Ants - Black

Description: Typical worker ants are 3-4mm long of a brown/black colour with elbowed antennae and biting mouthparts. The queen tends to be much larger at about 10mm.

Biology: Garden Ants usually nest outdoors in lawns, flower beds, beneath paving and at the base of walls. Premises are usually invaded by worker ants foraging for food, especially sweet foods. During summer, winged females (Queens) and males leave the nest on one or two warm afternoons and take flight. During this flight, which may only last for 2- 3 hours, the ants mate. The formation of a new colony starts with a mated winged female digging into the earth to overwinter and start a new colony in the spring.

BYE BYE Ants
If possible we would first trace the trail of worker ants which would normally be outside under patios, garden paths etc.  If a nest can be exposed and its safe to do so we would then apply an insecticidal treatment to it.  But this is not always possible or practiable so we would then either use an ant gel or an insectide spray.  If we use an ant gel this is a unique non-drying formulatiion which is highly attractive to ants and remains active for up to 3 months.  Ants are drawn to the droplets to feed, before returning to their nest along with some of the droplet and subsequently eradicating the colony.  It can be applied in food handling areas, public buildings and outside areas (not to be used in soil, lawns and flowerbeds).  A significant reduction in ant activity can be expected within days after treatment, followed by colony elimination in 2-3 weeks.  Please note an initial increase in ant activity might be seen (as they are attracted to the bait)  If we use an insecticide spray this would be to treat outside the building we would pay special attention to likely entry points such as under doors, around pipes, around windows and air bricks this would create an insecticidal barrier to stop foraging workers ants invading into building and eventually stop leading other ants in as well.
 
We would not use both methods of gel bait and insecticidal spray at the same time because they both play different roles in getting rid of ants.  A spray is good for stopping foraging ants entering buildings as this will kill ants that are there at the time and leave a barrier, but gel bait would encourage worker ants to the bait so they can take the bait back to the nest which would result in colony elimination within 3 weeks.  As we treat every job differently we would advise the best treatment to take.

For more information on ants, please call or email.

Ants - Pharaoh

Description: The pharaoh ant is a small ant of tropical origin.  The workers are only 2mm long, the queen 5mm long and both are yellow in colour.  The ants have a charatristic double cegmented waist and a darkend tip to the abdomen. 
 
Biology:  In temperate climates it is an indoors species, associated particularly with large facilities such as hospitals, prisons, and blocks of flats.  Unlike some other ant species, the queen maybe replaced by other queens.  This is an important feature to bear in mind during control, as new queens can be produced when needed resulting in colonies which are able to split.

BYE BYE Pharaoh Ants
Pharaoh ants are a public health issue.  So we would first carry out a thorough survey and most often pharaoh ants are found near a source of moisture such as kitchens or bathrooms, the use of residual treatments is generally not effective as they may cause the nest to fragment, it may bring temporary relief in small areas but apparent success is usually illusory.  The difficulty of accessing nests means that such treatments rely on killing worker ants in an attempt to starve the nests (containing brood, nurse workers and the queens) of their food supply, this rarely works because insufficant numbers of workers are killed and nests also contain reserves of food, furthermore the presents of insecticides within range of a nest may induce migration away from the treated area encouraging the spread of infestation.  To treat Pharaoh ants we would use a bait which is a unique none drying formulation highly attractive to ants and remians active for up to three months.  Pharaoh ants are drawn to the droplets to feed before returning to there nest along with some of the droplet and subsequently eradicating the colony, it can be applied in food handling areas, plublic buildings and outside areas (not to be used in soil, lawns, flower beds).  A significant reduction in ant activity can be expected within days after treatment followed by ellimination within one to two weeks.  Please note that an initial increase in Pharaoh ant activity might be seen as they are attractive to the bait.  We would recommend a follow on call within two to three weeks of the initial treatment.

For more information on ants, please call or email.

Bed Bugs

Description: Bed bug adults are reddish-brown, oval, flattened insects from 4 to 5 mm long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide before feeding. Engorged adults tend to be swollen and dull red. The eggs are white, oval, about mm long and covered in a sticky film which allows them to adhere to surfaces. A newly hatched nymph is almost colourless whereas engorged nymphs are reddish and swollen.

Biology: Although humans are the preferred host, bed bugs feed on many warm-blooded animals. Bed bugs usually hide in cracks or mattresses during the day and emerge at night to feed. They inject saliva as they feed and allergic reaction to this substance often causes slightly delayed swelling, itching and burning.

Under favourable conditions, each female lays 200 to 500 eggs and at temperatures above 21°C these hatch in 6 to 17 days. Adults often survive up to 2 months without food, but under certain circumstances can live a year or more without feeding.

BYE BYE Bed Bugs
The most obvious sign of an infestation is people complaining of being bitten. Bed Bugs are not always easily seen as they can get into any crack or crevice such as behind headboards, in chest of drawers, seams of mattresses and wallpaper, but they are never far from their host at meal times! Often you can see small black dots or smear marks that the Bed Bug leaves behind after they are full from a feed.

There are several causes of an infestation such as buying second hand furniture, or they can attach themselves to suitcases when people travel. Bed bugs can also come from joining houses if the infestation is bad they could spread to look for another food source.

Bed bugs can be very difficult to control so it is very important that preparation prior to our visit's has been carried out. All bedding and curtains must be removed and transported in bin liners when taking to the washing machine to avoid spreading bed bugs into other parts of the house. The room(s) treated must be vacuumed and cleaned, empty all draws and wardrobes and clothes only re introduced to the rooms once they have been washed or tumble dryed, again make sure that they are put in bin liners when transporting through the house to try and prevent spreading bed bugs. The treatment we carry out will fail if the room(s) are for of clutter, the rooms must be cleared of books, toys, boxes, cds, posters etc. Do not put these items in other rooms. Items that can not be sprayed with our insecticide should be put in a freezer overnight and put back in the rooms once they have been treated.

If you are going to replace the bed we would recommend you are sure the infestation Is gone first. Once the work has been carried out do not enter treated areas until all surfaces are dry this includes pets. Do not vacuum floor surfaces for at least 2 weeks. The treated rooms must be heated and occupied at night as this encourages the bed bugs to come out and crawl on the treated surfaces. Please note bed bugs will only come out from there hiding places once they can detect CO2, (basically you breathing). This will make eradication more likely and quicker, be prepared to see some bed bugs for at least 2 weeks after treatment, if you see any more bed bugs after this time then follow up sprays will be needed.

For more information on bed bugs, please call or email.

Carpet Beetles

Description: Adults are 2 - 4 mm long and variable black or brown with mottled yellow or white markings. A pest primarily in the home, food and museum sectors (the latter causing a significant threat to collections).

Biology: Mating occurs immediately after emergence. The female produces up to 100 eggs over a period of two weeks. Larval development lasts for 10-30 days. Larval forms (known as the "Woolly Bear") can reach 4-5 mm
in size before pupation and can cause considerable damage to products such as wool, fur, leather, silk and animal skins, and occasionally cereal based food products. Adult carpet beetles usually live outdoors on pollen and nectar, and thrive in situations where they remain undisturbed, such as under carpets, bird and rodent nests and animal remains.

BYE BYE Carpet Beetles
Before treatment we would recommend to vacuum clean especially around skirting boards, behind wardrobes, tables and chairs and also in cracks and crevices, this will help remove any old debris and larvae. We will also try and trace the source of the infestation, this could be from old nests, we would treat this with an insecticide dust.

We would lift and treat the underside of carpets around skirting boards and also around fireplaces and other likely to be areas contracted by invading adult insects with a residual insecticide. After treatment we would not recommend you vacuum for 2/3 week and also empty the hoover bag.

For more information on carpet beetles, please call or email.

Cockroaches

The most common cockroaches we deal with are;
1) German Cockroach. These are light brown in colour and have distinctive dark stripes running lengthwise down the body.

Description: Adult German "cockroaches are about 17mm long and light brown except for the shield behind the head marked with two dark stripes, which run lengthwise on the body. The nymphs are wingless and nearly black with a single light stripe running down the middle of the back. Egg capsules are light tan.

Biology: Egg cases are carried by the female until just before hatching and each female may produce four to six cases during her lifetime, each containing 30 to 40 eggs. Eggs hatch in 28 to 30 days, and nymphs develop in 40 to 125 days. Female cockroaches live about 200 days (slightly longer than the male). The German cockroach produces more eggs and has more generations per year (three to four) than any other cockroach, and only a few individuals are needed to develop into troublesome infestations.

2) Oriental Cockroach. These are dark brown to black in colour, are shiny and flattened in shape.

Description: Usually dark reddish brown in colour, the adults are about 25mm long and the immature cockroaches (nymphs) resemble adults except that they are wingless.

Biology: Unlike other pest cockroaches, Oriental's cannot climb up smooth surfaces. Oriental cockroaches generally live in moist areas, but can survive in dry areas if they have access to water. They tend to prefer cooler temperatures and thus are common in basements, boiler houses and walkways adjacent to buildings. The Oriental cockroach breeds well in unventilated crawl spaces or basements where humidity is high. Adult cockroaches can live up to one year, during which females produce an average of 150 young. This cockroach prefers to feed on starchy foods but will adapt to survive.

Both of these species are nocturnal, but can also be seen during the day.

BYE BYE Cockroaches

The oriental cockroach is the more difficult cockroach to eradicate because an allowance must be made for the long incubation period of the tolerate egg case. The incubation time is 6-12 weeks so you would need more follow on visits to control these pests. The german cockroach is easier to eradicate than the oriental cockroach because of the prompt emergence of it nymphs from the oothecae (egg cases) 2-4 weeks.

The same treatment is used to eliminate both species. The Cockroach causes many problems within the food industry as they can cross contaminate food stuffs and cause many food outlets to be fined, or even worse shut down. Hygiene therefore is of the utmost importance, i.e. ensuring any food debris is cleared away, under cookers and behind fridges etc. Food stuffs in cupboards should be covered so the Cockroach cannot contaminate The cleaner the infested area the better chance of the treatment being successful. An integrated approach is needed to eradicate these pests, involving spraying or dusting floor areas, wall junctions, in skirting boards.
The most likely area to find the German Cockroach are warm places such as behind fridges / freezers near the electric motors, at the back of cookers, near central heating pipes.

The Oriental Cockroach favours damp conditions, indoors in heating buildings, underground heating ducts and also in drains. They cannot tolerate extremely hot and dry conditions.

The chemicals we use do not stain and are non-corrosive. We use various chemicals, the details of which can be found on 'safety information' section. We also use gel baits. This would be applied identified target areas. This would be placed out of sight such as behind fridges, cookers, sinks and bath panels and is ideal around sensitive situations such as electrical and mechanical. The Cockroach will feed on the bait and crawl away to die. The gel bait will also be affective when the survivors eat the corpses of the dead Cockroaches or faeces that have taken the bait.

An effect on the Cockroach population can be expected within a week, but please note we need to attend for more than once and cannot give any guarantees as Cockroaches are extremely difficult to eradicate and may need regular visits to control. After spraying and gel baiting we put down ID units (sticky boards). This is to monitor the size / decline of the Cockroach infestation on our return visits.

For more information on cockroaches, please call or email.

Fleas

Description: Adult fleas are 2-3 mm in length and generally of a shiny brown appearance. They have a thin, laterally flattened body and large hind legs which allow them to jump onto passing hosts.

Biology: Flea eggs are about 0.5mm long, oval, pearly-white in colour and laid indiscriminately in the fur or feathers of the host or in its nest or bedding. Four to eight eggs are laid after each blood meal and a single female may produce 800 - 1000 eggs during her lifetime, which may be as long as two years.

The larvae thrive in dark, humid places such as animal bedding and carpet fluff, and feed on organic debris and adult flea excrement. Cats' bedding may support a flea population of 8000 immature and 2000 adult forms.

BYE BYE Fleas
The most common fleas we come across are the cat and dog flea. The majority of the time this is caused by cat or dog bringing the flea into the home, which in turn causes problems for the owners as they are bitten.

To treat an infestation we would firstly advise the customer to treat the animal with an appropriate flea treatment which you can obtain from the vets. We would then ask that they prepare the premises before we can carry out treatment. To do this we would require them to hoover the whole premises (emptying the hoover afterwards). This will pick up any fleas present and contribute in clearing the infestation quicker. Live insects may be seen for some days after treatment as they continue to emerge and until they have contacted the insecticide. Elimination should not be expected within ten days.

We would then spray all floor areas in the property asking the occupiers to only enter when floor surfaces are dry (usually a couple of hours). This will kill most adult fleas. Most infestations will be clear after ten days, but in particularly bad cases a re-spray may be required. We would advise the customer not to hoover for at least ten days to enable the chemical to be left down as long as possible.

For more information on fleas, please call or email.

Flies - Cluster

Description: At about 9mm long, the cluster fly is slightly larger than the common house fly. The thorax is dark olive grey, with fine golden hairs which can easily be rubbed off. There are no distinct lines or stripes behind the head and the abdomen has irregular light and dark grey areas.

Biology: The female lays eggs in the soil near the burrows of earthworms. The tiny maggots that hatch from the eggs seek out earthworms to feed upon. As cold weather progresses, adults seek protected places to spend the winter, particularly during September and October (activity can often be noted again in early spring). In many cases the flies seek shelter within walls, roof voids and attics, usually returning to the same building year after year and often favouring south facing buildings and sunny side walls.

BYE BYE Cluster Flies
It is not always possible to prevent flies from entering buildings, the use of a caulking component around window frames and sealing other entry points can help, controlling these pests outside is impractical, however once the flies do swarm inside a loft or attic it is relatively simple to control. Before treatment can begin we would make sure no bats are living in the area as bats are protected (wildlife and countryside act 1981) care would be taken to survey for signs, cases of doubt we would notify the bat conservation trust. If there are no bats present then treatment can begin, we would need to cover any water tanks (if they have no covers) and make sure fire alarms are switched off, then we would use a maxi force smoke generator this would fill the loft with a smoke which has a permethrin in it. Once generators have been used we would remove them from the loft.

For more information on cluster flies, please call or email.

Flies - House

Description: Adults, 6 mm long with a wingspan of 13-15mm and the 4th vein on the wing bends sharply forward. The thorax has a 4 distinct stripes.

Biology: The eggs laid in decaying material particularly rubbish dumps and manure heaps. Under ideal conditions it can take as little as 2 weeks to complete its lift cycle.

BYE BYE House Flies
Removal and exclusion of breeding sites, such as refuse areas, is essential, space sprays with a knockdown action are a good method of control and again proofing of doors and windows. Unlike the lesser house fly, electric fly killers can be effective at killing these flies when they enter premises.

For more information on house flies, please call or email.

Moths

1) Brown House Moth
Description: Shiny gold/brown moth approximately 10mm in length. The wing tips have a hairy/feathery appearance and the wings themselves have dark brown spots (although these can easily be rubbed off).

Biology: The larvae of these insects can cause considerable damage when they feed on articles that contain wool, mohair, fur, hair, feathers or other products of animal origin. The brown house moth will also feed on other organic debris including dried or moldy food waste. The female lays up to 500 white eggs on the surface of fabrics which can hatch into larvae in as little as 10 days. The period of larval development is 6 weeks (under ideal conditions), during which time the larvae actively feed on fabrics etc.

2) Case-Bearing Moth
Description: The moths are approximately 5cm in length. Forewings are yellowish-brown, and there are usually three distinct, dark dots on the outer third of each wing.
Hind wings are smaller, lighter, and fringed with hair and scales. Eggs are whitish and larvae are opaque-white with brown heads.

Biology: Clothes moths rarely fly to lights at night and instead prefer darkness, such as a closet or storage chest Any clothes moths fluttering around the house are probably males, because females travel by running, hopping, or trying to hide in the folds of clothing. The female lays 100 -150 white eggs on the surface of the fabric which will hatch into larvae in approximately 5 days. The period of larval development is usually 6 weeks, during which time the larvae actively feed on the fabric, however, this can take considerably longer under cooler conditions.

3) Common Clothes Moth
Description: Slightly larger than the Case-bearing moth, adults can reach up to 7mm. The moths are a light, shiny gold colour, with a tuft of reddish hairs on the head.

Biology: Similar to Case-Bearing Clothes Moth.

BYE BYE Moths
Treatment is similar for all textile moths first we would try to locate the source of the infestation, this could be an old bird nest or rodent nest once the source has been identified it would be treated/destroyed we would examine closets and stored goods for larvae cases moths and damage this would especially apply to the common clothes moth then a residual insecticide would be applied to wall and floor and also ceiling junctions and around carpet edges back of empty wall robes etc Please do not vacuum treated areas for a couple of weeks

If the infestation is present in your loft we would treat the area with a residual insecticide or a space treatment ulv/smoke generator Please note no such treatment would be carried out if bats are roosting or if they have been present we would always get this checked out first as all bats and their roosts are fully protected by the wild life and countryside act 1981.

For more information on moths, please call or email.

Wasps

Description: 10mm-20mm distinctive banding in bright yellow and black, two pairs of membranous wings.

Biology: Queen emerges from hibernation in mid April and constructs 10-20 chambers and lays eggs in each one. Normally they start of the size of a golf ball. Nests are constructed every year from wasps made by chewing wood and plant debris with saliva, sterile female workers hatch and by late summer the colony can reach between 3,000-30,000 individuals, males and new queens are produced in late summer, males mate with new queens and then die The queen wasps in turn fly off to find an over winter hibernation site usually inside buildings or hollow trees

BYE BYE Wasps
The simple advice would be if you see a wasp nest it is best not to deal with it yourselves, disturbing a nest is highly dangerous, it is best to call a qualified pest control technician.

When treating a wasps nest we would first endeavour to locate the nest. This is not always possible, for example it may be located in a wall cavity but it is usually easy to see wasps going in and out of a hole and so we would then dust the entrance point with a chemical called Ficam D which contains Bendiocarb.

We rarely need to use ladders for nests that are high up as we use a GPS dust gun which can reach at least six metres. All wasps nests that we treat are guaranteed.

For more information on wasps, please call or email.