Question 1

What damages can rats and mice cause?

Accepted Answer

Rats and mice transmit diseases and can cause damage to buildings. The field mouse is the main vector for hantaviruses, which are deadly. Some species of mice are commensal, occasionally entering homes, warehouses, chicken coops, or other various locations. Mice can be carriers of different diseases, either through their urine, feces, bites, fomites, or via ticks, fleas, or lice they carry.

Question 2

What damages can fleas cause?

Accepted Answer

Fleas are not just annoying. Unlike some harmless pests found in homes, fleas cause discomfort and irritation in both animals and humans. People and animals allergic to flea saliva suffer from rashes. A flea bite leaves a small red, hard spot on the skin, slightly raised and swollen, with a puncture mark in the center. Flea bites are often in a line or clustered in the same areas and cause intense itching that can last for several weeks. Animals infested with fleas can lose hair from scratching and biting, and in case of a severe infestation, anemia can occur. Fleas are also vectors of diseases. For example, fleas are well-known for transmitting bubonic plague from rodents to humans by carrying the bacteria responsible for this disease. They can also carry endemic typhus and, in some cases, tapeworms.

Question 3

What damages can wasps cause?

Accepted Answer

Social wasps are common in urban and rural areas throughout North America and many Canadian cities; they are the most threatening stinging insect. Outdoor public gatherings particularly attract wasps, which favor sweet foods and, early in the season, protein-rich foods. People and animals that disturb wasps in search of food or inadvertently get too close to a nest can be stung, triggering a defensive reaction from the workers guarding the nest. Sometimes, wasps seem to attack without provocation. Every year, thousands of people are victims of stings from these venomous insects. In rare cases, severe allergic reactions to the venom have resulted in death. Consult your doctor without delay if you react to a wasp sting, especially with abnormal swelling, itching, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Unlike bees, wasps can sting more than once. They also damage ripe fruit when feeding on its flesh. Wasps are useful in many ways. Workers capture harmful insects, such as flies and caterpillars, and bring them back to the nest to feed developing larvae. They pollinate plants when foraging for nectar and are a food source for small mammals, birds, and spiders.

Question 4

What damages can carpenter ants cause?

Accepted Answer

Carpenter ants are well known for causing damage to wooden structures. Their presence in homes is also bothersome when they search for food. Carpenter ants feed on both plant and animal matter. Insects and other small invertebrates, as well as honeydew produced by aphids and other insects, are their main food sources. The presence of protein and sugary foods inside and around homes also attracts workers in search of food.

Question 5

How to detect a carpenter ant problem?

Accepted Answer

Outdoors, carpenter ants can nest in standing dead tree trunks, stumps, or logs, or under fallen logs or stones. They sometimes tunnel into healthy wood, but they generally choose softwoods like pine. Indoors, as they prefer damp and rotten wood, the presence of carpenter ants can indicate a problem with humidity or wood structure decomposition. In addition to tunneling in moldings, stairs, and wooden window frames, a colony of ants can build its nest in a house without attacking the structural wood and infest empty spaces between walls, attics, or hollow doors. Nests have even been found behind books stored in bookcases, behind dresser or cabinet drawers, and behind foam insulation panels.

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