Top 10 Worst Insects and Pests in Chicago

Insects and Pests can be a real nuisance whether you’re trying to create a garden, have a clean home or just go strolling around your yard. Some insects are just plain annoying, some can actually carry harmful diseases and set some people up for later health problems, and some insects have stings or bites, which, if you’re allergic to them, can be a nasty situation. As summer has been around for some time now, this is usually the season when plenty of pests and insects come out of hiding and repopulate. Furthermore, with climate change getting more serious year after year, this will only influence more permanent warm temperatures in generally colder parts of the United States, which means some diseases that are spread by insects, such as mosquitoes, could become a genuine threat in the next couple decades unless we do something about global warming.

Here is a list of the top 10 worst insects in Chicago as well as the wider nation of the United States.

1. Bees

Although bees are fantastic stewards for the earth and our livelihoods, through pollination, they also sting and fly around consistently during the summer months. While these stings are annoying and painful to some, for some people they’re potentially deadly or harmful due to allergies. Allergic reactions to their stings kill about 62 people a year in the U.S. and send thousands to emergency rooms each year on top of that.

2. Bed Bugs

Bed bugs can often be very annoying to get rid of and they usually latch onto people and animals, so therefore, with the amount of travelling we do, they can spread around pretty fast. Keeping an eye out for them and eliminating them while you can is essential, otherwise you might be spending the night with some tiny bloodsuckers.

3. Ticks

Tick related diseases have expanded in recent years with more cases of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These insects are annoying and very persistent. You don’t want these pests sucking on your blood anytime soon.

4. Flies

Flies can carry potentially harmful bacteria and they increase their activity in summer months, however, these insects are most likely just incredibly annoying and you’ll just want to keep them away from your food and drink.

5. Spiders

There are plenty of types of spider across the United States, including Chicago. Many are harmless, however, there are some that have a venomous bite and if it isn’t fatal then the bite may be pretty painful or uncomfortable either way. While incidences are usually rare, some bites do send people to the ER.

6. Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are an absolute nuisance and they also carry various diseases such as Dengue fever and Malaria. While these diseases aren’t prominent in the U.S, there is growing risk as temperatures increase year on year due to global warming. Dengue also has no vaccine and there are four strains of the virus. Symptoms vary, and can end up being fatal, so this is not a disease that people would like to have spreading around the country.

7. Wasps and Hornets

Like bee stings, hornets and wasps can send people to the ER due to allergies. Their stings can often be painful and like many insects they roam around exceedingly in summer.

8. Ants

Ants are usually just a pest and can be annoying to people and gardens. Some species can cause painful bites, but this is usually only prevalent in summer months and more in southern states such as Arizona or Nevada.

9. Fleas

Fleas usually prefer four legged hosts to humans, but nonetheless they can still be a nuisance. They can be some of the most annoying pests to deal with. These guys can spread larvae throughout your house, which no one would want. The best things to do are to wash sheets thoroughly, use a high power vacuum and also employ a steam cleaner.

10. Fruit Flies

If you have food lying about or have compost, then if it’s summer, fruit flies will be about. They can get pretty annoying so the best way to get rid of them is get a cup of apple cider vinegar and put some cling film with holes over the top. Other than that, they are completely harmless.