Furry fiends, scary scurriers, and creepy crawlers-- In honor of Spooky Season, we've compiled some frightening facts about common pests.

• Some cockroaches can crawl at speeds over 3 miles per hour, which is about the equivalent of a human moving at 200 miles per hour (The Exorcist staircase scene, anyone?)
  
  
• Zombies are real in the ant kingdom. The fungus Ophiocordyceps takes over the ant’s central nervous system, blocking signals from the brain and essentially taking control.
  
  
• A mosquito can drink up to 3 times its body weight in blood.
  
  
• A cockroach can live for about a week without its head, and even then, dehydration is what finally kills it.
  
  
• Pillbugs can take in water through their mouth parts as well as their rear.
  
  
• Real-life vampires: Bed bugs can survive for over a year without a meal, emerging to feed once they detect body heat.
  
  
• Rats have in fact been documented emerging from sewers via toilets.
  
  
• Ticks secrete small amounts of anesthetic in their saliva, so their victims can’t feel them attaching themselves.
  
  
• A female mouse can have up to 15 litters per year- with an average litter size of 10-12 babies. That’s some pretty scary math.

Whatever pests are plaguing your pad, Burgess Pest Management has you covered better than a pillowcase ghost costume. Check out our Pad Protection Plans and our Home Sealer & Sanitizer Service and insulation cleanouts. There are no tricks-- just the treat of having a pest-free house.

We've got more spooky pest content coming this week! In the meantime, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs-- well, you know...