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Bugs in the House: More than Meets the Eye

by Biol. Oscar S. Aranda Mena |

Give Credit Where Credit is Due
First of all, I'd like to begin by acknowledging the excellent work by Dr. Fabio Cupul (Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara), who, in recent years, has completed studies of the many insect that few pay any attention to. And although every day and everywhere we are surrounded and influenced by insects, spiders and other beetles(generally known as arthropods), no one even takes into account some cases in which they may pose health risks. Thanks to his discoveries, we can better understand what bugs live in our homes and which are potentially dangerous or beneficial.

More than Meets the Eye
Contrary to what one might expect, it was discovered that not only ants, cockroaches and spiders visit our homes, but families of 122 species of arthropods, representing a significant range of insects compared to those found in homes in other cities or countries. One reason for this is the climate and characteristics of the city, which is still surrounded by forests and vegetation that facilitates the presence of so many animals. It was discovered that there are a significant number of exotic creatures. That is to say; from other regions of the world and their presence here is due to accidental transport.

Beneficial vs. Unhealthy Insects
An important consideration is how these bugs can affect our health and how we can keep them away, but it is equally important to assess those creatures whose presence in the home should be tolerated to provide some benefits, such as the natural control of other harmful bugs.
The study found that almost 70% may represent a health risk, although not fatal risks, they do generate problems associated with skin (dermatitis), allergies, parasites, bites (non-fatal), food contamination or damage to property (structural damage). You can mention the cockroaches, mites, ticks on dogs, fleas, termites, ants, mosquitoes, beetles, flies, etc.
For their part, the importance of beneficial arthropods is that they eliminate other bugs that do cause a problem. These are mainly spiders that, despite being ugly, pose no danger to humans. May be mentioned species like Paton spiders (which actually are not spiders), wall spiders, dwarf spiders, crab spiders (very large), jumping spiders, earwigs, ladybugs, etc.

Any House is Their Home
The study found that no matter what the characteristics of a house, it will be visited and inhabited by insects, although it was concluded that isolation from the outside (such as mosquito nets, Dust Covers, etc.), and home hygiene are the two most important factors influencing the presence or absence of insects in a home, not to mention excessive humidity within some homes favors the presence of certain arthropods.
While the recommendations about hygiene are logical, not to mention that all the bugs, like ants, flies and cockroaches, always seek any trace of food, so your kitchen must be kept clean and garbage containers should always remain covered.
While you may find it alarming that 70% of the insects that live in your home can represent a risk to health, to date they have probably gone unnoticed. Just keep in mind that fastidious home hygiene will eliminate most of the insects, which will then not find food and seek another place to live. My advice is to consider spiders, that take over all the corners of his house, as the most important allies against mosquitoes and do not forget that cuizas, or kissing geckos, are responsible for eating most bugs of the creatures crawling through your home, provided they are allowed to live behind a cabinet, box, or curtain, and they play as important a role as cats do in controlling mice. A toast then, to spiders and geckos!

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