It's Not the Pest (AKA: This isn't working)

A few weeks back, I posted a response to an article that proclaimed that the cost for a pest control job was outrageous. On the surface, that’s true. Dig a bit deeper and you find that it’s not that simple.

Sometimes a pest problem is just that: a single pest that is relatively quickly remedied. A great article was just posted about a New Yorker dealing with rat mites. That is a perfect example of a pest problem that isn’t just a “simple” problem. Sure, rat mites are the problem, but to truly, effectively remedy that problem, it’s about the underlying causes.

What “causes” rat mites? You guessed it: rats. So in order to get rid of the mites, we have to get rid of the rats that the mites are feeding on. Luckily, rat mites have not been implicated in transmitting the plague. (Yet.)

Okay, so get rid of the rats. Easy. Except what encourages rat problems to occur? All living things need food, water, and shelter. If none of those resources exist, rats have to go elsewhere. Great, clean up all the food and seal up every entrance, and no more rats. Except no one is going to get rid of every little piece of food in their home, and it’s impossible to expect restaurants or grocery stores to clean out everything for a few days or longer. This is why rodents are a problem across the country. There will always be food, and it’s improbable to find every crack and crevice to seal.

This is why we talk about solving the underlying conditions when it comes to pest problems. It puts the “I” in integrated pest management. Yes, we can set traps, put out rodenticide, and maybe some liquid bait. It doesn’t change the fact that there are plenty of hiding spots and food still available for nearby rats to come in and infest the site. That’s assuming those traps and baits are eliminating ALL the local rodent populations. That is highly unlikely.

Here's another great example.

There’s a large fly problem in the building. Spray a bit of aerosol or maybe a little liquid residual, and problem resolved. For a week, maybe two at the most. Then all the maggots infesting their food source mature into adults and start bugging people all over again.

That’s not all. Insects infesting a dead animal have a specific order. So once the carrion flies are done, ants may move in. Then there are the beetles. Even when it’s down to skin and bones, the hide beetles and similar species take their bite.

While the flies are a problem, just trying to eliminate them doesn’t solve the problem, nor does it prevent additional pest issues. This is why we talk so much about having a correct identification. Knowing that those bottle flies feed on carrion can lead to the source and help reduce or eliminate the problem before it gets worse.

Sure, the visible pest is a problem. In many cases, that pest is a symptom of a problem. There is something going on that allows the pest to be there in the first place. Pest control isn’t always easy!

Contact us to help with all your pest and secondary pest problems!

Lagniappe - If you are like me and think forensic entomology is cool, click here!

Urban Pest Consulting