Just to be clear I am for DIY Pest Control. I have been a pest exterminator for many years and I wanted to clear up some things that customers have said to me or the unorthodox methods I have seen performed upon showing up to a customer’s home.
Myth 1. Only Pros Can Use Commercial Pest Products?
Here is the misconception, Pest Professionals are able to use commercial grade products within the state they are licensed. They can also only treat homes that they are under contract with.
You can treat your own home with the very same products but only your home. Since I stand behind this statement, I want you to know you will need to know where and how much pesticide or bait to apply to get rid of bugs. This is a skill.
The label will have the contents of where and the amount of chemical you can apply.
Myth 2. I Can Only Get Rid Of Bed Bugs By Replacing My Mattress?
Replacing your mattress won’t get rid of a Bed Bug Problem. In order to eradicate Bed Bugs, you will need to use a spray, dust or heat treatment to get rid of them. Refer to my Bed Bug Post to get the treatment options on that.
Myth 3. If I Clean My House I Won’t Have Any Pests?
Now, if you have a clean house that is great it will help you to not have as many pests. Lots of pests look to homes for asylum, water, and food. There are many pests that aren’t necessarily attracted to just food (the bloodsuckers).
Myth 4. Mothballs Get Rid Of Snakes?
Despite popular belief, mothballs have almost no effect on snakes. Leave the mothballs for the moths and grab some snake repellent. Snakes are as scared of you as you are of them, however, if you get too close it can result in a bite. Make sure your home is sealed properly to reduce the risk of a snake making its way into your home.
Myth 5. Hanging A Ziploc Bag Of Water Keeps Flies Away?
This is a hard one, there are two sides to this myth some believe that if you hang a clear plastic bag with water in it or a penny that it will keep the flies away. Some researchers have said that it causes an optical imbalance in the housefly’s vision and they fly away. There has been no proof however that this is a productive method of pest control. There are products you can buy that will help with the eradication of flies, maggots, and larvae. You would be better off buying a zapper to get rid of them in my professional opinion. There are fly lights that they make with sticky traps to line the lights that get rid of these issues as well.
Myth 6. Mice Love Cheese?
Mice do not even like cheese they eat grains and seeds. They will also eat sugars and other yummy treats. The reason we think mice like cheese is because it has been programmed into our brains from old cartoons we used to watch.
Myth 7. Mice Can’t Get Into My New Home?
I like this one. I have visited all kinds of homes and mice can get into almost any home. If you have a garage, they can squish right through the side of the garage door. If you have a crawl space they can get in through vents or nonsealed pipelines through the exterior wall.
Mice can get in through the attic, they can climb and get in through the vent near the peak. If you have foliage growing on the outer wall of your home mice can also make the climb into open spaces that way.
Myth 8. The More Chemical I Use The More Bugs I Kill?
This is not true. You should only spray as much as the label says you should spray. If you spray more than you should you can make it to where the bugs build an immunity to the chemical that is being distributed. You should always investigate what types of issues you are having before you just spray a chemical. Make sure to read all labels and adhere to the laws in applying it.
Myth 9. My House Is Too Clean For Bed Bugs?
Since Bed Bugs feed on people and not food or trash that is strewn across the inside of your home, you can expect that it does not matter how clean your home is.
You Can Get Bed Bugs From:
- Movie Theaters
- Hotels/Motels
- Suitcases
- Used Furniture
- From Contact with Someone Else That Has Them
Bed Bugs do not care about social stature or cleanliness. It is a matter of being aware. Bed Bugs are a traveling Bug they can be transferred from person to person or if you visit a home that has bed bugs you can encounter
Myth 10. I’ll Get A Cat To Catch Mice?
I have been to SO MANY homes where the customer has a cat or cats and they have a rodent infestation. Though some cats can catch mice, mice are not as dumb as one would think and a colony finds out quick when one of their friends disappears.
Cats are amazing hunters and when motivated, can be very effective at lowering rodent populations or keeping them at bay. But they are also notoriously lazy. And while some cats may hunt for pleasure, many will not bother if their owner is giving them the premium cat chow for free!
Myth 11. Only Homes With Pets Get Fleas?
Here we go!
Here are some ways you get fleas without pets:
- If you are a renter the previous tenant could have had pets
- If you have wildlife or stray animals or neighbors with pets you can get fleas
- If you buy used furniture it could have fleas in it that lay dormant waiting for a host.
Even though fleas don’t like humans as hosts that doesn’t mean they won’t bite you to see how you taste.
Myth 12. Large Slabs Of Concrete = No Termites?
WRONG!!! In fact, Subterranean Termites can make very long mud tubes to safely get up to the wood of your home. You’d be better off believing that a dehumidifier will keep termites away (also not completely true). If you have moisture in your basement or crawl space you are a prime target for termites. Moisture Reader Dehu,
Myth 13. If My Neighbor Fumigates All The Bugs Will Come To My House?
If your neighbor fumigates his/her house it is generally because they have a large infestation of some kind. The way it works when a house is tented is to keep all the chemical within the tent so that it will infect and kill all the bugs inside. The sick bugs will not make their way to your property. If you get bugs after your neighbor fumigates it won’t have anything to do with the infestation they had.
Myth 14. If I Don’t See Bugs I Must Not Have Them?
I have heard this many times when pitching pest control to a non-believer. Many bugs like warm dark places where they will thrive and live it could be under hollowed porches, crawl spaces basements, and even under your kitchen sink. There are things and we subconsciously avoid like the dark creepy basement of a home or a storage room on the outside of the exterior wall. Bugs are in all homes we are so overpopulated with bugs that it isn’t funny and everyone’s tolerance level is different depending on the pest or vermin that they encounter.
Myth 15. Pests Will Leave If I Use Ultrasonics?
So studies from the mid 90’s state that ultrasonic sounds will just make all pests go away, and though that may be true for some, it is not the best practice to eradicate a bug problem. In fact, using ultrasonic sound has little to almost no impact on controlling an infestation of bugs.
Myth 16. I Won’t Get Mosquitoes If I Use A Bug Zapper?
Mosquitoes move from tree to tree and bush to bush they enjoy moist areas with lots of vegetation. Though a bug zapper may kill a few mosquitoes here and there, you will not get rid of the problem entirely by simply placing a bug zapper up in the area.
Citronella Candles work while they are lit. Do you plan to keep the Tiki Torches burning and the candles lit?
Your very best option is to get a cheap spray can and a pair of gloves and add a chemical to the can with water and spray all the foliage in your yard. Spray the trees and bushes etc.
Don’t spray bushes or trees that have flower blossoms so you don’t kill the honey bees. I have a mosquito post that shows you how to treat mosquitoes yourself.
Myth 17. Cinnamon Will Kill Ants?
Use the cinnamon for French Toast. Cinnamon has almost zero effect on ants, in fact, there are few chemicals that will help with an ant problem. You can buy a contact killer that kills them directly but it is more effective to use a colony killer spray, some boric acid bait, and some gel bait inside your home to get rid of an ant problem properly.
Myth 18. Finding A Roach In Your House Means It Is Dirty?
Cockroaches will eat anything they can digest. This can come from anywhere.
Dirty homes that have lots of trash and food behind the stove will produce more for them to eat, but that doesn’t mean they won’t infest a home that is “clean”. There are many things that a clean home can have that will attract a cockroach, the natural necessity for shelter and water are vital for their survival.
A lot of clean homes aren’t clean everywhere. If you don’t clean the crumbs in your toaster filter often, under the refrigerator or the oven, all these places can be a sufficient food source for cockroaches. Cockroaches need a sufficient water source to stay in a place, this can come from leaky pipes, flooded irrigation, leaky fridge, or even a water heater drip.
Fun Fact: German Cockroaches produce over 40 times their weight in methane gas a year so this means that cockroaches flatulate.
Myth 19. Pest Control Treatments = Health Risks?
It is true there are pesticides out there that can cause major health risks, serious injury, or even death. This type of pesticide is called a restricted use pesticide. These chemicals may only be purchased and used by commercial pest control applicators and licensees. The chance that you could come in contact with one of these chemicals is seriously low. When not in use they are to remain under lock and key. The way you can tell it is a restricted use pesticide is it will have a skull and crossbones on the label that is very visible.
All Pesticide Labels Contain A Toxicity Level.
- Toxicity Category I: DANGER
- Toxicity Category II: WARNING
- Toxicity Category III: CAUTION
- Toxicity Category IV: None Required
Now, the general public can get their hands on anything up to a Category II. (as long as they are only treating their own home). Chemicals are safe as long as you follow the directions on the label. Just like cooking the desired outcome comes from following the directions. You wouldn’t eat uncooked meat and risk getting salmonella.
There is PPE which is Personal Protective Equipment. Every label will contain a PPE requirement. This could be gloves, closed toe shoes, long sleeve shirts, respirator, long pants, and eye protection.
A pest control treatment is only a health risk if you don’t adhere to its requirements.
It is a violation of Federal Law to use a pesticide in a manner that is inconsistent with its labeling. ( this statement is made on all pesticides)
DIY Pest Control Dos And Don’ts:
- Doing Pest Control Yourself Is Cheaper Than Hiring An Exterminator.
- Do Read The Pest Label And Follow All Instructions
- Do Fix Broken Or Leaky Pipes So You Aren’t Providing Unwanted Water Sources For Pests
- Do Move Woodpiles Away From Your Home
- Do Store Food In Sealable Receptacles. Take Out Your Garbage Anytime You Throw Away Cooked Food.
- Do Seal Your Home From Pest Entry – Caulk Open Holes, Cracks, Use Steel Wool Or Copper Mesh To Seal Around All Pipes And Big Holes
- Don’t Assume That More Pesticide Is Better Than The Required Amount
- Don’t Ever Use An Outdoor Pesticide Indoors
- Don’t Leave Pesticides Or Other Pest Products Where Children Or Pets Can Get Into It
- Don’t Reuse An Empty Chemical Container
You can find good resources here on this website to show you what to look for in most pest situations. If we haven’t touched on a subject matter that interests or haunts you feel free to leave a reply and we will make that the next post.
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