Pest Information

Is your garden overrun with moles? Do you have a wasp nest? Are your paddocks overrun with rabbits? Pest infestations can damage your health and your home. Recent surveys show that the number of mice, rats and bed bugs found in UK homes are increasing. For friendly advice and a free quote on any of the below pest control issues please give us a call.

Ants

Black Ants:

The Black ant or garden ant that causes a lot of trouble in our houses. The black ant is 3.5 to 5mm long dark brown or black in colour. They usually nest outside in lawns, flowerbeds, under paving stones and in walls. The black ant is not a health hazard, but can cause a nuisance. They enter the home in search of sweet food.

Pharaoh’s Ant:

They measure 1.5 to 2mm long yellow brown in colour occasionally with brown abdomen. Pharaoh ants cause a risk to health as they feed on sweet food etc in hospitals they will feed on blood dead insects and cause contamination.

Aphids

They are the common garden pests that are found on a wide range of plants.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are parasites that preferentially feed on humans – sucking blood. In the past decade Bed Bugs have been making a come back across the world. Although they are not considered to be a health hazard they can be very unpleasant to live with. They live in bed clothes, mattresses, bedsprings and frames cracks, crevices and under wallpaper. The female lays about 200 -500 eggs in batches of 10 to 50 on rough surfaces. The eggs hatch in about 10 days

Cockroach

Cockroaches carry food poisoning germ on their bodies which can spread dysentery and gastro-enteritis. They like living in kitchens and bathrooms. A female cockroach can produce 300-400 offspring in one year.

Dust Mites

The house dust mite is a cosmopolitan quest in human habitation. Dust mites feed on organic detritus such as flakes of shed human skin and flourish in the stable environment dwellings. Dust mites are considered to be the most common causes of asthma and allergic symptoms. A female dust mite will lay between 60 to 100 eggs in five weeks.

Feral Pigeons

Feral Pigeons can cause extensive damage to buildings, as their droppings are corrosive. They are descendants of the Rock Dove so they are quite at home living in an urban environment. Pigeons tend to scavenge food, often in substantial numbers where a good food supply is readily available. They are capable of breeding all year round if the conditions are right. They are known carriers of diseases, which can be transferred mechanically to humans, such as salmonella and psittacosis.

Fleas

Fleas are a nuisance to people and animals living in the house, some people do suffer from allergic reactions from flea bites. The bites often appear in clusters or lines.

Flies

House flies are a health risk and cause diseases, such as food – poisoning and dysentery. There are a lot of different species of flies in the UK such as Bluebottles, cluster flies, fruit flies what ever sort of fly problem you have we can deal with it.

Mice

Mice can carry a number of infectious diseases that can cause a risk to humans and animals. A female mouse produces about 5-10 litters per year, consisting of 4-8 young, they are independent after 3 weeks old. Possible evidence of Mice may include, shredded paper may be found and damage to packaging. Sightings of droppings one mouse can produce 60-100 droppings per day

Moles

Moles are a nuisance on lawns and flowerbeds etc.

Rabbits

Rabbits breed from January to June can move into August is the weather is good. They have a gestation period of 4 weeks, with 2 – 4 litters per annum. 3 – 6 young per litter. They may conceive 2 days after giving birth. Rabbits are found in hedgerows, banking, woods, gardens, farms etc. An adult rabbit does not often move further than 200 metres from the main burrow. Juveniles move up to 4km after the breeding season.

Damage caused by rabbits is estimated at £100 million per annum, they damage crops, paddocks and grass/garden areas.

Rats

Rats can carry parasites which are harmful to humans and livestock also they cause damage to property. Brown Rats can mate at three months old. Females come into heat every four to five days. Females have on average 3 to 7 litters a year with 6 – 12 young in each litter. After giving birth the female comes into heat in 24 hours.

Possible Evidence of rats:

• Rats establish runways, which are regularly used in traveling between food and cover.
• Sightings of Rat droppings

Silverfish

They have no direct effect on human health, but can cause damage to books, textiles, tapestries, also hair silverfish will commonly be found in and around showers, baths & sinks.

Wasps

Wasps are not a health hazard but can cause a painful sting and some people have an allergic reaction. A wasp nest could house several thousand wasps.