The 5 Biggest Myths About Pests

At Catseye Pest Control we hear lots of misinformation about pests. With over a million known insect species and thousands of other animals, it’s easy to get confused about the facts. Here are the 5 biggest myths about pests that I’ve heard and the truth behind them.

Mice are baby rats.

Mice and rats are actually two separate types of rodents. There are many different species of mice and rats. The Deer Mouse, House Mouse and White-Footed Mouse are some of the mice species that commonly invade people’s homes. Rat species that often become unwanted houseguests include the Norway Rat and Palm Rat.

Turning on the lights scares cockroaches away.

Cockroaches don’t run away because they fear light, it’s the air movement from you entering the room that makes them scatter and hide. Cockroaches can feel the air with their cerci, a pair of appendages on their rears.

Rats and mice can squeeze through small holes because they have no bones.

Rats and mice do have bones. The reason these rodents can squeeze through such small spaces is their heads. If the rat or mouse can get their heads through an opening, the rest will follow. Rats can fit through openings as small as a quarter while mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime.

I have albino cockroaches.

What you are seeing are not albino cockroaches, but cockroaches that are in the process of molting. Cockroaches shed their outer “skin”, called an exoskeleton, multiple times as they grow. A cockroach will look whitish for a few hours until its new exoskeleton hardens.

My cat protects my house from mice and rats.

Rodents are used to living with predators in their environment so having a cat in the home is not the most effective rodent management program. I have even seen them eat right from a cat’s food bowl!

Do you have questions about pests? Ask us!