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We are pretty lucky in this country when it comes to pest animals. We, thankfully, don’t have any truly dangerous animals that can come into our homes and harm us but we do still have our fair share of pests species. It is one thing to deal with a pest problem when it’s just grown-ups in the house but when you add kids into the mix it is really important to deal with pests properly.
UK Pests
We have quite a few pest species in this country. We obviously have rats and mice just like most other places. But we also have Cockroaches which a lot of people assume are only found overseas. We have bed bugs, wasps, fleas and a range of moths and flies that can cause all manner of issues if they decide to make your home their home. Some people include animals like foxes as pests and pigeons, but this can depend on how urban your location is. The odd country fox dropping by isn’t an issue but having a den of urban foxes under your shed in a small garden can be something you need to deal with.
Pests and kids
The pests we have in this country can cause harm to kids. It is not so much harm by means of some kind of attack though obviously a wasp can sting and a nest can be very dangerous. It is more the diseases some pests can spread, and the way kids are just more exposed to them. In the nicest possible way, it would be fair to assume your kids perhaps have slightly less clean habits than the average adult. They are too busy having fun to worry about handwashing and then sticking fingers in mouths, eating that snack that fell on the floor and so on. It is this kind of activity that can lead to issues.
It is worth making it very clear that wasps on their own can be an issue but children do like to prod and poke things and if you have a wasps nest that a child interferes with it could prove very bad indeed. The same goes with any nest even rats, which won’t normally attack, might try and defend a nest of babies against a stick being poked at it.
Rats and Mice
These rodents can carry a number of nasty illnesses from Salmonella and even E Coli to Weil’s disease and other nasties. They move across our kitchen floors and surfaces on the hunt for food, they can contaminate cereal boxes and stored food too. Then a child touches the surface or eats from it and we have a problem. We are also now entering the season where rats and mice may be looking for somewhere warmer and dryer with food to make home!
Bed Bugs and Creepy Things
Bed bugs can be rather nasty. They won’t do any long-term damage, but they can cause interrupted sleep and a lot of itchy bites. These in turn can have quite and adverse effect on a child. It is also worth noting the potential for other children to mock and bully over the news that someone has bed bugs or fleas! Bed bugs leave little brown marks on the sheets after feeding so keep an eye on your kids’ bed clothes and look out for bites.
Cockroaches can carry some bacterial diseases and are rather nasty to have around but wont bite or hurt a child directly. Fleas don’t care about age and can be very annoying as well as horrible to have around.
What to Do!
If you have kids then be extra vigilant about pests. Kids are not always likely to mention an itchy bite or a scratching noise in the walls. If you do think you have an issue call a pest expert like Empire Pest Control as an example. There are lots of pest control companies out there depending on your area. Look at the Google reviews and choose one with lots of experience. Try not to worry about costs, when you have kids the need to get the house clear of pests is worth the cost.
You can sometimes try to tackle things like mice on your own but using poison around kids is a risk, professional pest control companies will know what to use and when and also have the experience to place traps correctly to get the job done. Never, ever try to tackle a wasps nest! Things like bed bugs really do need an expert otherwise they will keep reappearing and causing a lot of bother.
