Creepy crawlers and other pests are never a fun discovery to make in your home. Oftentimes, our extent of knowledge regarding them is that we know we want them out! Sometimes, however, educating yourself on some interesting facts about the pests you are looking to exterminate can actually help you be rid of them faster and keep them gone longer. Let’s take a look at some fun (or not-so-fun) facts.
Ants Can’t Eat Food
Okay, that may be a little misleading. Ants do need sustenance to survive, and they must be able to consume it, however, they are unable to eat solid foods. These insects have very narrow waists with their body type, which makes it impossible for solid pieces of food to pass through. Instead, they must have liquids only. To get around this flaw in their creation, they often carry pieces of food back to their colony. Here, the entire community will pitch in and secrete an enzyme that assists with breaking down the solid food into a liquid form, making it digestible. Some ants will also chew bites of food and regurgitate them so that others are able to consume it. Just in case they happen to bite off more than they can chew, their mouths are designed similar to strainers, so no indigestible large pieces sneak through.
Baby Bed Bugs Don’t Need Food
It goes without saying (but we’ll still say it anyways), that as soon as you notice a bed bug, or evidence of bed bugs, in your home, you should call pest control immediately. Newborn baby bed bugs have the capability of surviving without food (your blood) for many months. The exact length of time they can go before their first meal largely depends on just how active they are and how warm it is in their (your) home. Once they do start feeding, it will probably take you some time to notice, as well, since they secrete and inject you with their own saliva, which contains an anesthetic that numbs you. It also has an anti-clotting chemical in the mix so they can go bottoms up with your blood for as long as they would like.
Mice Make Babies Fast…Really Fast
You think cockroaches multiply quickly? Think again. While roaches are known to create children in as little as 60 days, mice and other rodents begin breeding on average at six weeks. This short timespan between birth and the ability to give birth contributes to the possibility of a fast infestation. Good news is, mice typically only have 6-10 babies at a time, whereas roaches can have a few dozen. Either way, when you see these pests hanging around, it’s time to call in the experts because things can get out of hand in no time at all.
Roaches Make a Lot of Roaches
To continue on the topic of pests and their babies, did you know that a single cockroach has the ability to produce 10,000 more roaches? That’s just in a year’s time, too! Due to their ability to lay as many eggs at a time as they do, and the young ages they can start reproducing at, cockroaches can multiply into unmanageable amounts very quickly, leading to an infestation.
Termites Are Not Messy Menaces
While you may not want these wood-devouring beasts in your home, termites are actually essential to the earth’s ecosystem. Their main job throughout the world is to decompose fallen trees and tough plant fibers. Believe it or not, the majority of their life isn’t spent chowing down on your infrastructure. Most of termites’ time is spent cleaning other termites. Bacteria and fungus can have detrimental effects on a termite colony, so assisting in cleaning each other is high priority.
Now that we’ve taken a closer look at some of these pesky pests, you may be thinking, “That’s cool, now how do I get rid of them?” Rest assured, the experts at Tri-X Pest Management are here to help. Contact us today!