Life Lessons We Can Learn From Pests

Happy New Year from Green Pest Services! With the new year upon us, it is only natural to reflect on some of the life lessons we’ve learned recently. These lessons can come from anywhere and are often clarified with life experience, memorable interactions, and fulfilling routines. Whether it’s learning to be more patient with yourself or to not take everything too seriously, life lessons — when properly applied — can truly impact our lives for the better. These lessons may even come from less-than-ideal places, such as from the very critters that make everything difficult for us when they invade our homes. Pests may be extremely frustrating, but when we look more closely, there is actually something to be learned from each of these antagonistic creatures. Let’s take a look at how their natural habits can actually teach us a thing or two about living more intentionally. 

Ants

Ants may be common food thieves that don’t hesitate to force their way into kitchens across the country, but there is something to be said about their work ethic and concept of teamwork. In fact, this is the exact life lesson we think we can take from these fiends: working together is far better than trying to do everything yourself. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that refusing to ask for help is the stronger path, but it can actually hurt us in the long run. Take worker ants, for instance. When they forage for food sources that will sustain their colony, they use pheromones — invisible scent chemicals — to lead their fellow workers to the same food. This is done so the ants can all work together to take bits of the food back to their nest, dutifully marching in those infamous lines without dropping a crumb (literally) of their newfound sustenance. 

Bed Bugs

When we think of bed bugs, we don’t usually consider them to have the best moral compass of the pest family. After all, they hide in our beds and drink our blood in order to produce more bed bugs that will eventually cause the same problems. But these pests can teach us a valuable lesson in patience; namely, having patience will greatly benefit us in the long run. Today’s society encourages us to want everything now and to never settle for anything that takes a bit of time. Conversely, bed bugs have no problem waiting for their desires. They can survive for a year without any food because bed bugs are cold-blooded and have a metabolism that slows down in cooler temperatures. These pests would probably prefer to have a blood meal every day, but they are still content to wait for a reliable food source to present itself.

Centipedes

These pests may be some of the creepiest creatures we’ve ever seen, what with their endless legs and erratic movements. Their excessive number of legs are exactly what contributes to the lesson that we can learn from their existence: any forward movement is still progress. When working towards a goal, be it saving for a car or running a marathon, the smallest step forward is still a productive move in the right direction. It will take time and dedication, but the end goal is certainly in sight. Centipedes aren’t the fastest pests out there, especially when compared to flying insects. They can still move quite quickly when they need to, like when they are trying to catch their prey or evade their own predator. Centipedes have about 350 total legs that are divided among their segmented bodies. Since most of them don’t have eyes or are blind, these pests rely on their other senses to determine the steps to go in the right direction.

Crickets

Now, for our most musical pests. Crickets are not the traditional “home invaders” that we are used to when it comes to pests. They don’t travel in groups or seek out a specific food from our kitchens, so crickets usually do not actively wish to use our homes for their new shelters. Most of the time, any cricket in a house only got there because it was attracted to the lights at night and decided to hide somewhere safe. Their chirps are the result of their continuous attempts to locate a mate, and these songs are also a great life lesson: don’t be afraid to (respectfully) share your desires and preferences. Sharing on social media is one thing, but actually saying what you want is an important step in the real world. After all, no one knows what you want or need if you never share it!

Mosquitoes 

The plague of every summer gathering, mosquitoes are at their worst when the weather is hot and humid. The females lay their eggs in rafts on idle fresh water during these days, so any amount of standing water can become a mosquito breeding ground. They only seek out blood when they need protein for their eggs, as mosquitoes otherwise live off of nectar. But the bloodthirsty diet is the life lesson we’re after (just stay with us), as it is a prime example of why helping others can mean changing our mindsets and methods. Any dedicated parent can attest to this. When we serve others — helping your child get ready for school, raking your elderly neighbor’s leaves, donating canned goods to the food bank — we need to intentionally shift our actions to be for the good of others, not ourselves. Mosquito mothers may be out for our blood, but there is something to be said about their dedicated mindsets.

Rats

Any kind of rodent infestation is a nightmare, and rats are no exception. They chew through every type of household material with their strong teeth, leave droppings wherever they go, and contaminate every surface they touch. Rats are also speedy reproducers, averaging about 6 to 12 offspring in their usual 7 litters per year. Once they begin producing young, rats are dedicated to providing for their family by any means necessary. The mother will stay with them in the nest and keep them warm, and the father will usually forage for more food or nest material around their home. This contributes to the next life lesson: family is one of the most essential features in life, and is more important than many of the trivial things we often lose sleep over. Family takes on many forms and isn’t just the family we are born into. Friends, teammates, co-workers, and neighbors can all be family. Spending time together and helping one another are two of the most important components of any type of family, and can even be observed in creatures as disturbing as rats.

Spiders

Spiders may be glorified Halloween decorations in and of themselves, but most species also provide the quintessential creepy decor: spiderwebs! These webs serve multiple purposes depending on the spider species and size of the web. Some spiders, like the black widow, perch on their web and wait for insects to fall into the trap. Others, such as the brown recluse, just use their webs as an egg-laying site. Spider webs are made of silk produced from the spider’s spinnerets, and the specific pattern depends on the species. No matter what the woven web looks like, the life lesson is clear: stopping to appreciate the natural beauty in life is essential for a fulfilling experience. Whether it’s an intricate spider web or a patch of sunflowers sprouting on the side of the road, there is much to admire in our natural world. When the everyday stress of life is starting to get to you, a quick relief is looking out to the beauty in our own backyards — including the carefully crafted webs of these antagonistic arachnids. 

Green Teaches Pests A Tough Lesson

Just because we can learn some important lessons from our most common creepy-crawlies doesn’t mean that we want them around all the time! The longer that pests stay in and around our homes, the more damage they will do. This is precisely why the highly-trained technicians of Green Pest Services don’t waste time in efficiently solving each pest problem. We begin every service with a complete inspection of the property in order to find all areas of pest activity and determine the species involved. These assessments lend to the customized treatment plant that we create on-site with the goal of eliminating current pests and preventing future ones. All of our treatments are environmentally-friendly and safe for families while still being tough on pests, so you never have to worry about dangerous pesticides contaminating your space. We look forward to keeping your home or business pest-free this year, so contact us today to schedule your initial service! 

Citations

Brown recluse web identification. (n.d.). Terminix. Retrieved January 2, 2024, from https://www.terminix.com/spiders/brown-recluse/web-identification/ 

Millipedes/centipedes. (n.d.). Pointe Pest Control. Retrieved January 2, 2024, from https://pointepestcontrol.com/services/millipedes-centipedes/ 

Rat facts & information. (n.d.). AAA Wildlife Control. Retrieved January 2, 2024, from https://www.vancouverwildlife.com/rats/rat-facts/