If you live in Bullhead City, Fort Mohave or the communities along the upper Colorado River Valley, any pest control problem that you may have can easily be resolved with one phone call to the professionals at Baron Services. In the past, however, you relied on folk wisdom, mythology and even superstition. Unlike the assured results you will get from Baron Services, pest control was often only moderately successful.
You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. This old adage isn’t accurate. It is also a bit misleading. As an example, there is an old central European wives’ tale claims that a household can eliminate fruit flies with the use of apple cider vinegar. As with many such myths there is a grain of truth in this as fruit flies are attracted to decaying fruits and foods. However, a small tray of vinegar as a trap is only marginally successful at best.
The resurgent interest in peppermint oil has given an old myth a renewed popularity. Spraying the oil on spider webs will not rid a home of spiders. Spiders dislike being disturbed. So, by spraying oil on their web you merely force them to relocate. They will simply find a new place for their web.
To keep a kitchen pest free use fresh bay leaves in an open container. There is a grain of truth in this bit of folk wisdom. The smell of the leaves repels many insects and household pests. But, again, this merely forces them to relocate to another section of the kitchen or home.
Baiting traps with cheese to catch mice is a staple of movies and stories. In fact this myth is so prevalent that it has come to be seen as truth. In actuality mice are more attracted to snacks that blend sugar and salts, such as peanut butter.
If you draw a chalk line around doors and windows, it will prevent ants from entering your house. Another baseless wives tale most likely based on watching an ants response to chalk. Ants that encounter chalk will often turn away. But this is because of a temporary disruption of the pheromone trails that ants leave behind to guide other ants to a food source. Bottom line, chalk will detour not deter ants, and it isn’t toxic for them either.
Place moth balls between the mattress and the box springs will eliminate bed bugs. No, you will probably gag and be unable to sleep. As to the bed bugs a Rutgers University study found that while many of the bed bugs died, the nymphs and eggs survived. Even worse, it will repel the bugs causing them to spread through your home or apartment.
Bottom line. There is only one way to be assured of pest control or elimination. Call the professionals at Baron Services.
Written by Jim Hinckley of Jim Hinckley’s America.