It’s that time of the year again. You know, when all the bugs come out to play or to just bug us! For most of the year we are stuck dealing with the cold so as soon as those summer temperatures start to roll around we welcome them. But while we finally get to soak up the sun, we also have to deal with the insects, spiders, and ticks that come along with it. With this in mind, many may begin to wonder, how do they impact our health? If they are dangerous, how do we protect ourselves? And which ones are there just to carry out their daily bug duty of bugging us? The Record spoke with Jade Savage, who has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a PhD in Entomology, the study of insects, to get all of the important details.
In Sherbrooke, we are confronted with many different species of insects but there is no reason to fret, as most are not a grave threat to our health. We asked Jade to talk about the insects that she sees as common to the area and the impacts they have on our lives.
The insects to be most concerned with seem to be the cockroach and bed bugs. “There are a lot of cockroaches in Sherbrooke and they will carry bacteria, fungi, and microorganisms that can become problematic.”
