Orkin Fights for Factual Pest Portrayals in Pop Culture

ATLANTA - As pest season begins, bug content is everywhere – but turns out most of it is wrong, Orkin said in a press release. To acknowledge this, Orkin kicks off its annual Bug Week, dubbed Bug Week Bug Fails, by correcting illustrations and representations of bugs found across the internet, pop culture and beyond. From mascots to tattoos, Orkin, with the help of the public, said it aims to ensure no incorrect bug is left behind.

To understand the basic pest knowledge of consumers, Orkin recently surveyed the public with simple identification questions. While knowing the differences between household pests might not win many trivia night competitions, proper identification of pests is key to helping homeowners keep their property and families safe.

Through the survey, only 42 percent of respondents were able to correctly identify a termite from a winged ant. While that might seem like an innocent oversight, termites are known as "silent destroyers" because they can hide and thrive in your home or yard without any immediate signs of damage. 

While a majority of respondents could identify a bed bug from a tick, four out of 10 people could not. Bed bugs are known for rapid population growth and can survive for several months while waiting for their next blood meal, so they're likely to emerge the moment a food source, such as humans or animals, becomes available.

Additionally, while not an identification question, but still a very important one, nearly a quarter of respondents did not know that mosquitoes are the deadliest creature in the world. This makes them one of the greatest public health threats, as mosquitoes are known to spread diseases like the Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria.

Orkin's Bug Week Bug Fails is to shine a light on the pest inaccuracies seen in day-to-day content. Consumers can tag #BugWeekBugFails on Instagram and TikTok and Orkin might just fix it. Those who utilize the hashtag will also receive $50 off their first service.