Bugs, ants, wasps, moths and other insect species.

Abstract A total of 43 insect species non-native to Europe are so far considered to affect human welfare through their biting, urticating and allergenic properties, or by causing domestic nuisances. They involve several orders. In Hymenoptera, species in two families, Formicidae (ants) and Vespidae (wasps and hornets), are known to cause disturbance and health problems. Several moth species (Lepidoptera) have urticating larvae which may induce painful urticarial and allergic reactions. Bugs in five Hemipteran families have direct impacts on health, such as bed bugs and kissing bugs, which are vectors of pathogens, but most are considered to be household pests, causing nuisances to people when invading houses or aggregating on walls. Several non-native species of cockroaches that develop in synanthropic habitats have body parts, saliva or faeces containing powerful indoor allergens, and they can also facilitate mechanical transmission of pathogens to humans. Some species of Siphonaptera (fleas) and Phthiraptera (lice), which are obligate ectoparasitic insects of warm-blooded animals, are of high importance for human health because they cause itches and skin infection, and transmit major diseases such as bubonic plague and murine typhus.