What Diseases Do Mosquitoes Carry?

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Mosquitoes are more than just buzzing-in-your-ear nuisances causing itchy skin when you get bit. They also carry deadly diseases. In fact, mosquitoes are one of the deadliest creatures in the world because of the many diseases they can transmit.

The primary diseases they carry include:

West Nile virus

In the United States, the West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease. It can be largely asymptomatic, but 20 percent of people who get the disease develop symptoms such as a fever, diarrhea, stiff neck, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle weakness. The virus can develop to the point where it starts to impact your central nervous system, too, which causes violent convulsions and paralysis. There were more than 2,500 West Nile cases reported in the United States in 2018, according to the CDC.

Malaria

This is the most deadly mosquito-borne disease. In 2015, there were hundreds of millions of cases of malaria reported, and nearly 500,000 deaths because of the disease. This makes up more than half of all deaths that come from mosquito-borne illnesses. The primary symptoms of malaria are high fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Yellow fever

This disease is named after the yellow-ish hue it can cause in patients as a result of jaundice (a condition that affects the liver), which is a symptom of yellow fever. Other symptoms include headaches, fever, and fatigue. Yellow fever is a highly fatal disease if it’s contracted – half the people who get it die within a week to 10 days, according to the World Health Organization. However, it is preventable with a vaccination. It is currently most prevalent in Central America, South America, and Africa, and it causes between 30,000 and 60,000 deaths per year.

Zika

This disease is largely asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic. If it does show symptoms, they may appear in the form of a fever, skin rash, headache, joint pain, and more. However, Zika has proven to have more severe effects on pregnant women and leads to babies being born with brain and head defects.

Japanese Encephalitis

Japanese encephalitis reveals itself with vomiting, headaches, a high fever, and joint and muscle pain. The symptoms take anywhere from a few days to two weeks to show up after you’ve been bitten. The disease is present in mosquitoes ranging from northern Asia all the way to almost every tropical region in the world, according to the CDC. There is a vaccine for Japanese encephalitis.

It should be noted that just because you are bitten by a mosquito, doesn’t mean you have been infected with a disease. If you suspect you may have a mosquito-borne illness, see your doctor.

We Can Help

If you are having issues with mosquitoes, give Amco Ranger a call to get a free quote for professional, ongoing defense in your yard. Treatments are tailored to your property and are applied by certified, trained technicians. Give us a call today if you need help getting rid of pests in your home in Cottleville, St. Peters, O’Fallon, St. Charles, St. Louis, and surrounding communities.

What Causes Moths In The Home?

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Although people think of protecting their clothes when it comes to moths, did you know that moths love breeding in your carpets? That is why they are often referred to as carpet moths. But what causes carpet moths, and why do they eat your clothes and carpets?

Identifying Carpet Moths

Carpet moths are easy to spot and generally have the following traits:

  • Small with a mottled brown color and black spots across their front wings
  • Have a wingspan measuring between 9 and 16mm
  • Both their hind and forewings have hairy fringes.
  • The moth larvae leave their casing behind. If you find something in your carpet that looks similar to rice, this is a sign that you probably have moths.

 

What Causes Carpet Moths?

The larvae of carpet moths eat the keratin proteins found in skin and hair. They have a strong attraction to fur, silk, wool, and other high quality and natural materials. If you don’t have silk or wool carpets in your home, there’s still a chance you will get moths. They can fly in from outside and will happily make a home in synthetic carpet fibers too.

Within the pile of a carpet or rug, moths can hide their eggs safely out of harm’s way. Once the eggs hatch, they turn into hungry larvae. Even if the larvae don’t eat the actual fibers, they will still eat dirt that collects in them, such as food crumbs, hair, skin, and other household dirt. These are filled with all the nutrients they need to grow.

They also like eating dirty clothes for similar reasons. These items will be covered in hair, skin and sweat, all rich in keratin.

Another contributing factor to carpet moth infestations is the climate. They prefer warm temperatures, so are more active during the summer.

Prevent Carpet Moths

The best remedy is to not have any carpeting. However, if that’s not possible, cleaning and especially vacuuming your carpet regularly can control carpet moths from becoming an infestation.

Keeping clothing freshly laundered before going back in your closet or drawers is another strategy. Also, using pheromone moth traps can help curb the population.

We Can Help

If you already have a moth infestation, give Amco Ranger a call. No matter how intimidating or pervasive your pest problem, you can trust that we know exactly how to handle it and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Give us a call today if you need help getting rid of pests in your home in Cottleville, St. Peters, O’Fallon, St. Charles, St. Louis, and surrounding communities.