The battle against pests has been going on for centuries, and so it is not a surprise that there are some myths regarding successful DIY pest control methods. Simply searching ‘common pest control myths’ brings up a wealth of ‘knowledge’. Here we list the top 5 myths that we found interesting:
#1: Pets eat Pests
A lot of people may say that their cat or dog is the number one pest controller of the household, and this could be true for a while. But it is certainly not a long-term solution. In fact, if you are feeding your pets (like any normal pet owner would do), you will find that the ‘Tom and Jerry’ case is true – your pet may actually play with the pest more often than actually eat it. And if a pest stays around for a while, your pet might get used to it and stop giving it attention at all.
#2: Mice love cheese
Actually, in a number of scientific studies it has been proven that mice will prefer a variety of foods with a higher sugar content (e.g. peanuts, peanut butter, grapes) in comparison to cheese. Naturally, mice are scavengers and so will eat cheese if it is the only food that they can get their little hands on.
#3: Moths cause damage to clothing
If you find adult moths on your clothing, you are too late since it is actually the moth larvae that eat clothing fibres as they grow. So, if you have adult moths in your clothing cupboards, you will need to take a closer look and ensure that there are no eggs or larvae as well.
#4: Bedbugs are only found in cheap hotels
Bed bugs are not attracted to dirty places, they are attracted to places where blood meals are available. Thus, bedbugs travel with the traveler. They have no preference for the ‘price per room’.
And last, but not least (this one was new to us!)…
#5: Boiling water gets rid of ants
Boiling water may kill ants upon touch, but this will not help your ant problem if you do not find the queen. To remove your ant problem, you need to remove the breeder who is the queen. Unfortunately, the queen is usually in the deep depths of the ant nest, and so by the time that your ‘boiling water’ reaches this area, the water is not at a affective temperature anymore.
