is agonizing. For children and adults with health problems, the stings can be fatal.
Fire Ants
One fire ant bite is painful. Dozens on a baby and hundreds on a bedridden adult are life threatening. Around 2% of adults are severely allergic to their bites. The experience of getting bit is horrifying because they will often swarm in the hundreds for several seconds before stinging the victim in unison.
Fire ants are decimating wildlife populations as they swarm and kill a fifth of baby song birds; they are in the worst infested area attacking baby pigs, calves and deer. Fire ant stings are a frequent cause of vet visits for pets. For those who live in the southern United States where these ants are found, the mounds they create a threat to the family’s safety, not just the beautiful green lawn.
Their attraction to electrical fields means you may find them nesting in air conditioner condensing units and electrical boxes, giving you a very unpleasant surprise when you try to service the electrical shorts they caused.
Conclusion
The worst pests in America are those that pose a serious health hazard for a portion of the population if stung by one and serious threats to anyone if they attack you en masse like wasps and bees. Fire ants are an underrated threat to your safety unless you’re already losing pets and livestock to them. Bark scorpions are dangerous because so few are aware of the threat they pose. And rattlesnakes are a threat to those who live in their range.