More is not always better

Missy Henriksen - National Pest Management Association

I have been "The Bug Lady" for three years now. Before that time, I am embarrassed to say that I lived completely in the dark about all the diseases and dangers of pests. I didn't realize that mice could spread salmonella or that the ants that sometimes made themselves comfortable in my kitchen could contaminate our food!  Until I wised up, my husband was in charge of anything creepy crawly in our house.  I gave him free reign.  That meant when he came home from the store armed with cans, bottles and jars of products that promised to kill things I didn't want in my house, I didn't ask any questions, even when he covered our kitchen counter with impressive looking quantities of stuff he found at the store.

Now you have to know a bit about my husband.  He is a "guys' guy." Guys' guys believe that more is better.  Doesn't matter what IT is: More is Better (MIB).  If you live with one of these MIB guys, you know what I'm talking about. Why have a manageable number of t-shirts in your drawer when more is better?  Why have three or four hammers when more is better? Or a modest selection of electronic gadgets…or CDs…or batteries? For my husband, MIB. Always.    

But what I have learned about pest control, particularly DIY pest control, is that more is definitely NOT better. In fact, more can be dangerous.  All products used in pest control come with labels stating how that product can be used effectively and safely.  Doubling the use of a product will not make a pest problem go away twice as fast.  Combining a bunch of products together will not increase the likelihood of solving the problem nor will using "any old bug product" to kill whatever pests you see.  When it comes to effective pest control, professionals believe less is more!  In fact, while professionals do often use products to control pests, they do so as part of an overall control solution. 

If you are married to a MIB practitioner or - heaven-forbid - you are one yourself, please stop.  After all, you wouldn't use double the dose of medicine to cure your sick child or use a headache medicine to treat strep throat.  Product labels are provided for safety. It's an important concept to understand.