facebook pixel

The most dangerous pests

Sep 30, 2022

Whether you are getting work done at the office, relaxing inside your home, or enjoying the great outdoors, pests are never welcome–especially the most dangerous pests. Even in the best case scenario, the most dangerous pests can spoil your indoor and outdoor activities. In the worst case scenario, these pests can pose serious risks to the health and safety of you and your loved ones. While all pests are annoying, you should take extra caution when dealing with and disposing of the most dangerous pests.

What are the most dangerous pests?

Some of the most dangerous pests in Arkansas and Oklahoma include scorpions, rats, certain kinds of snakes, brown recluse spiders, and yellow jackets. While running across one of these pests once in a lifetime can be scary, dealing with any of these pests living and breeding in or around your home and property can be downright risky or even life threatening.

Striped Bark Scorpion: These scorpions grow to about 2.5 inches as adults and are yellowish brown with dark brown bands and a brown or black stinger on the end of its curved tail. While the venom that these scorpions deliver is not highly toxic, their stings can be extremely painful and can cause serious medical issues for a young child or a person with allergies.

Rats: Rats can spread several dangerous diseases that can cause significant health problems for people and other animals. Diseases caused by rats include tularemia, rat bite fever, salmonella, plague, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), and hantavirus. Rats spread diseases through several ways including their waste materials (feces, urine, and saliva), their nesting material, bites and scratches from an infected rodent, and even simple skin-to-skin contact with a person or other animal.

Snakes: Venomous snakes in Arkansas and Oklahoma include the western diamondback rattlesnake, the timber rattlesnake, the Texas coral snake, the copperhead, and the cottonmouth. Most of these snakes are tan colored and have patterns on their bodies that help them blend into their surroundings, so it can be easy to miss them when they are hiding in plain sight in your yard.

Brown recluse spiders: Brown recluse spiders are most often found hiding in dark corners of garages, sheds, and attics, as well as in old piles of wood. Their bites can cause distressing medical problems such as necrosis (death) of the skin where the bite was received. Necrotizing ulcers can occur at bite sites, causing significant soft tissue damage that may take several months to heal and leave deep scars.

Yellow jackets: Yellow jackets are a type of hornet that can behave especially aggressively when threatened. Yellow jackets tend to build large nests with high population counts, which adds to the risks that yellow jackets can pose to humans and other animals. When yellow jackets feel their nest is threatened, they can swarm and attack, delivering painful stings in rapid succession with their sewing machine needle-like stingers.

For help with dangerous pests, contact West Termite, Pest & Lawn.

More posts from West Termite, Pest & Lawn

Signs of Mice Infestation

Signs of Mice Infestation

Discovering signs of mice in your home can be unsettling, but early detection is the key to effective pest management. If you’ve got a hunch that there are some unwanted guests in your home, we’ve put together some helpful tips for identifying a mouse infestation,...

How a Mosquito Infestation can Take over your Backyard

How a Mosquito Infestation can Take over your Backyard

Mosquitoes are more than just a summertime nuisance. Their persistent buzzing and bites can really disrupt our enjoyment of the outdoors, and they also pose potential health risks. They’re capable of transmitting various diseases, which makes it important to develop...

Can Fleas and Ticks Bite Humans?

Can Fleas and Ticks Bite Humans?

Many people assume that fleas and ticks only bother our furry friends, like cats and dogs– but the reality is that these pests can bite humans, too. While it is true that they mostly target animals like dogs, cats, and wildlife, understanding the potential risks they...