Massive Insect Invasions Bring Bugs Into Restaurants Just As Often As They Bring Bugs Into Homes In Texas
Texas is home to numerous insect pest species of all kinds. Some are nuisance pests, like swarming crickets and Asian lady beetles, while some pose a public health threat, like mosquitoes and Africanized honey bees, and some insects in the state fit both categories. Homes in all regions of Texas can become infested with an array of different insects and spiders all year round. For example, last year saw numerous homes in San Antonio become infested with scorpions. The scorpions were bark scorpions, which are the most dangerous scorpions in North America, as their venom can be lethal without antivenom treatment. This mass invasion of scorpions into homes occurred due to the intense heat and excessive dryness that plagued the southwest region of the state for a long period of time. Although scorpions are built to withstand harsh conditions, they need to cool off indoors every now and then. What is alarming is how often restaurants in the state become infested with nuisance insects, or worse, disease-spreading insects. Since restaurants contain a variety of foods that attract insects and several large objects that can provide shelter for bugs, it should not be a surprise to learn that restaurants are more vulnerable to arthropod infestations than homes are, especially when it comes to cockroach infestations.
Every summer, the city of Austin is inundated with cricket swarms, and one new resident, Erica Waksmunski of Texas learned this the hard way during her visit to a drive-through Whataburger. Upon pulling into the eatery’s parking lot, she noticed what looked like moving concrete. After receiving her food at the drive-through, Erica found several crickets on her bag of food, both her and the employed screamed in response, and she then understood what had been making that crackling sound beneath her tires. The Texas Health Department often shuts down restaurants after finding insect pests during walkthroughs. Not long ago, a popular donut shop named “Ken’s Donuts” was forced to shut down for two days after an insect pest infestation was found in the establishment on several occasions. In most cases, the insects that infest restaurants are cockroaches, which have been known carry disease-causing bacteria on their bodies due to their habit of basking in fecal matter and other found conditions. So the next time you visit your favorite restaurant, you may want to check its pest control history.
Have you ever found insects within fast food that you had ordered?
