Pests contaminate surfaces and pose serious health risks even being life-threatening. Pest control is vital to prevent the spread of infestations, and to emphasise how important it is to maintain a pest-free environment, below are five horrifying pest infestation stories- so bad you are going to be googling ‘pest control near me’ before getting to the end.
Cockroach Coffee
Most of us aren’t the biggest fans of cockroaches, maybe because they leave an unpleasant smell behind or because they are not as cute as butterflies. Or maybe it’s because they are known to be carriers of bacteria.
A man, let’s call him Logan, was making coffee in his flat in Rome when he noticed something move near his coffee machine. The next day he saw ‘the thing’ again and this time it brought friends.
Within a week, the situation worsened and the whole kitchen was infested with cockroaches. Fueled by panic, he deep-cleaned his kitchen several times, spraying insecticide everywhere and killing all the cockroaches in sight.
But even storing away his coffee machine made no difference. The cockroaches still patrolled his kitchen until he used gel baits.
The gel baits worked, so much so the coffee machine was brought back… only to find dead and live cockroaches at home in the machine.
He could never use his coffee machine again knowing what was inside.
Mosquitos: plagues of judgement
Mosquitos are not only pesky, but they are also representations of judgement and death in the Bible. They are considered one of the oldest pests in history and are, to some, the evil versions of bees.
Last September, mosquitos raged in Sandwich, Kent. Antibiotics were provided to treat the bites but that did not stop the spread. A man was bitten near his eye and had to receive medical intervention.
A combination of the warm weather and the town’s closeproximity to the salt marshes could explain why Sandwich’s people were fighting swarms.
Although it was not unusual for the area to suffer from mosquitos, the level of pests was something the town was unprepared for.
Bed bugs: they can’t take no for an answer
Bed bugs live on clothing and furniture. Their bites can feel itchy but don’t pose any serious health concerns.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prevent an infestation. You can prevent an infestation by reducing clutter which acts as small spaces for them to hide.
Have you ever mistaken bed bugs for wallpaper? Be glad you haven’t, unlike Mr Swan, the exterminator who was called to treat a client’s home.
Mr Swan had to convince his client to allow him to treat the area, as killing bugs was against the homeowner’s religion.
Being a friend to bugs might be a problem as it allows infestation to spread, particularly when it goes against your personal beliefs.
Man V Spider
Spiders are usually harmless unless they’ve had an appearance on the show Deadly 60.
Despite arachnophobia seeming common, people with the fear of spiders only make up about 6% of the world’s population.
A man from Tuscon, Arizona was so afraid of spiders that he burnt his house down while using a blowtorch to get rid of them.
He was attempting to get to the spiders living under his mobile home when disaster struck. Fortunately, the man and his family members were able to flee from the scene.
Several firefighters attempted to save the man’s home but unfortunately, it was too late.
Rat house for hire?
This story features a couple who had no idea that they had a rat infestation problem until they moved into their house.
Fun fact: rat infestations are difficult to identify as rats are nocturnal.
Can you imagine the horror?
The couple bought the house as they were expecting and needed more space. They lived in Ilkley, which is known as an expensive town, and recognised they couldn’t afford a ‘finished house.’ They had enough money to buy the house but not enough for a large renovation project and after communicating with the estate agents they felt betrayed to later witness the rat infestation.
Final thoughts
Oh crumbs. The pests are near- what do you do?
Pest infestations are never fun and they’re usually not your fault, but are preventable. Pest prevention can look like storing food securely, removing garbage regularly from the home and cleaning up water and food spills.
Call the exterminator, they will take care of your pesky neighbours immediately.
