Common Household Pests in Australia

Some of your most common household pests can spread and carry around disease and illnesses.  They can make you extremely sick and cause such things as asthma, allergies, parasitic worms, viruses, fevers and cause infections.

Household Cockroaches

One of the most common sources of indoor allergen that can carry at least 32 species of bacteria and harbour eggs of worms is the Cockroach!

With these insects being scavengers they often dwell in environments like sewers, drains, and feed off decaying matter such as rubbish tips, grease traps etc.  Because of the surfaces that come into contact with they can transmit diseases and can cause the following:

• Salmonella
• Asthma
• Gastroenteritis
• Allergies including dermatitis and asthma
• Dysentery
• Hepatitis
• Typhoid fever
• Cholera

To help reduce a cockroach infestation around your home, we recommend:

• Don't leave food out on the bench.
• Clean all kitchen counters & floors clear of any food crumbs.
• Take the rubbish out
• Clean any pet bowls
• Avoid piles of newspapers and laundry.

 

To read more about cockroaches and what you can do around your home click here.

Household Spiders

A spider bite can be very toxic and can be potentially fatal to young children and the elderly.  Common symptoms from a bite can include:

• Sweating
• Muscular weakness
• Paralysis
• Stiffness
• Tremors
• Loss of coordination
• Pain
• Dilated pupils
• Unconsciousness
• Itching/redness
• Nausea
• Vomiting

To help reduce spiders around your home, we recommend:

• Seal any gaps in your home.
• Fit window screens & replace any with holes.
• Remove any rubbish in backyard
• Cut back overgrown trees or bushes.

 

To read more about spiders and what you can do around your home click here.

Household Rodents

Not only can Rodents cause damage but if they’ve been in your kitchen they can contaminate your food or utensils with their urine/faeces and transmit disease to humans such as:

• Salmonella food poisoning
• Mild meningitis
• Leptospirosis
• Rat bite fever
• Infectious jaundice
• Tapeworm
• Robovirus
• Weil’s disease
• Choriomeningitis

To help reduce rodents around your home, we recommend:

• Fix any gaps in your home.
• Replace any damaged window screens.
• Remove any rubbish around the yard.
• Store food in air-tight containers
• Clean up woodpiles, leaf piles, shrubs or debris.

To read more about mice and rats and what you can do around your home click here.

Household Flies

Flies are not only one of our most common pests but they are also one of the most annoying.  They can spread germs over your food and from this transmit diseases to us such as:

• Gastroenteritis
• Dysentery,
• Typhoid
• Polio
• Salmonella
• Tuberculosis

To help reduce flies around your home, we recommend:

• Remove indoor or outdoor rubbish.
• Throw out rotting food.
• Clean up any rubbish or pet faeces around the yard.
• Have window & door screens fitted and replace any holes in screens.

 

To read more about Flies and what you can do around your home click here.

 

Household Mosquitoes

These blood sucking pests are one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet that cause the most harm worldwide to humans, they not only kill more than a million people a year just through transmission of malaria but can make other people sick by causing these symptoms and illnesses:
 

• Painful swelling/redness
• Allergic reactions
• Infections
• Excessive itching
• Ross river virus
• Barmah forest virus
• Dengue fever
• Murray Valley encephalitis virus
• West Nile Virus
• Encephalitis
• Malaria
• Yellow fever
• Zika virus

To help reduce Mosquitoes around your home, we recommend:

• Have window & door screens fitted and replace any holes in screens.
• Remove any pooling water around the home.
• Regularly change pet drinking bowls and bird baths.
• Mend leaky taps.
• Keep lawns and gardens trimmed back.
• Cover swimming pools.
• Check water tanks have no leaks.

To read more about Mosquitoes and what you can do around your home click here.

To help protect your family at home from common household pests, keep up to date with your pest control and contact us if you have any concerns.