Pests can be a nuisance when they invade your home or business.
From rodents to insects, they can cause damage to property and pose health risks to humans and pets. This is why pest control is essential and important in maintaining a healthy and safe environment.
Pest control aims to reduce the damages that are caused by pest infestation.
One of the main reasons why pest control is important is to prevent the spread of diseases. Pests can carry harmful bacteria and viruses, and end up spreading diseases like Lym disease, West Nile virus, hantavirus, encephalitis, and salmonellosis.
Pest control can also help prevent property damage. Termites, for example, can cause extensive damage to wooden structures, while rodents can chew through electrical wires and cause fires. By taking preventative measures and addressing pest infestations early on, you can save yourself from potentially costly repairs.
Let’s take a look at the main reasons that pest control is important for our indoor and outdoor gardens at home. Pest control is vital for keeping our houseplants healthy and thriving.
1. Prevent Allergy Flare-Ups and Risks
Many people have severe allergies to certain insects. Their lives would be at risk if these animals were not controlled.
Bees and wasps, for instance, are the insects that cause the most severe allergies, despite the fact that bees are very useful for the environment. Other problematic insects are mosquitoes and bed bugs, which can cause skin rashes in some people.
Cockroaches are also a common allergen, as at least 7% of the population is allergic to them. Moreover, cockroaches can also increase the severity of asthma, especially in children.
2. Prevent the Spread of Diseases
It’s well-known that many pests can cause diseases. Rats and fleas were responsible for the spread of the bubonic plague, which exterminated a huge part of the European population in the sixth century.
Mosquitoes can carry many diseases, some of them deadly, such as dengue fever, malaria, West Nile virus, arboviral encephalitis, and yellow fever. Mosquitoes are also dangerous for pets since they can spread deadly heartworm larvae. Just think that 90% of all cases of malaria occur in countries where pest control is not practiced.
Typhus is another dangerous disease, carried by fleas and lice.
Many of these diseases nowadays are treatable, but they can cause serious problems for the most vulnerable individuals, such as older people, children, and people with compromised immune systems.
Insects can also carry diseases such as salmonella and dangerous bacteria like E.coli, which are the cause of serious intestinal issues.
3. Prevent More Damage to Homes and Structures
Termites are a problem in many homes. If not controlled, they can consume wood, paper, and plywood.
In the long run, termites can deteriorate floorings, walls, and beams, causing serious damages that will put the stability of your house at risk.
Many times, you will notice something’s wrong when it’s already too late. Just think that in the USA, $5 billion on average are spent on termite damages.
Oftentimes, with termites, it’s necessary to call a pest control agency to completely stop termites.
4. Prevent More Damage to Furniture, Carpets, and Clothes
Many pests can cause costly damage not only to house structures, but also to carpets, clothing, and furniture.
Some insects can feed from fabrics and if not controlled will completely ruin your furnishings. These include carpet bugs, moths, cockroaches, and silverfish.
Other than being a nuisance, this is also a big economic issue for many families.
5. Prevent More Pest Nests In the House
Some pests can get established in houses before people realize they are even there. They will reproduce until their population gets too big not to be noticed. Sometimes, this can take just a few days, if not hours.
Cockroaches and other insects, as well as mice, can all cause serious issues, compromising your home and your health.
Read more about Different Types of Garden Insects.
6. Prevent Decrease of Food Supply
Pests are a serious danger to crop production. Nowadays, most of our food is grown on a large scale on commercial farms.
This kind of intensive farming makes plants very vulnerable to diseases. Without pest control, they wouldn’t be able to withstand illnesses.
Weeds, insects, and fungi all pose threats to crops, causing big production losses. This would in turn mean increased prices and more hunger.
Pest control is also vital during the conservation phase, as rodents for example consume up to 20% of the world’s food supply.
Another problem with these animals is that they also pose a health risk as well as an economic one since they leave excrements behind that contaminate food.
That’s not just on the farms and supermarkets either. Controlling how the pests at home will prevent them getting into your pantry and ruining your food supply.
7. Prevent Uneatable, Toxic Food
Pests that feed on our fruits and vegetables can leave wounds that are a perfect way for bacteria to infest food and reproduce.
Many of these microbes will be left on the food supply to grow and release toxins that make the products dangerous for humans.
Fungicides and bactericides can reduce toxin levels and make food healthier to eat.
Are Chemical Pesticides and Insecticides Good?
In pest control, it’s important to avoid the overuse of toxic chemical products. Many people opt for this solution straight away since it seems to be the easiest and quickest solution. But extensively spraying insecticides and other pesticides poses several issues.
First of all, these chemical pesticides are unable to target specific pests, so they also kill beneficial insects, such as bees and ladybugs.
Chemical compounds will also damage the environment and wildlife, especially if they end up in the water.
Besides the potential dangers, these chemical options may also have little effect. Many insects have become resistant to certain insecticides. The prevalent use of the pesticides have led to a tolerance buildup.
This is not to say that these products should never be used. Sometimes it is necessary, but it must always be the last resort in an integrated approach to pest control.
Precedence must be given to greener alternatives that don’t harm the environment and are often very efficient. This having been said, pests cannot be ignored. Whatever method you choose, keep in mind that the sooner you act, the better, and that prevention is always the key.
Why Pest Control is Important Final Thoughts
If left unchecked, pests can destroy crops, decreasing your yield. They might also enter your house and pose a serious danger to your health.
Many rodents and insects carry diseases, cockroaches can make asthma worse, and termites and other insects cause feed from wood and fabric.
Be sure to have a pest control plan to keep you and your family safe.
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