Common pests can be more than just annoying. They can also be health hazards. Cockroaches, mice, and rats – in addition to the chemicals we use to control them – can contaminate the air in our homes and trigger asthma and allergy attacks. Toxic sprays and bombs only eliminate a very small portion of the population.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a holistic method of pest control that not only addresses serious pest infestations, but also works to prevent pests from getting out of control in the first place. IPM uses techniques to make sure a home is not an attractive place for pests to live by removing water, food, and sources of shelter. These strategies, coupled with safer alternatives like bait stations, will manage pest problems without jeopardizing the health of the people that live in the home.
Mice and Rats
Mice and rats are not only a nuisance – they can make children sick. They can increase the symptoms of asthma and allergies. Toxic chemicals used to poison them can also poison children.
The Source
Mice and rats often seek shelter in homes when it is less desirable to be outside. The onset of winter causes rats and mice to seek shelter where it’s warmer. If there is abundant unsecured food or trash in the home, the mice will also seek it out. It doesn’t take much of an opening for a mouse to get in a house. A crack under a door, an open vent, or cracks in the foundation are all it takes. A mouse can squeeze through a hole smaller than a dime. Rats can squeeze through holes that are the size of a quarter.
Who is at Risk?
Children are put at risk when poison baits are used to try to rid the home of pests. Mice and rats also carry a host of diseases. For people with asthma and allergies, mice and rats are problematic as their dander and feces are highly allergenic.
Symptoms
Signs of mice or rats living in the home include mouse droppings, holes in food packaging, gnawing, nests, or seeing the mice or rats themselves. Some people will exhibit allergic reactions to the presence of mice and rats, especially if the infestation is heavy.
Health Impacts
Rodents and their droppings can spread diseases and viruses, including hantavirus, salmonellosis and rat-bite fever. They also trigger asthma and allergies.
Solutions
Mice need food, water and shelter to survive. By removing these three things the environment will be less hospitable to them. Follow these steps to make your home mouse-proof.
- Keep all living areas uncluttered and clean.
- Eat in one area of the home to contain crumbs and food and to make clean up easier.
- Put all food, food scraps and pet food in tightly sealed containers.
- Keep trash in a sealed container.
- Mop and clean surfaces at least once a week.
- Fix all plumbing and water leaks.
- Seal all holes and gaps in walls, pipes, pavement, and other surfaces with caulk, steel wool, scouring pads, or spray foam to keep mice out.
In addition to changing the environment in the home, use traps to kill them. Spring-loaded mousetraps should be baited with peanut butter and placed in areas where is there is obvious mouse traffic. Traps should be checked daily. Dead mice should be immediately removed, and traps should be re-baited after catching a mouse. This practice should continue until no mice have been caught for at least a week.
Resources
Integrated Pest Management Products (76 KB)
A list of safer pest management supplies and where to get them. Pricing subject to change.
How to Control Pests Safely (1.2 MB)
A simple guide from the New York City Health Department.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are not just a nuisance, they can make children sick. The presence of cockroaches increases the symptoms of asthma and allergies. The toxic chemicals used to spray and bomb them are harmful for children and can persist in the home.
Your home doesn’t have to be dirty to support cockroaches. Once they are in the home, they can survive with very little food and water. While cleaning up helps, a number of strategies used in combination is the best solution.
About
Cockroaches are most commonly found in basements, kitchens and bathrooms. There are four cockroaches that are common in Michigan: the American Cockroach, the Oriental Cockroach, the German Cockroach, and the Brown-banded Cockroach. See here for more information on the different kinds of cockroaches.
The Source
Cockroaches are hitchhikers. They come into the home by hitching a ride on clothes, backpacks, bags, and other items brought into the home. Used furniture and appliances can be especially problematic, as they can also carry cockroach egg cases. Contrary to popular belief, they do not typically crawl or fly from one house to another in Michigan.
Who is at Risk?
Children are put at risk when sprays and bug bombs are used to try to rid the home of pests. For people with asthma and allergies, cockroaches are extremely problematic as their saliva, exoskeletons, and feces are all highly allergenic.
Symptoms
The easiest way to detect cockroaches living a the home is to look for their feces, which looks like greasy black pepper and is often found in the corners of cabinets and shelving, along cracks, and by other hiding places. Of course seeing a cockroach itself is a sign of infestation. People with allergies or asthma will often exhibit symptoms when cockroaches are in the home.
Health Impacts
Cockroaches are an extremely common asthma trigger and are highly problematic for those with allergies. Some research points to their presence around young children as contributing to the development of asthma.
Solutions
Pests need food, water and shelter to survive. Removing those makes it very hard for pests to survive in your home. Sprays and other pesticides should not be used, as they endanger people living in the house and only kill bugs when they come into contact with them.
You can take these Integrated Pest Management (IPM) steps to eliminate cockroaches:
- Keep all living areas uncluttered and clean.
- Eat in one area of the home to contain crumbs and food clean up.
- Put all food, food scraps and pet food in tightly sealed containers.
- Keep trash in a sealed container.
- Mop and clean surfaces at least once a week.
- Fix all plumbing and water leaks.
- After food, water, and shelter have been removed, bait stations and insect growth regulators can be used to kill the existing population.
Bedbugs
Bedbugs are small, flat insects that feed on human and animal blood. They are reddish-brown in color, wingless, smaller than an apple seed, and can live for several months without a meal. Bedbugs are found all over the world, and although they are known to travel more than 100 feet at night, they usually will stay within eight feet of where people sleep.
Please note: The Healthy Homes Coalition does not provide bedbug services. For more detailed information on bedbugs please refer to nyc.gov/bedbugs
The Source
The primary way bedbugs are spread from place to place is by hitchhiking on belongings. While they are known to hitchhike long distance on the luggage of travelers who have stayed in infested hotels, it is also common that they spread by bringing used furniture into the home, especially mattresses, couches, upholstered chairs, and other places where people sleep.
Being small, they can also move between apartments within the same building in search of food.
Who is at Risk?
All people are at equal risk from bedbugs. The concern is that they have an annoying bite and can interrupt people’s sleep. Some people are particularly sensitive to bug bites and can develop a rash.
Symptoms
Signs of a bedbug infestation are found by where people sleep. They include finding living or dead insects or the skin they shed, or rust-colored stains on mattress seams, sheets, pillowcases, or upholstered furniture. People who have been bitten by bedbugs often have small red marks where bitten.
Health Impacts
Bedbugs are not known to spread disease. Some people will react to the bites with welts or swelling. There is the risk of localized infection from scratching the bites. The biggest problem comes from the loss of sleep due to the irritating bites. The anxiety and stress of having bedbugs in the home can cause a loss of sleep, even leading to mental health concerns.
A secondary concern is exposure to pesticides. While bedbugs are very annoying, people are cautioned not to spray mattresses, furniture, and other areas with pesticides in an attempt to rid the home of bedbugs. The exposure to pesticides, especially when used incorrectly, can be far worse than bug bites.
Solutions
Prevention is the best strategy against bedbugs. They are hitchhikers and spread by getting into clothing, furniture, suitcases, backpacks and purses. To avoid them spreading to your home, make sure to check those items for bugs before bringing them into your home, especially if you think you have been someplace that is infested.
Secondhand mattresses, furniture, and clothing should all be inspected, and clothing should be received in a plastic bag and immediately washed in very hot water.
If you have confirmed bedbugs in your home, clothing can be laundered to get rid of bedbugs. It is recommended that infested furniture not be moved, as this will only move the bedbugs around the home and spread the infestation. Putting an infested mattress or piece of furniture on the curb potentially shares the infestation with others and the home will still need to be treated to get rid of the bedbugs that have crawled off and are hiding elsewhere. It is more effective to leave the furniture in place and to hire a professional to treat the home and furnishings. This will also save on the cost of replacing the furniture.
Please note: The Healthy Homes Coalition does not provide bedbug services. For more detailed information on bedbugs please refer to nyc.gov/bedbugs
Resources
Stop Bedbugs Safely (101 KB)
Information from the New York City Public Health Department on bedbugs.
Getting the Bedbugs Out (2 MB)
State of Michigan booklet on fighting bedbugs, including information for do-it-yourselfers.
MDCH Bedbug Brochure (893 KB)
Information from the Michigan Department of Community Health on bedbugs.