6 Deadly Year-Round House Pests

6 Deadly Year-Round House Pests

(AscendHealthy.com) – Our homes are our sanctuaries. Unfortunately, they may also be havens for deadly pests, too. Even a clean house can harbor creepy crawlies that are venomous or dangerous enough to kill you. Find out more in the article below about deadly pests that might inhabit our homes all year.

1. Black Widow Spiders

Most people don’t like spiders – and for good reason. Some of them have a nasty bite that can make you sick. A few can even cause death, and the black widow is one spider that can kill a human being. While most people only experience pain and discomfort from this spider’s bite, its toxins can also cause difficulty breathing, chills, nausea, headache, weakness, and increased blood pressure. Most people recover on their own, but seeking medical treatment may be a good idea. Deaths from black widow spider bites are rare but have been reported.

2. Brown Recluse Spiders

Like the black widow, the brown recluse spider’s bite can lead to death. This spider is one of the most dangerous in the United States because the venom causes a breakdown of the blood vessels near the area where the bite occurred. The resulting skin ulcers may become infected. It’s generally not the actual spider venom that causes death but the resulting infection that may spread throughout the body.

3. Kissing Bugs

Kissing bugs might sound cute, but they’re terrifying. They feed on blood and can infect a person with Chagas disease. This rare, serious condition comes from a parasite carried by the bugs, which can enter the bloodstream if the bug’s feces enter a break in a person’s skin. Chagas disease causes lymph node swelling, headaches, fever, and difficulty breathing, usually resolving in eight to 12 weeks.

Up to 30% of people infected with Chagas disease may have digestive and cardiac problems that occur 10 to 30 years after the initial infection, potentially leading to heart failure and death.

4. Ticks

Tick-borne illnesses like Lyme Disease are typically not fatal but may cause cardiac symptoms. There are other ways ticks can kill you, however. In addition to Lyme Disease, some of the other illnesses caused by ticks include Colorado tick fever, Powassan disease, rickettsiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Powassan disease has resulted in human deaths in the U.S., as have Lyme Disease and Ehrlichiosis infections. Avoiding tick bites — and seeking prompt treatment if you are bitten — may reduce your risk of contracting these deadly conditions.

5. Fleas

The typical household flea you find on your dog or cat is more of a nuisance than a danger. But the oriental rat flea is a different story. These fleas were responsible for the plague that killed 25 million people in Europe. While that was a long time ago, and it’s not likely to happen again, people still die of the plague in the U.S. and other countries every year. In the United States, approximately 16 percent of plague cases result in fatalities, even with today’s antibiotics. Avoiding rat fleas and staying away from rodent habitats is the best way to reduce risks.

6. Mosquitos

Every year, more than one million people are killed by mosquito-borne diseases worldwide. Malaria is carried by these insects, as are yellow fever and dengue fever. These kinds of problems aren’t common in mosquitos in the U.S., but West Nile Virus is a concern for U.S. residents and can be deadly. Avoiding mosquito bites and staying indoors when mosquitoes are most likely to be out (dawn and dusk) are strategies to reduce risk.

Thankfully, it’s improbable you or a loved one will be affected by insects with deadly results. But the possibility is there, even in clean, well-maintained homes. Bugs are part of life, and we can reduce our risks by frequent cleaning, sealing holes where they might enter homes and using chemicals or natural products as repellents.

Nature is a balance, but the balance works best when insects stay out of the house, and we maintain awareness when we’re in their realm.

~Here’s to Your Healthy Ascension

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