South Hackensack’s Tricky Trifecta & Working-Class Wonder

Disease Spreaders, Allergy Triggers, and Obsessive Chewers

South Hackensack’s industry leanings and commercial pockets are especially attractive to pests (although they enter residential homes, too). A wide range of creatures sneak in through gaps, cracks, tattered window screens, and open doors.

Ticks enter properties by using people, pets, or fabric as their unwitting accomplices. While they’re well-known for spreading Lyme disease (the most common vector-borne disease in the country), they also transmit hard-to-pronounce parasites such as Babesiosis, a malaria-like infection that attacks red blood cells, causes flu-like symptoms, and can be life-threatening in serious cases. Interestingly, ticks can even trigger a unique allergic reaction due to alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). Those who get AGS from a tick bite develop a sudden allergy to red meat, putting carnivores at risk. While cows may be elated by this, AGS can be severe and, occasionally, life-threatening.

Termites are not parasitic or disease-spreading but are considered to be among the most destructive pests you can have in your home or building. Because they feast nonstop on cellulose, they attack anything and everything made of wood, slowly eroding its structural integrity. Termites are also long living, with queens celebrating their 40th birthdays and beyond; this means colonies can thrive for decades. 

Mosquitoes suck . . . in more ways than one. They’re most dangerous because of their disease-spreading habits, with such potent transmission that they’re considered the most harmful animal on earth. Populations thrive in wet, humid weather and in areas with any type of standing water (from a reservoir to a clogged roof eave). Only females bite, requiring blood as part of their reproductive process.

Rodents also spread diseases, despite their warm-and-fuzzy nature. These can range from rat-bite fever to salmonella to the hantavirus (which is rare in South Hackensack, as most cases occur west of the Mississippi). They pose a separate threat due to their perpetual chewing (a habit that maintains their ever-growing incisors). While some of this chewing, through boxes, carpet, and furniture, may be costly and inconvenient, biting through wires and cables can pose a fire hazard. As rapid reproducers, the odds of having a single rat or mouse in your home or business are slim; you are more likely to have dozens.