Exterminators provide a service that you might not think about or value much – until your deck has been eaten by termites or bats have made a home in your eaves. Here are five fast facts about exterminators:
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Dirty Job: Exterminator, grades 3 – 5
In the 19th century, natural products like kerosene and nicotine were used to get rid of insect pests.
- A female German cockroach can have 30,000 young in one year. Eek!
- Today, diatomaceous earth is a more eco-friendly product used to control insects.
- A raccoon can squeeze through a hole 11.25 cm (4.5 inches) wide.
- The United States government predicts that the number of pest control jobs will increase by more than 20 percent by 2022.
The cold winters in Alberta – like the -20C deep freeze this month – contribute to natural pest control by killing many insects that cause problems in warmer climates. I’ll put up with a few weeks of cold so I don’t have to worry about spiders and snakes and other scary critters!
