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The Elizabethtown Rotary Club met on Wednesday and learned some interesting facts and trivia about pest from Dana McDuffie, who is the daughter of Rotarian Walter McDuffie.
Dana McDuffie was working in the laboratory at Bladen County Hospital when Walter McDuffie hired her to work at McDuffie Pest Control. She is President of the NC Pest Control Association.
Dana McDuffie shared some interesting facts about common household pests with those gathered.
Someone statistics she shared included the fact there are 70 species of Cockroaches known in the United States and there are 4,000 species worldwide. McDuffie said they are known to cause allergies in children and are known to spread 33 different bacteria.
McDuffie also discussed mice. She told those present that mice can fit a hole no larger dime meaning they can easily gain entry to your home or business through places you may never suspect. She said mice can spread up to 200 human pathogens and female mice can have between 6 to 10 litters per year.
She also shared that deer ticks are not insects but actually are arachnids. She added Deer ticks can transmit Lyme disease. McDuffie said there are 200 plus species of ticks and there are both hard and soft ticks.
Another common household pest is the house fly. McDuffie said the house fly is 50 times more likely to contaminate human food. She noted they absorb bacteria and things with their feet and when they land on food and other surfaces they leave germs that can cause disease.
McDuffie asked the group to name what they believe to be the deadliest animal in the world. Several guesses were made before McDuffie said the deadliest animal in world is the mosquito.
She said that over a million people have been killed by various illnesses that are attributed to mosquitos.
She said one of the newest mosquito related illnesses is Zika which was found in Africa in 1947. Zia is the first known mosquito borne illness that can be sexually transmitted and can cause birth defects.
She also discussed bedbug infestations and termites.
USO NC Vice-President Chris Froeschner attended the Rotary Club’s meeting and won the half and half drawing for the day.
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