Public Health Pests
Public Health Pests include mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, some household pests such as cockroaches, and lice and bed bugs. These all create risks for you and your pets. Health risks include Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, hepatitis, West Nile virus or coliform bacteria. Bed bugs and mosquitoes can also risk your health when repeated bites result in mild to intense allergic responses. Sometimes you risk the loss of contaminated food, as well as other valuable objects in your home that have to be thrown away due to irreparable damage or infestation. Sometimes the risk is time lost, whether at work or in school, due to public health rules for controlling a pest like head lice.
Only lice and bed bugs are covered in this section. Please see Mosquito Control, Fleas & Ticks, or Cockroaches & Other Indoor Pests for coverage of these pests.
