DISEASE ALERT:

The common cockroach has been Linked to 50 Known disease Pathogens:
Pest King, LLC of Houston, TX warns of increased insect activity in the spring and summer increases the likelihood and spread of disease pathogens harmful to your family and loved ones.

Houston, TX April 24th, 2008

It isn’t known that cockroaches carry Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).  Whether cockroaches are the cause or the carrier is unclear, but being the most common household pest, it is a known carrier of up to 50 different known pathogens. As the spring and summer weather warms, homeowners can take simple basic steps to eliminate the entry of these pests into their homes, according to Miles Self, BCE of Pest King Termite & Pest Control of Houston..

In Mississippi, Mississippi Department of Health and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi medical school has speculated that cockroaches carried SARS, the respiratory illness that has killed to date more than 150 people in over 22 countries. There are approximately 3,500 species of cockroaches worldwide, ands the United States has approximately 70 species within its borders.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that there is no specific evidence stating that cockroaches carry SARS, which has infected approximately 3,200 people. However, cockroaches are known to carry 50 known pathogens including pneumonia, food poisoning, salmonella and typhoid. As reported by The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAI), cockroaches can also cause asthma, especially in children.
The common cockroach picks up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and then carry these onto food or food surfaces. Germs that cockroaches eat from decaying matter or sewage are protected while inside their bodies in the haemolymph (the area inside their exoskeleton - or outer covering) and may remain inactive and protected for several weeks longer than if they had been exposed to cleaning agents, rinse water, or just sunlight and air.

Miles Self, BCE And manager of Pest King Termite & Pest Control says that the cockroach enters our homes in search of food, water or shelter. With these three ingredients, the cockroach can set up shop inside our homes, they can begin and continue reproducing to alarming numbers. Miles, a recently appointed BCE (Board Certified Entomologist) says that, Once inside our homes, they can be a real problem to get evicted and away from our loved ones and pets. They are called cursorial because they are well adapted for running
Miles Self, says roaches enter homes and businesses in search of food, water and shelter. They are attracted to the air leaks coming out of the building, since the air leaving is a different temperature, they come on in and begin to ”explore”.

"Once they get in, roaches can be difficult to get out because they move quickly, Have an extremely high reproductive rate and are hardy," states Self. "For every cockroach you see, there can easily be several hundred more hiding behind your wall."
April is National Pest Management Month, and a good time to make homes as "roach unfriendly" as possible as the weather warms. Self says homeowners can help prevent cockroaches by following these steps:

● Eliminate possible food sources by cleaning up spills and storing food
in sealed containers; remember a crumb is like a “loaf of bread” to a
roach
● Inspect for possible entry points and eliminate any openings (cracks), no
matter how small (roaches can fit into cracks as thin as a
dime)
● Remove items that tend to harbor cockroaches, such as
cardboard boxes or piles of newspapers, clutter if you will
● Store garbage cans in easy to get to and dry places, not under the
kitchen sink
● Trim tree limbs so they do not hang over the house
● Correct any exterior or interior moisture problems such as a leaking roof
or blocked gutter
● Consider having professional and regular treatment by a licensed
professional in and around the home.

"Many of the cockroach infestation problems we see during home inspections could have been easily prevented if homeowners had taken some simple and basic steps toward eliminating the key sources of roaches," Self says.

For more information on cockroach prevention and elimination, a free paper is available at www.pestking.com. If you don’t want to get our service, but would like to some help stopping these critters in your home, we understand however, we at Pest king Termite & Pest Control want to be a resource for you to rely on to help in any way we can. Houston homeowners also can call 713-266-5305 low cost inspection by a BCE (Board Certified Entomologist – the only one in Houston in the pet control business). Pest King Termite & Pest Control (www.pestking.com) is happy to include a link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site (www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/) for updates and more information on SARS and other diseases transmitted through insects.

Pest king Termite & Pest Control was founded in 1991 by Wm. Miles Self and is a leading pest control company here in Houston. We are members of the:

Greater Houston Pest Control Association
 
National Pest Management Association

Entomological Society of America  Miles Self is a Board Certified Entomologist  BCE #3081

We have a goal: Keep our company small enough to be able to react to our customers within hours and not days to solve their pest control concerns. As part of Pest King’s ongoing commitment to insect education, our company will be initiating community association discussions by Miles Self BCE to communicate the vital role insects play in the ecosystem.