World Pest Day’18: All You Need to Know About Common Pests

World Pest Day was created to increase awareness on the importance of professional pest management to protect homes, families, and businesses. 2018 also marks the second World Pest Day!

With our mission in protecting people and enhancing lives, we take this opportunity to raise awareness on the possible health risks associated with pests such as cockroaches, ants, rodents, mosquitoes and termites.

Common Ants and Cockroaches

Common ants and cockroaches are household pests that we are most familiar with. As both of these pests are attracted to places where food can easily be found, our kitchens naturally become their food paradise. While ants make a beeline for the pastries or fruits left on the kitchen table, cockroaches have a diet that consists of pretty much anything, including animal faeces, their fellow cockroaches and anything that contains protein such as hair, skin and fingernails.

Aside from being incredibly irritating, ants and cockroaches can implicate badly on our health as well. Ants may not have as sinister a reputation as cockroaches, but do not be fooled! Given the chance, both will forage for food in every and any unspeakable place, and may transfer harmful germs and bacteria, e.g. Salmonella and E. coli, to your food items if they happen to crawl over them. In fact, studies have shown that cockroaches can trigger asthma and other allergies due to the proteins in their bodies, as well as the saliva, faeces and their ability to shed skin.

How to Manage Common Ants and Cockroaches

Ant and cockroach infestations are difficult to thoroughly eradicate without the enlisting help of professional pest management services. Also, using DIY solutions such as cinnamon, vinegar and lemon to keep ants away can be frustrating and lead to little significant results with more mess at stake. On the other hand, using commercial insecticides in excess can negatively impact health (especially on young children or pets).

Hence, if you suspect an ant or cockroach infestation at home, it would be best to contact the experts to eradicate the pest for you, and then adopt the best practices to prevent such infestations from occuring again.

Mosquitoes

In the recent years, global warming have resulted in changing climates around the world and becomes increasingly friendly towards mosquitoes breeding grounds. This phenomenon however, has led to more exposures on the dangerous infectious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes such as Dengue, Malaria, Zika, Chikungunya, etc..

It is even estimated that mosquitoes are responsible for causing more than 1 million deaths each year, making them the world’s deadliest pest.

Unfortunately for us, the hot and humid climate in Malaysia is perfect for mosquitoes all year round. Many of us have even grown accustomed towards these annoying pests - to a point where we became ignorant of it until someone in our neighbourhood gets infected with dengue.

Don’t wait till it’s too late when you realised danger is near. Mosquito control is essential to ensure the health and safety of your loved ones and preventive measures such as identifying and eliminating mosquito breeding grounds at home are always taken seriously as ongoing effort.

Preventing mosquito borne diseases

Mosquitoes breed when there is stagnant water, so the first step to mosquito-proofing your home is to identify and eliminate sites where water can potentially accumulate such as the base of flower pots, unused tyres, clogged drains and etc..

Of course, if a mosquito infestation is already present around your home, it’s probably time to escalate the issue to professionals who can safely and effectively handle your mosquito problems. We would highly recommend you to choose your pest solution provider wisely. The pest solution provider you enlist should have the capability to provide you with all-rounded advice and solutions to protect against mosquitoes. Find out more about Rentokil’s Integrated Mosquito Management solution here.

Rodents

A few species of rodents, particularly rats and mice (less common in Malaysia), have adapted very well to the human environment and can thrive in urban environments such as towns and cities.

Rodents are not only a common pest problem for homeowners, they also threaten the food supply chain. Their potential to contaminate what we eat and drink, as well as the places we live and work, poses significant risks to our health.

Additionally, due to their gnawing habits rodents can also cause a range of damages to electrical equipment as well as the electrical wiring in your home, potentially triggering fires and leading to structural damages.

How to Manage Rodent Infestations

Rodents carry a range of harmful transmitted diseases such as Salmonellosis, Leptospirosis, Hantavirus and Rat-bite fever to humans through their urine, droppings or direct contact with the infected live and dead rodent. So once you spot a rodent scurrying across your home or business premises, we would highly recommend you to take the below steps in mitigating the infestation in the right away:

• Seal entrances around windows, doors and around pipework using expanding foam and Install galvanised wire, especially around high risk areas to prevent rodents from gaining entry to your home or premise
• Trim vegetation around your garden and keep grass mown short.
• Clean food and liquid spillage as well as dirty dishes and empty bins regularly.
• Store food in airtight plastic or metal containers.
• Contact a pest management professional to eradicate the rodent infestation using effective solutions such as Rentokil’s Integrated Rodent Management.

Termites

Termites consume cellulosic materials from dead wood or wood by-products. In Malaysia, Subterranean termites are usually the primary species that destroy human made structures including furniture, paper, books and other wooden objects. They are essential in nature as they decompose fallen timbers to make way for new growth in the jungle, however they can be a nightmare to homeowners, causing an estimated RM40 million in property damage across Malaysia.

Furthermore, termites have also been known to cause structural collapse of buildings. Just last year, the entire ceiling of a primary school classroom in Melaka collapsed due to termite infestation, luckily no one was injured. If there is one thing we could learn from this incident, it would be do not take chances to early sightings of damages caused by termites as the impact of termite infestations can be devastating!. So don’t get complacent with termites, and definitely don’t take your safety for granted.

If you suspect early signs of active termites in your home, seek professional termite inspection just to be sure or install preemptive solutions so that you are alerted when they come knocking on (or chewing through) your door. (Insider tip: If you plan on signing up for any termite packages from now till 30 June 2018, you should check out our #RAYA18 promo to save RM 90!)

As the most trusted and experienced local pest control service provider by Malaysians, we hope that this article will shed some lights on the health and safety risks of living alongside with these pests mentioned above and why professional pest control is so important. We are also honored to help support the initiative of World Pest Day!

As always, if you are facing pest issues and require professional intervention, do not hesitate to contact us at 1300 881 911 or drop us an enquiry here.