From ants to cockroaches to rodents, the need to tackle household pests has become a common problem among Singaporeans. Unlike what most people assume, pests can cause more trouble than just being a general nuisance.
Some pests can cause significant health impacts, while others can affect your belongings and cause substantial financial damage. So, it’s a fact that these pests need to be dealt with more seriously than others.
In this article, we will talk about some of the most dangerous pests in Singapore. Having these pests in your house is bad news for both yourself and your home, so keep an eye out!
Most Dangerous Household Pests in Singapore
Termites
Termites may be small, but they can have a rather dramatic impact on your life. Even though these pests will rarely bite or come in contact with you, they are one of the most dangerous household pests you could have in your home.
Termites can enter your home through mud tunnels without you ever noticing. They will continue to eat and feed on the foundation of your home. Usually, people only recognise the signs of termite presence after termite activities and colonies spread throughout their homes.
By this time, the unnoticed termite infestation would have destroyed walls, flooring, furniture, and anything else that stood in its way. Sharing a space with termites can also trigger allergies and asthma. The more pressing concern, however, is the cost of mitigation and repairs. Damages caused by these dangerous pests can require you to spend thousands of dollars on repairs, pest control, and future termite prevention.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs will not destroy your home like termites, but they can be dangerous for your emotional well-being. Having a bedbug infestation can make you feel helpless. If you have bed bugs in your house, you will realise this within only a few weeks.
Bed bugs will usually live within the nooks and crannies of your house. Due to their small size and agility, you are less likely to see them, but these parasitic insects will live inside your bed and feed on you. When they bite, you will notice itchy welts on your body.
While these welts are mostly harmless, bed bugs can cause sleeplessness and anxiety. Not to mention, getting rid of bed bugs is a rather tedious process. The cost of remediation is high, and undergoing bed bug treatment will also disrupt your life. Moreover, bed bugs are hitchhiking insects, so preventing them from entering your home could be challenging if you do not take preventive measures seriously.
Rodents
Discovering that you share your home with rats and mice is never a pleasant experience. While rodent infestations sound unappealing, they also pose a threat to your health.
Yes, do not dismiss rodents as harmless pests. Having rodents in the house, coming into contact with their faeces, saliva, or urine, or getting bitten by a rodent is all bad for you. Rodents are notorious for spreading a variety of diseases to humans. Even if you do not come into close contact with rodents, they can spread diseases indirectly through fleas, ticks, or mites.
Health concerns triggered by rodents include asthma, hantavirus, Lassa fever, hemorrhagic fever, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, tularemia, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis. Some of these diseases can have consequences as severe as death.
Apart from health concerns, rodents are notorious for chewing on wires around the house. This is known to cause fires and can even cost you a hefty amount in repairs.
Hornets, Bees and Wasps
Typically, hornets, bees and wasps will only attack when outdoors. In some rare cases, these stinging insects might build hives inside your property, which is harmful to you. When this happens, homeowners usually fail to notice the expanding colonies of hornets, bees and wasps.
Most people will only realise they have a big infestation on hand after the stinging insects multiply notably in numbers. By this time, the remediation process can cause the homeowner considerable financial damage. Note that hornets, bees and wasps are very protective of their nests. They will attempt to sting any invader.
Some wood-destroying bees and wasps can cause severe structural damage, as they often build tunnels within a house for nesting and shelter.
In addition to being painful, their stings insert venom into humans, which can pose health risks. If you get stung by hornets, bees or wasps, you might have to deal with itchiness, hives, swelling, and even breathing difficulties.
A bee will die after it stings you, but hornets can sting you several times over. What’s more alarming is a hornet sting can cause the victim to produce histamines, which can lead to death.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes may look tiny and harmless, but they are one of the most dangerous insects. A mosquito bite can cause much more than irritation. If an Aedes mosquito bites you, you might catch dengue or dengue haemorrhagic fever. Severe cases of dengue can lead to death.
Unfortunately, dengue is not the only disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Mosquito bites can also spread the Zika virus, chikungunya, and even malaria. All of these can have life-threatening health consequences. So, don’t forget to take preventive measures against mosquito bites and mosquito infestations.
Cockroaches
Most households in Singapore will have a cockroach problem. Cockroaches might not seem to cause any immediate danger. Homeowners dislike cockroaches more for their creepy appearance and ability to reproduce at a record-breaking speed.
You will be surprised to learn that cockroaches cause more trouble than some general nuisance. Cockroaches live and thrive in filth and can contaminate food and kitchen surfaces.
Cockroaches carry up to 30 types of bacteria that could make you ill. These include E. Coli, salmonella, and parasitic worms. Roaches can also spread allergens and worsen asthma problems by causing nasty flare-ups.
Conclusion
Handling an infestation of just about any pest is difficult. When you are dealing with more dangerous household pests, you need to be even more vigilant. They can disrupt life and cause lots of physical discomforts. Pests like termites, rodents, bees, and wasps can also further your troubles by damaging your property.
So, when you identify an infestation of one of the dangerous household pests mentioned in this article, do not take matters lightly. Adopt some control measures and also consider hiring a reputable pest control company to help tackle the infestation more effectively.
