How many is that? The estimate that is most respected suggests that there are 10 quintillion alive at any particular time. That’s 10 followed by 19 zeroes. And, at times, it may feel like most of them are in your backyard, biting, flying, buzzing and generally making their presence known and felt.
In the United States, there are an estimated 91,000 species of insects, most falling into one of four orders: beetles, ants/beets/wasps, moths/butterflies and flies.
While annoying at times if you’re trying to have a picnic or watch a ballgame on a summer evening, most insects aren’t going to cause much trouble. But there are some that are definite health hazards. In fact, the mosquito is considered the most dangerous animal on the planet. The World Health Organization claims that the malaria-causing mosquito may be responsible for more than 1 million deaths worldwide each year.
Particularly during the warmer summer months, when people are outdoors and wearing less clothing because of the heat, bug bites can cause serious issues. The majority of bug bites in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come from wasps, hornets, bees and yellow jackets, with red and black fire ants also making a strong showing. Of course, because few of us bother to report mosquito bites by calling a government agency, there are likely some injuries that are not getting reported.
While bug bites are certainly annoying, they also carry the risk of some serious diseases along with swelling, pain and redness. Among the most serious afflictions is Lyme disease, usually coming from ticks who latch on during your walks in the backyard, or anaphylaxis, which can be caused by any number of bug bites and can be life-threatening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attribute about 40 deaths per year to bug bites.
The Roach
If you’ve lived in any city, you’ve lived with roaches. This is no reflection on your house cleaning or your neighbors. The common roach is just a hardy critter, attracted to spaces where humans rarely appear. You know the old saying – if you see one, there are hundreds behind the wall.
Roaches are considered health hazards, and too many of them running around in your home can present problems. They can contaminate food, carry allergens that can cause problems both externally and internally, and spread filth wherever they tread.
The problem with roaches is that most over-the-counter roach sprays don’t do much to combat the problem, as immunities have developed over the years. It usually takes a professional exterminator to come in and administer justice if you have a roach problem.
Stingers: Hornets, Wasps and Bees
These aggressive creatures are attracted to food, scents and general movement. If you disturb one of their nests, a swarm can administer hundreds of stings, with their venom causing severe reactions and potentially death in some subjects.
Also on the rise in America after having been thought a product of bygone ages are bed bugs. These parasites are blood suckers, attaching themselves to you and biting. It’s hard to see them because they are microscopic, but you’ll certainly notice the painful swelling and skin rashes that can result.
Ouch! Fire Ants
These nasty creatures are mostly found in the Southern areas of the country. Their encounters with humans usually end badly for the humans because multiple bites when their mounds are disturbed send them in a frenzied attack toward the source of the disturbance, i.e., you. They latch on with their mandibles and can deliver repeated stings.
The results of a fire ant attack aren’t pretty. You will develop boil-like blisters that often can develop into a secondary infection. When you see the boils, it’s time to visit the doctor because the afflicted areas need cleaning and topical medicines to combat the itching and potential for infection.
What Can You Do?
Beyond staying indoors and closely monitoring every corner of your house, there’s little you can do to prevent contact with most insects. However, you can minimize the risk for when you do come in contact with them, and some common-sense tactics will help you get through the season with minimal discomfort.
The biggest steps toward making yourself less attractive to bugs is to wear covering that will help ward off insect stings and to use insect repellent. If you are hiking, always make sure to wear clothing that will cover most areas of your body, and always check your clothes upon completion of the hike to make sure that no ticks have affixed themselves. It’s a good idea to avoid walking around without shoes, and be aware of the favorite haunts of insects, including bushes, tall grass, near garbage cans and in dark spaces that provide shelter.
It’s a good idea to avoid wearing bright colors, which may attract flying insects.And don’t wear a lot of scents that may make you resemble a flower – in other words, easy on the perfume, aftershave, hairspray, cologne and other bug favorites.
If you have a severe allergy to bug bites and know that you’re going to be spending some significant time outdoors in the near future, it may be smart to get an epinephrine auto-injector. This can help ward off anaphylaxis but must be used immediately after being bitten to stave off the effects.
Reasonable precautions and a good dose of common sense when you’re outdoors should help you maintain a reasonable accommodation with the insects. It’s their world, and we’re just living in it, so take some time to plan and enjoy the summer without worrying too much about bugs.