The Palmetto Bugs That Are Commonly Found In Georgia Homes Can Cause Illness And Become Stuck Within A Body Cavity
If you don’t live in Georgia, or anywhere else in the deep southeast, then you may not have much to say about palmetto bugs. But if you do live in the southeast, then you certainly hate the creatures, unless you enjoy giant winged cockroaches flying into your face. For those who are unfamiliar with palmetto bugs, they are, as already stated, cockroaches with wings that can fly.
No expert claims to know for sure how these creepy bugs gained their common nickname, but they are also commonly referred to as Florida woods cockroaches. One expert claimed that a particular palmetto bug species, the smokybrown palmetto bug, gravitates toward palmetto trees. This may explain the origin of the nickname, but this is just a guess.
Although cockroaches are not considered disease vectors, they can carry disease-causing pathogens to humans, resulting in serious illness. This is because palmetto bugs, and all roaches, naturally gravitate toward filth, like rotting flesh and feces, as well as human food sources. Of course, roaches don’t mind this environment, as they are too hardy to fall ill from mere bacteria. In addition to spreading pathogens, these insects have crawled into people’s body cavities in the past. Not long ago, a woman had a palmetto bug removed from head after it had been occupying her inner ear canal for nine days.
Unfortunately, palmetto bugs have been known to infest homes, as the woman who had one of these insects removed from her ear canal had been battling a palmetto bug infestation within her home. While it is unlikely that a palmetto bug will fly into your ear canal, many documented cases of illness resulting from exposure to pathogen-rich palmetto bugs have been published. Research has shown that urban-dwelling cockroach species, such as palmetto bugs, can spread at least 33 different kinds of dangerous bacteria, such as salmonella, E coli, strep and staph.
Have you ever found a palmetto bug within your home?
