Pests are often mistaken creatures because no one wants them hanging around long enough to learn their patterns or behaviors. In the same way, pest control tactics are often surrounded by falsities and myths that need debunked. Before you believe these myths as truths, we’re exposing the top five pest control myths so you can understand the difference.
MYTH #1: Pests Are a Sign of an Unsanitary Home
While pests and rodents are often more attracted to dirty homes with easy access to food sources, clean homes or businesses are not exempt. If pests or rodents find an access point, they’ll enter any building in search of pet food, seeds, grain, vegetables, garbage, or anything else they can find to munch on.
In some cases, such as bed bugs, pests hitch a ride from other locations on your luggage or hide in bags or boxes and become introduced to your home. Keeping the house clean won’t deter them if they’ve already been granted access to food and shelter.
MYTH #2: My Store-Bought Sprays and Traps with Cheese Will Work Just Fine
Ant and other pest sprays may deter them for a little while, but it’s hard to locate the source and eradicate the problem. Households reliant on sprays often discover pests find other entry ways and spraying becomes a continuous cycle.
The same goes for rodent traps with cheese. While they may munch on it if they’re starving, rodents prefer fatty and sweet foods such as meat, peanut butter, pet food, cookies, or bits of cereal.
MYTH #3: They’ll Just Go Away Eventually
Maybe if we ignore them, they’ll eventually go away? Wrong. While there’s a small chance this may happen, pests and rodents are known for fast gestation cycles.
If left untreated, they can reproduce faster than you thought possible and create an infestation that spirals out of control. It’s best to treat a pest problem at the first sign of intruders – before it’s too late.
MYTH #4: After Eating Poison, Rodents Will Die Outside
Staging rat poison around your home or business may sound like a good idea to treat a problem, but it can actually create other problems. While we’d like to think they’ll eat the poison and die outside, rat poison can take 4-10 days to take effect. This means they often die in their nest or burrows hidden in walls, the basement, or the attic. Finding and removing dead and decaying rodents while dealing with the odor can become even more of a hassle.
MYTH #5: My Homeowners Insurance Will Cover Any Pest Damage
Damage from rodents eating electrical wires to termites causing structural issues is often not covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy. Do your research and examine your policy before relying on someone else to pay for the damage. Many policies exclude termite and other pest damage which makes it that much more important to have regular inspections and pest control before greater damage is done.
