Wildlife, Rodent, & Pest Control Services

When you study to become a professional pest control technician, you learn that a lot of commonly held beliefs about bugs and critters are just plain wrong. Whether by urban legends or bad portrayals in the media, a lot of false claims about the pest species native to Tennessee have come to be accepted as fact.

Now it’s time for the pros to bust some of the most prevalent myths about pest species found in the Knoxville area. Keep reading and you’ll be shocked how much you’ve been misinformed about the pests that enter local homes.

 

6 Common TN Pest Myths: Fiction vs. Reality

1. Myth: If you’ve got roaches, your home is filthy.

• Reality: Cockroaches are opportunistic scavengers that will seize any opportunity to find food, water and shelter. Sure, a dirty home might attract more roaches but even a very clean house offers the basic necessities these pests need to survive. So don’t let the discovery of a cockroach infestation in your Knoxville home convince you that you’re a bad cleaner!

2. Myth: Cheese is the best mouse bait.

• Reality: Mice love to munch on bread, chocolate, sunflower seeds, pet food… but cheese? They could take it or leave it. In the wild, mice eat seeds, grains and fruit, so it makes sense they don’t have much of a taste for a dairy product which is produced by humans. If you want to catch those mice in your walls, try baiting your traps with peanut butter.

3. Myth: Termites are only a threat to houses with wood foundations.

• Reality: If you’re content in the belief that your Knoxville home with a concrete foundation is safe from termites, we’ve got bad news. No, termites can’t eat through concrete. However, they have no problem crawling over your concrete foundation to eat their way into the wooden support structures inside your home. While a wood foundation may attract termites more readily, these relentlessly destructive pests can infest just about any type of building.

4. Myth: A black widow bite spells instant death.

• Reality: Thankfully for everyone in the Knoxville area, black widow spiders aren’t nearly as lethal as media portrayals make them out to be. Make no mistake, these spiders are venomous and you don’t want to be bitten; black widow bites cause fever-like symptoms including intense muscle pain that can last a week or more. But it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll die. In fact, a black widow-related fatality isn’t known to have occurred in the U.S. in the past forty years!

5. Myth: A bug zapper can solve your mosquito problems.

• Reality: Bug zappers attract insects using UV light. The problem is, mosquitoes aren’t drawn to UV light. In fact, they avoid it when possible. Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide that humans exhale. Sure, unlucky mosquitoes probably buzz into your bug zapper and get electrocuted every once in a while but it’s not an effective solution to a mosquito infestation in Knoxville.

6. Myth: Unless there’s an infestation, pest control is a waste of money.

• Reality: Just because there aren’t squirrels making a home out of your attic doesn’t mean that you don’t need pest control. Pests can invade your home at any time and you might not know they’re around until they’ve already caused serious damage. Working with a reliable wildlife and pest control company in Knoxville can ensure that your home is regularly inspected for pest activity and prevention materials are established to keep critters from getting in, saving you money and providing peace of mind.

 

Real Solutions to Your Pest Problems

Pests infestations are a reality that many homeowners in Tennessee have to deal with but you don’t have to deal with them alone. Call Critter Wranglers today for the most reliable pest and wildlife control services in the Knoxville area!