Fun Fact Friday: Myth About Mice

Do mice and rats have skeletons made of collapsible cartilage?  People assume that because rats and mice can fit through tiny spaces, they must have some special kind of collapsible skeleton with rubbery bones.  Nope.  They have your average every day skeleton.  So how do they do it?  I mean rats (smaller ones not giants) can fit through a hole the size of a quarter and mice can of course fit through even tinier places.

Well, the bottom line is, even though they are moving fast, they gauge whether or not they can fit through a hole before diving in.  And how do they do that?  Whiskers baby.  It's all about the whiskers.  So rodents will feel with their whiskers (by sticking their nose in a hole) before diving in, if they won't fit they quickly dash to another place, where they will fit.  If they do fit, they dive right in and disappear much to the discontentment and disgust of people everywhere.

So how do they actually fit?  Well, it's simple.  Rats and mice are kind of torpedo shaped and they are designed for digging burrows and moving through tunnels.  Considering that burrowing and tunneling is what they do, it makes sense that tiny holes and spaces are no issue for them.  So there you have it.  If you've been told about, or read about the magical all cartilage collapsible skeleton of rodents, it's a myth.  Like all vertebrates, they have skeletons made of bones, joints and cartilage- and it doesn't come apart or collapse to allow them to pass through small spaces.

What CAN they do?  Well, the truth is they can wiggle and squeeze their way into some pretty tiny spaces- and they can do it fast.  They are capable of expelling some air from their chest cavity to better fit in tiny spaces and they are smaller than they look (kind of like a person can suck in their stomach to fit into smaller jeans).  Even short fur makes rodents look a little bulkier than they actually are.  They use their skeletal structure to their advantage, but they do not have a special collapsible skeleton made entirely of cartilage.

In the wild, they have small tunnel entrances into their burrows to camouflage and keep their burrows hidden from predators.  Being able to quickly dash and dive into a tunnel, hole, small space is part of what they do naturally, whether they are in the wild or alongside people.

Carpenter Ants| Pheromone Trails| Fun Fact Friday

A few Fridays ago, I wrote about pheromone trails.  Then I was recalling and rereading some research by Dr. Laura Hanson PH. D-- one of the leading entomologist with great research in information on carpenter ants.

I was going back through some of her publications on her research, as well as publications by other entomologists, and other people who have studied the work of Dr. Laura Hanson PH. D.  As I was reading and considering information that I know-- from experience and past research and classes-- I was thinking about how there are actually visible trails worn between satellite colonies, main colony, food and water supplies of carpenter ant colonies.

These visible trails started as pheromone trails-- and as the ants use the trails, over and over and over again, they wear visible trails into their environment.  Carpenter ant trails can be above ground, under ground in and around obstacles etc.  The pheromone trails are added to, each time a new ant follows the trail.  The chemical communications that are triggered by pheromones are very interesting to me.

Carpenter ants follow trails to food and water sources, and back to the colony or satellite colony.  Pheromones are also used to communicate other messages.  Although this is mostly about pheromone, here is a fun fact about carpenter ants: They do not actually eat wood, they carve it out.  Carpenter ants actually feed on dead insects, plants, and the waste product of aphids (honeydew). 

Although Carpenter ants do not "eat" wood, they still cause damage as they dig, excavate and create a nest, trails and tunnels (galleries) for their colony and satellite colonies in the wood portions of homes and other buildings.

If you are having a problem with carpenter ants, moisture ants, or other pests, please give me a call!  I would be happy to help you out!

Micah Wood
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Pest Control Vancouver 360-607-1933
Pest Control Portland 503-998-4322
Pest Control Seattle 206-790-8285

Rodents| Last Friday of the Year| Fun Fact

The last Fun Fact Friday of 2012!  It is the last Friday of the year, the last fun fact of the year, how's that for pressure?  Just kidding, no pressure here, after all this is FUN fact Friday, and last time I checked fun did not really really involve pressure or stress.

Because rodents are a big problem this time of year, today's fun fact is on rodents.  Rodents' front teeth never stop growing.  Is this fact important? YES!  It is very important and answers some questions people have regarding rodents and pest control.

One question this answers is: "How do rodents cause electrical fires?"  The answer to this question?  They chew on wires.  Why do they chew on the wires?  They chew on the wires because their front teeth never stop growing and they must gnaw on things in order to keep their teeth filed and sharpened.  When rodents gnaw on wiring, they cause holes in the casing and sparks from the electrical current of the exposed and damaged wiring can ignite flammable materials on or around the wiring.

Another question answered, "Why are there bite marks on wooden surfaces where rodents are nesting?" Again it is the teeth constantly growing and the gnawing is used to keep the length of the teeth in check.  Right along side this question is "Why have rodents chewed on my (non food item) stuff?"  And the answer is the same.

It is important to deal with a rodent infestation, not only because they chew on things (including wiring) and potentially cause fires. They also carry diseases that can be transferred to humans, urine and feces can contaminate food/food prep areas, they destroy and contaminate duct work, insulation as well as personal items.

I looked for a youtube video about rodent teeth and came up with some videos that completely grossed me out (like someone letting a rat clean their teeth- no joke).  So instead of rodent teeth, here is a video about the night life of rats.



For all of your rodent and pest control needs, Peak Pest Management has a solution.  If you are having trouble with rats, mice or other pests please give me a call and I will be happy to help you out.

Micah Wood
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Pest Control Portland 503-998-4322
Pest Control Vancouver 360-607-1933
Pest Control Seattle 206-790-8285

Grasshoppers and Crickets: Fun Fact Friday

For fun fact Friday today, we have grasshoppers and crickets!  While I don't get called out to treat for these bugs here in Portland, OR or Vancouver, WA.  I still think they are interesting.  One reason (which happens to be our fun fact for the day)?  Some grasshoppers, katydids and crickets actually have ears on their front legs.  The ears are located in the knee joints.  If people were crickets I bet they'd be really careful about what they whispered into an ear.  A knee-jerk reaction would really hurt!

Crickets, grasshoppers, katydids and locusts can really be a problem in some places though.  Here's a video about katydids, called Mormon Crickets, in Colorado, done by National Geographic.



While I don't deal with these bugs, there are plenty that I do take care of.  If you are having pest problems in Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA and the surrounding area, please give me a call!  I'd be happy to help you out.  Bedbugs, mice, rats, spiders, ants, whatever the pest, we'll develop a custom pest control plan for you.

Micah Wood
Peak Pest Management LLC
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Portland 503-998-4322
Vancouver 360-607-1933
Seattle 206-790-8285

Roaches Again | Fun Fact Friday | Pregnant for Life

First of all, I want to give you this little gem: There are cockroaches in Central and South America that are 6 inches long. 1/2 a foot.  I'll let that sink in for a moment before I move on to today's fun fact.  Not all cockroaches are pests, in nature they serve important roles (otherwise why would they exist? right?).

Okay, moving on to today's fun fact.  In some (I didn't check this for ALL) species of cockroaches, females mate once and then are pregnant for life.  That's right. Pregnant for life.  I can't pretend to understand this, but I know that my wife would not enjoy being pregnant for life.  It's not that they WHOLE process was miserable-- there were miserable moments to be sure.  It's just at the end of 9 months she was ready to be done.

Cockroaches don't get that (although let's be realistic, they also don't have all of the feelings and emotions that people do).  But nevertheless, they have some babies and then are STILL pregnant, with the next batch of cockroach babies.

Here is a video about the topic of cockroaches:


If you are experiencing a cockroach infestation, I understand that cockroaches are not a laughing matter.  Cockroaches and transfer a number of diseases that are harmful to people, by contaminating food sources.

These speedy pests can be really upsetting.  I am not just going to throw this information out there, if you are having a problem with cockroaches and would like some help, I'd be happy to help.  Peak Pest Management offers a wide range of pest control services for all of your pest control needs.  Cockroaches, mice, rats, fleas, ants, carpet beetles, and bedbugs are just a few pests that we see and help people get rid of all the time!

Give us a call, we'll help you out.

Micah Wood
Peak Pest Management
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Pest Control Portland- 503-998-4322
Pest Control Seattle-  206-790-8285
Pest Control Vancouver- 360-607-1933

Pheromone Trails | Pest Control | Fun Fact Friday

Have you ever wondered why ants march in a line?  How bees remember which hive belongs to them? How wasps know to swarm when someone or something has been stung? Why rodents and other pests need to be treated regularly and a "one-time" treatment won't be effective? How animals and insects find mates?

The answer (or at least part of the answer) to these questions is pharomones.  By origin, pheromone can be translated to mean to bear (or transport) hormones.  Pharomones are used by many insects and animals including many social pests, including ants, rats, mice, bees, termites as well as many other pests.

Pharomones can be used to mark a trail to food.  With ants it is particularly noticable because they literally march in lines from their nest to a food source.  The trail that the line follows is marked with pheromones.  Rodents such as mice and rats will also leave pharomone trails from the nesting area to the food source.

Another use for pharomones is alarm.  Bees and wasps make the alarm pharomone easy to recognize.  When one bee or wasp stings a potential threat, they also release pharomones to attract other bees and wasps to join them in the attack.  This is especially true if a sting happens near a nest.

Furthermore pharomones are used by many insects and animals to attract a mate.  If you've ever wondered why there is an icky swarm of mating bugs, the answer is pharomones.  They are attracted together by pharomones.

Pharomones have other functions that I am not including in this post, but I just wanted to detail why pharomones are important and give some "fun" facts about them.  If you have ever heard a pest control professional refer to pharomones or pharomone trails and wondered what on earth they were talking about-- here is a pretty good basic idea of the function of pharomones.

This video has a very visual way of showing how ants communicate using pheromones.


For all of your pest control needs, Peak Pest Management has a solution!  If you're having issues with pests please give me, Micah, a call.

Micah Wood
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Pest Control Portland 503-998-4322
Pest Control Vancouver 360-607-1933
Pest Control Seattle 206-790-8285
We have similar information on our website blog.  Click here to check it out.

Cockroaches | Fun Fact Friday | Creepy Factor Upped

Cockroaches gross you out?  You're not the only one!  In fact it is a rare person who is not put off by roaches.  A cockroach infestation in a restaurant, school, or hospital is a serious problem-- cockroaches can carry and transfer bacteria and contaminate food and cooking utensils. 

Many people find the way they scurry for cover when the lights flip on creepy and disgusting.  But that is not our fun fact today!  Our fun fact today ups the creepy factor and rates right up there with Zombie Ants.

Cockroaches can live for weeks without their head.  Not hours, not days, but actually WEEKS!  Entomologists have actually done labs where they decapitated a cockroach and waited to see how long it lived.  The head of the cockroach is not immediately essential for survival.  They breathe through spiracles along the sides of their body and they can survive for weeks without food.  So a cockroach can move the legs and respond to stimuli without a head.  Because of the type of circulatory system that cockroaches have, their blood clots and they do not bleed out.  A decapitated cockroach will usually either become dehydrated or mold-- and that will be the actual cause of death, not the fact that they are missing their head.

Fair warning: This is NOT a Mickey Mouse video and not for those with a weak stomach/gag reflex!



If you are having an issue with cockroaches in your home or business and need help, please call me, Micah, at Peak Pest Management!  I'll help you get rid of cockroaches and/or other pests.

Micah Wood
Peak Pest Management LLC
Micah@peak-pest-management.com
www.peak-pest-management.com
Vancouver 360-607-1933
Portland 503-998-4322
Seattle 206-790-8285