The Pest Olympics — Amazing Pest Feats

As is the case every Olympics (Winter or otherwise), I am in awe of what the human body can achieve.  The years of dedication, of training, of success and of triumph that Olympians endure deserves our respect.

But in watching the 2010 Olympics, it occurred to me that humans have nothing over most pests when it comes to amazing physical abilities and there and some pretty amazing unbelievable truths too.   Now, as I said, I have complete respect for all human Olympians.   But just think about the events we could hold at The Pest Olympics and what amazing pest feats you might see:

The High/Long Jump: Mice have a 12 inch vertical jump while rats have a 36 inch vertical jump and a 48 inch horizontal jump. Some fleas can jump 150 times their own length. That compares to a human jumping 1,000 feet!  (One flea actually broke a world record and won a gold medal for jumping 4 feet!)

The Tight Squeeze: Rats can fit through openings that are as small as 1/2 inch in diameter and can climb the inside of vertical pipes that are 1 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.  (Fortunately, a proessional pest control comany can advise on how best to close these gaps!)

The Long Distance Shuffle: Bedbugs are capable of traveling as far as 100 feet to feed.  That may not sound like much until you consider that we’re talking about an animal that is 1/8 inch long.

The Speed Demon: If a man could run as fast for his size as an ant can, he could run as fast as a racehorse.

The Weight Lifting Event: Remember the Rubber Tree Plant song?!  Ants can lift 20 times their own body weight.

The Rodent Free Fall: Did you know a mouse can jump down 12 feet and a rat can drop down 50 feet without injury?

The Slam Dunk: A single brown bat can catch around 1,200 mosquito-size insects in one hour.

Survivor at Sea: Rats can swim 1/2 mile in open sea and tread water for 3 days. They can dive 100 feet underwater and hold their breath for as long as 15 minutes.