With the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and colder months coming, more pests are likely to show up in your home. It is essential to understand if there are any risks associated with the pests you might contact. Since there are so many questions surrounding coronavirus, there might not be answers to all of your questions. Here at University Termite and Pest Control, we take safety seriously and want you to have all available information.
Quick Facts About COVID-19 That You Need to Know
There are a few things that you need to know about COVID-19 and human coronaviruses. First, human coronaviruses have been around since the 1960s. These cause most of your common colds and cases of flu. There are four subgroupings of human coronaviruses that everyone should know. Most of these are transmitted through body fluids that happen as someone coughs or sneezes into the air, and you breathe those germs in.
COVID-19 is different than some of the other coronaviruses that we have seen. The past viruses include the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus (MERS). These viruses have been able to jump from an animal host to humans. With these two viruses and COVID-19, the infection can come from eating contaminated food or coming into contact with an animal that has been infected. COVID-19 seems to be different from the other two because there is no link between the continued spread and animals or insects.
Everything You Need to Know About Pests and COVID-19
At this time, it is known that most pests do not spread the coronavirus. Vector pests spread some diseases, but these do not include COVID-19. One of the reasons that COVID-19 does not appear to be spread by pests as we know that the disease is spread through face to face contact. According to the CDC, there is no current evidence that animals or insects can spread the virus.
Animals and COVID-19
According to the CDC’s website, “there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.” This can seem not very clear after the initial assertion that the coronavirus likely came from a bat. Current research is being done on animals to see which ones could become infected with the virus and which ones could not.
Animals That Can Be Infected with COVID-19
- Dogs (note: while dogs can be infected with COVID-19, they are the least likely to spread it among their species)
- Cats
- Hamsters
- Ferrets
Animals That Cannot Be Infected with COVID-19
- Ducks
- Pigs
- Chickens
- Mice
So, while you might feel anxious about a pest infestation, there is little to worry about when it comes to these pests and the spread of the coronavirus.
Insects and COVID-19
Vector pests are the insects you think of when you are thinking about pests that could carry diseases. Included amongst vector pests are mosquitoes and ticks, both of which are known to carry and transmit several diseases, which include: West Nile virus, Zika virus, malaria, Eastern equine encephalitis, yellow fever, and chikungunya, to name a few. They also spread many infections, including ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. CDC and independent scientists who have studied insects and COVID-19 agree that at this time, there is no evidence to suggest that the virus can be spread in this way.
Taking Care of Pests During a Pandemic
Being in the middle of a pandemic can make everyone on edge and nervous. Trying to limit exposure and the contact you have with others might cause you to rethink pest control for the time being. Since more people are at home, they notice the pests they have in their house more frequently. Neighbors are also seeing that when they have a neighbor who is not doing what they should keep pests out, they are more likely to have pests in their own homes. This can all lead to a pest crisis with lots of risks to your home and your health (even if there is no risk of COVID-19, there are other potential health risks that are associated with pests).
Here at University Termite and Pest Control, we are dedicated to taking all safety measures that are needed to offer our services to you. Many safety precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of our customers and our employees. Here is a quick look at some of these precautions.
Safety Precautions for Customers
- Our employees have been trained to use social distancing and remain 6 feet from our customers.
- Our employees are taught to wash their hands with soap and water frequently, including right before going to a customer’s home and right after leaving.
- When our employees enter a customer’s home, they use shoe covers, gloves, and masks as extra precautions.
- We no longer require signing or payments to be made in person; everything can be done online to minimize the contact between our employees and our customers.
Safety Precautions for Employees
- Our employees have signed contracts to agree that they will only minimally travel, and if they travel for emergencies, they will take extra precautions as we deem necessary.
- We are dedicated to sanitizing our vehicles regularly.
- All equipment is sanitized after each home visit, or if only used outside of the home, it is sanitized daily.
- All of our employees are issued personal protective equipment (PPE) that they are expected to wear.
- New health and safety guidelines are being given to our employees as the CDC updates them.
Having pests is no fun. If you are concerned with pests and do not want anyone in your home, we can still help with a wide range of outdoor services. We can provide you with traps and baits that you can place in your home in some cases. We are dedicated to not only keep you safe but to rid your home of annoying pests once and for all.