deBugged

Ever wondered where certain words came from? I would be willing to take a bet that most of us have checked for the meaning of their names. At least I have: Benjamin could either mean “Son of the right side” or “Son of the South”. Interesting, but most probably only for people with the same name)

However that is not the point here: If there is a meaning behind most names, then there should also be a meaning behind pest names. The scientists who try to find out the origins and history of words are called etymologists and the science is called etymology

Back to the topic. Let’s start with the basics:

Pest: The word pest originates from the Latin word ‘pestis’ which translates into deadly disease, the “pest” was the old name for the plague. As rats and other so-called pests transmit these diseases, over time they became known as pests and the original meaning disappeared (Not in German though: “The Pest” still means “Plague” and “pests” are called something like “damage-lings” (Schaedlinge) instead).

Now let us have a closer look at more interesting ones:

Cockroach: The origins are not entirely clear but it seems that the original Spanish word Cucaracha was taken over by Europeans as a mixture of “Cock”, as in Rooster and Roach, which is a small fish. So, cockroaches are chicken-fish, as per the original word

Bed Bugs: Bug originates from the Welsh word bwg (pronounced boog) and was the name for hobgoblins or evil spirits. Bed bugs are most likely to be the first to be called bugs, (considering the trouble they create at night).

Rats/Rodents: The origin of the word lies in the Latin “rodere” which means to gnaw or to scratch. I think this is a pretty good description about what rodents do: Gnawing on stuff. The reason behind this behaviour is that their teeth continue to grow and in order to survive they have to keep them short. Good observation resulted in this name. Our Indian Giant Bandicoot Rat, got its name from the Telugu (which is the language of Andhra Pradesh, a state in India) word “Pandikokku”, which means pig rat. Considering the size and the sounds these rodents make, this is a well suiting name.

Ants: Well, the origin of the word ant is a bit trickier to explain, it originates from “ante” of Middle English, “amette” of Old English and āmeiza from Old High German. However all words are derived from the West Germanic amaitjo, which can be translated in “the Biter off”. On species level you will get a lot of really crazy names, such as Emerett’s Wretched Ant, Jerdon’s jumping ant and Bulldog ants. However I will have to tell about these in a separate article.

Flies: originate from the Old English word “fleogan” which means “to soar through the air”. Originally used for all flying insects, hence:

1. Butter-fly: These insects got the name most probably, because either they were interested in milk. Superstition even saw butterflies as the embodiment of witches, who wanted to steal the cream. (And not as a distortion of flutterby, as people commonly believe)

2. Blow Fly: These guys got their name from the Old English Word for meat with eggs on it; these were supposed to be fly-blown.

Mosquito: Spanish word which can be translated into “Little fly” and can be traced back to Latin “Musca”, which again means “Fly”. Interestingly there seems to be a connection to the word musket, which surely stings if you are hit

Cricket: Originates from the Old French word “criquer”, which can be translated into “to creak, to make a cracking sound”. And again, quite a good and true name for these insects.

After all these somewhat exhausting examples, I would like to tell you the story of how the Ladybug got its name (No clue if it is true though, but it’s a nice story):

Once upon a time in Europe, there was a small village, which was neck-deep in trouble, because aphids were destroying all their vegetables. Without any real option (I suppose pest control was not as sophisticated as it is nowadays), the farmers started praying desperately to Virgin Mary, for a miracle. And a miracle they got in the form of small red and black dotted beetles that were devouring all the aphids. The grateful farmers called them “our Lady’s bugs”, over the years the name shortened to lady bugs.

This blog entry got a bit longer than initially planned; hope it will help you to impress friends and family, and maybe even your next date (in order to show the fun side of pest control!) with the new etymologic knowledge you gathered.

PS: My apologies to any etymologists for possible misspellings, please correct me if I made mistakes.

As my first blog post since taking over from Pam, I thought I’d write about something close to the hearts of all of us….

I can feel the excitement as we count down to the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup kick-off on 11 June.  Whether you like soccer or not, you can’t escape the hype, the headlines in the press, and the steady stream of visitors pouring into Cape Town.  There’s a sense of anticipation that’s unmistakable.

As the single biggest event to be hosted in SA, all eyes will be on our beautiful country.  Of course, it’s far easier to be prepared for a situation that is controllable or predictable, but with pest control we don’t have that luxury.   One of the big concerns is the increase we are seeing in rat infestations in our CBD areas.  This of course begs the question of how well prepared we really are, and whether local municipalities and industries have paid enough attention to ensure we’re on par with the rest of the world in terms of pest control and food safety regulations.

It is believed that a lack of resources in the local municipalities is one of the major causes of this sudden increase in rat infestations. Without the much needed financial resources, municipalities can’t carry out the necessary preventative rodent control measures that are essential to keep public areas free from rodents.  Informal traders, lower sanitation standards in city centers, poor upkeep of basic amenities, etc. all contribute to the serious rat problem in our country.

Health and food safety working together

The South African Food Corporation has recently launched the Star Grading Scheme for the food and food related industries. This project encourages anyone in the food or food related industry to become a safe food accredited supplier, manufacturer, farmer or establishment of food and non-food supplies or service. This will ensure protection for consumers and will especially be beneficial for tourists visiting our country during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The hospitality industry also needs to educate all their staff about the dangers that rats pose to themselves, other staff and to their guests. They need to drastically improve housekeeping, stacking, proofing and monitoring to ensure that they are pest free during this very busy period.

Quirky rat facts

• The average life span of a rat is 2 to 3 years. These omnivores can consume up to 28g (1 ounce) of food and drink per day.
• They are nocturnal and colorblind and can only distinguish between light, shadow and movement.
• They communicate through high-frequency sounds, smell, touch and body postures.
• Rats are more intelligent than rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs and have an excellent memory, making them the ultimate navigational creature.
• Rats use their tails to regulate their temperature, to communicate and for balance. They have glands on the bottom of their feet and will lie on their backs to sweat.

Pest controllers are entrusted with the unenviable task of ending life. Usually people will jump to the conclusion that pest controllers are cold-blooded exterminators. I want to set the record straight here: we do not enjoy snuffing the life out of a pest as much as you think we do. Let me give you one example: rodent control.

My first encounter of mouse control came a few years ago during a routine ride with a technician. A small mouse was caught on one of the glue boards which we were checking. We use glueboards less and less often nowadays because they are considered an inhumane way to trap rats or mice as the trapped rodents could succumb to dehydration, hunger and then die if not removed from the glue board promptly.

Recently, technology has done its part to assist us to trap mice in a humane manner, in the form of a mouse control device called Radar. The mechanism of the Radar unit is pretty simple. When the mouse enters the Radar unit, the exit doors are closed and carbon dioxide is released. All this happens within 45 seconds. The gas effectively puts the mouse to sleep in a humane manner whilst ridding a high-risk environment of a potential pest.

No matter how I explain it, eradicating pests will always sound inhumane and cruel to some. But do hear me out. We despatch mice and other pests (in the most humane way possible) in order to bring you peace of mind, and the knowledge that you are safe from property damage, food contamination and – most worringly – vector-borne diseases. I rest my case.

(Editor’s note 20/4: This blog post refers to Malaysian pest control. In fact, the use of glueboards has declined such that they are no longer used in many countries/markets.)

As you may recall know, I have been battling an extremely smart mouse in my house with the help of my excellent Technician Scott.  This rodent must know I work for Ehrlich because he/she has been extraordinarily difficult to remove.  Here’s the story of how we finally caught it.

I made hot cereal on the stove for my children for breakfast one morning.  We were in a rush (as usual) to get to school and work, so I left the pot with the last bits of cereal on the stove thinking I would wash it later. Little did I know….

When I returned home later that day, I went to wash the pot, only to find numerous signs of mice, e.g. droppings (bleuch) and little mouse mouth marks all over the remaining cereal (double bleuch).  Upon closer inspection, it looked like our mouse had a Cream of Wheat party and had left droppings all over my stove and counter (triple bleuch).  So out came the bleach, the hot water, antibacterial cleaner, and I got to work.

This clean-up project continued on and off for several hours, interrupted by kids needing help with homework, etc.  I had cleaned the first four of the six burners on our stove but hadn’t gotten to the last 2 yet when my teenage daughter came down to offer her help cleaning up the last 2 burners.

We were standing side by side when she lifted the teapot off the rear burner.  That’s when the screaming began!!  That’s also when the teapot was immediately dropped, and we both ran to the other side of the kitchen hugging each other (yes, I know, I’ve worked in pest control for 20 years – I should know better!).  We stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do – our innocent little teapot had been hiding this rodent since we’d arrived home that day.  I had been cleaning literally within inches of it the whole afternoon and evening!

Once sense got a hold of me, I made a quick call to the technician, and he arrived in no time at all.  What was most amazing was that the mouse stayed under the teapot until he arrvied.  Not sure if he was as scared as we were or if it was the Cream of Wheat that was keeping him there…

I wanted to share a bit of a humorous pest control story with our blog readers.  I have two children, a boy aged 11 and a daughter, who is 14.  Certainly, in our business there’s always an interesting dinner time story… the bed bug fumigation, the rodent in someone’s toilet, etc.

A few weeks ago, we took a quick family trip and stayed at a hotel.  I was in the bathroom getting things set up when I turned around and saw my children pulling off all of the bed sheets!  My first instinct was to scold them, but reason got a hold of me and instead I asked what they were doing.  The response absolutely floored me!  “We’re checking for bed bugs, Mom.  Isn’t this what Ehrlich tells people who are travelling to do?”

Amazing… apparently they’ve been listening.  Now if only they’d clean their rooms without being asked…