Four of the worst pests for Arizona homeowners are rodents, termites, bed bugs and cockroaches. Keeping your house protected from these pests is important, but many owners use methods of prevention that are based on myths, founded on faulty knowledge of the facts. Following are five myths about these pests, widely accepted by the general public as true, and the real facts, based on scientific research.
- Bait Mousetraps With Cheese
This myth has been around a long time and was talked about by philosophers 2000 years ago. Where it began is a mystery. In fact, according to research conducted at the Manchester Metropolitan University, mice eat practically anything, including cheese, but prefer sweet things, grain, and fruit. If you are trying to trap mice in your home, try peanut butter.
- Brick Homes Built on Concrete Slabs Are Safe From Termites
Almost all Arizona homes have wooden frames. Termites cannot eat through concrete, but are able to enter through cracks in the concrete. The potential points of entry are often hidden, but it doesn’t matter how the wood is separated from the ground, they find an opening.
- Cockroaches Only Infest Dirty Houses
Many of the cleanest homes in Arizona have experienced cockroach infestations. Just, by virtue, of living in a community with neighbors, your home is at risk of cockroaches finding ways through cracks and crevices to enter. They eat everything, can be anywhere, and are in continual contact with contaminated material, so they can, and do, transmit diseases. Another frightening fact about cockroaches is that they can run up to three miles an hour, allowing them to rapidly spread bacteria and germs.
- Bed Bugs Only Bite at Night
Many consider bedbugs to be the most annoying pest in Arizona. Humans are their favorite host. They spend their time hiding when they sense movement or activity, and then attack, feeding on blood when their prey is at rest. Two of the most common bedbug myths involve when they feed and where they live.
Bedbugs are considered nocturnal insects and prefer the dark found on the undersides of mattresses, behind peeled wallpaper, and floorboard cracks. They are found in other areas of rest, including couches and recliners. Bedbugs do not limit their feeding activity to nighttime hours, however. When bed bugs sense that a host is resting or asleep, they feed, daytime or nighttime.
- Bed Bugs Only Occur in Dirty Homes
Bedbugs cross all social barriers, infesting low income to high income areas, and zero star to five-star hotels. They have been discovered in Arizona schools, libraries, restaurants, hotels, and theaters. They do not care where they live as long as they have plenty of food and a place to sleep.
A final myth is that you don’t need a professional exterminator for your Arizona home. The fact is, don’t wait for an infestation. Act now.
