Many of us admit we know very little about pest control.
We load mouse traps with cheese and picture Tom & Jerry chasing each other – but the truth of the matter?
It’s never so pleasant as the smiling cat and mouse make out.
With this in mind, we took a look at the top pest control myths to set us all straight on a few things.
Cat and mouse, it is not… the truth is far more effective and far less fanciful.
The Top 6 Pest Control Myths
In a bid to increase the general public’s ability to use Responsible Pest Control, let’s find out some things we don’t know about pest control!
1 – Mice can’t resist cheese
Mice are scavengers and, according to EarthKind, they will eat absolutely anything of any nutritional value… so yes, they are attracted to cheese.
However, it isn’t the food that will be sure of catching your mice.
If you want to make sure they end up caught, try lining your traps with fruit or cereal. Mice, like humans, prefer sweet foods!
2 – Bees sting once, then die…
This rather sad myth is nothing but an elaborately painful misconception.
A worker bee will sting you as many times as they like. When the stinger does eventually break off then the bee will die.
Alas, they can sting you a hundred times before you are lucky enough for that to happen. Oh – and the males don’t sting at all…
3 – You only get roaches in dirty houses
This one is just straight-up rubbish.
Cockroaches like dark, damp places. This means that any-and-all drainage systems are absolutely fair game.
Anyone can get a cockroach in their house provided they live in a warm environment.
4 – You KNOW if your house is infested
This is definitely not true! How often do you go into your attic? How often do you inspect inside the walls?
For every bug you find in your home you are guaranteed there are a dozen more.
If you see more than three or four of the same type of bug in a short period of time? You might have an infestation on your hands.
5 – Cats and dogs keep bugs out
Unfortunately, only terrier and hunting dogs were ever bred to chase pests – and even then, they were rodent catchers.
Cats, unlike mice, love a good bit of cheese. So if you have cats and a mousetrap with cheese in you are very likely to end up with an angry cat with a sore nose, and no cheese.
6 – Fleas don’t live in furniture
Though they are tiny and disgusting, and they are parasitic (meaning they need a host to survive) – your average adult flea can live without a host for around 4 days.
That’s four days to transfer from your furniture back onto a pet that has just been treated.
They can live on any hard or soft furnishings, so you need to treat everything in your home… or alternatively, move out for four days.
Rounding up
Like any other profession, treat pest controllers with respect and do a little research.
Like all other things in life it is best left to the experts. If not? At least go in prepared.