Pest control – rid your home of infestations

Pests can invade your home at anytime – be it rodents, bugs, wasps or squirrels – so find out what the most common household pests are and how to deal with them here.

Learn how to prevent pests getting into your home
C: Whiskymac on Flickr

Household pests can harm your health, damage your property and cause untold stress and worry. Simon Lambert, who runs Harry Jackson Pest Control in Worthing says: “The best advice I can give is not to ignore pests – deal with the problem straight away.” Identifying pests and knowing how to deal with them can be difficult though, so here’s a guide to the most common household pests.

Rodents

According to the National Pest Technicians Association (NPTA) rat infestations are on the rise – in 2008/9 they recorded 378,000 cases, 15% more than in the previous year. Rats not only cause damage by gnawing wires, furniture and insulation in your home, they also pose a very real health risk. A recent report by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) finds that: “Brown rats in the UK are infected with 13 different parasites and human disease agents.” This includes mites, fleas, lice and zoonotic agents (diseases passed from animals to humans) such as tuberculosis and salmonella.

Mice carry similar risks and their numbers have also risen, say the NPTA, who dealt with 147,000 mice infestations in 2008/9. The problem with rodents is that they can squeeze into your property through very small gaps and are attracted by warm, dry places and a regular food source so can be hard to get rid of. Poison and traps are the most common forms of rodent control; you can lay poison yourself but hiring a professional is safer and more humane – they are able to use higher dosages which kill faster. Simon says: “Mice are easier than rats to catch, as they investigate traps but rats fear new things and so will avoid them. ”

Bedbugs

Extremely rare after the Second World War, bedbugs are now on a worldwide rise, says the World Health Organisation (WHO). These 7mm long bugs are brown, with antennae and are as flat as a sheet of paper – which means they can squeeze into tiny gaps. Bedbugs live in wooden furniture, bed frames and mattresses and come out at night to feed on our blood, attracted by warm human bodies and the CO2 we give off whilst we sleep.

As well as causing itching, sleepless nights and a possible allergic reaction, bedbugs contain around 28 human pathogens, says WHO, so they have the potential to cause health problems over time. Dealing with an infestation can be hard since these creatures hide in small crevices. “Bedbugs are the most difficult pests to get rid of,” agrees Simon, “you have to go in and turn the bed upside down and check all the furniture thoroughly.” You will need a professional to rid your home of bedbugs.

Bees, wasps and hornets

Bee’s nests should not be destroyed
C: jlcwalker on Flickr

There are many types of bees, wasps and hornets and it can be difficult to distinguish between them, so hire a professional to identify the species correctly.

Some bees prefer to nest in compost heaps or holes in walls, sheds or lofts but most aren’t aggressive. Bees are important for pollination and food production and should not be harmed or their nests destroyed. The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) has guidelines on how to deal with bees; “I try and help people to live with bees rather than destroy the nests,” explains Simon.

Wasps and hornets are more aggressive than bees and usually construct nests (which look like paper Mache) in lofts and wall cavities. To deal with an infestation the nest will need to be destroyed – which can be dangerous - so be sure to hire a professional.

Cockroaches

“Cockroaches rank as one of the most common and objectionable insect pests, especially in low income housing,” says the CIEH report. They can carry diseases, produce a horrible scent and their faeces irritate asthma and eczema. Cockroaches love built up areas and hide in hollow wall or ceiling voids, rubbish and furniture. To prevent cockroaches getting into your home, block up holes in the exterior, don’t leave food and rubbish exposed and hire a professional to deal with an infestation.

Ants

Ants are fairly easy to remove

Ants will normally nest in the garden but enter your home searching for food, so make sure that none is left lying around. The good news is that ants are easy to get rid of: “There are many black ants around in warmer weather, you need to use a quality powder to get rid of them,” Simon says. Destroy the nest to make sure they are gone for good.

Woodworm and other insects

Woodworm can seriously damage the timber in your property and are normally spread through second hand furniture. You can spot woodworm by looking out for small holes where they have burrowed but it is important to get a proper timber survey carried out if you are purchasing a new property, a specialist will treat or replace infected timber. Other pests include moths, carpet beetles and fleas which live in clothes, carpets and soft furnishings. These kinds of pests can irritate asthma, bite and annoy but can be tackled fairly easily with regular cleaning and use of appropriate sprays.

Squirrels

These animals can cause untold damage to your home, most often getting into roofs, chewing woodwork, insulation, electrical wiring and water pipes. Cover gaps with wire mesh to stop them getting inside to begin with and keep your roof in good repair. Squirrels can be aggressive when challenged, carry diseases and mites and have incredibly sharp teeth – so do not attempt to remove them yourself – hire a pest control expert. Simon explains that: “We are not allowed to release grey squirrels back into the wild as they aren’t a native species so we catch and dispatch them humanely.”

Moles

The population of moles has
increased rapidly in Britain

Since the use of specific poisons was banned in Britain, the mole population has tripled in the last two years to 33 million, says the British Traditional Molecatchers Register. Moles can cause serious damage to fields and gardens and are impossible to prevent. Each mole creates their own vast tunnel network and needs to consume its body weight in food each day to survive. Since most poisons and fumigation methods have now been banned, Simon says: “We use traps which can be better actually because at least you know you’ve definitely caught your mole.”

Hiring a pest control specialist

While you can carry out some pest control measures yourself, it is safer and more humane to use a professional like a member of the BPCA or the NPTA. They will be able to identify the pest properly (which is a legal requirement) and will know how to treat the problem accordingly. Simon says: “Recently we surveyed a property where the occupant thought she had bedbugs but we found that it was actually an allergic reaction to some news cushions. Now, a cowboy would have probably still charged and treated the house for bedbugs anyway – which could have run into treble figures.”

How much does pest control cost?

You should get a couple of quotes from a professional and be aware that the cost of pest control will vary depending on the type and size of the infestation. “A professional should be able to give you a ballpark figure for the work beforehand,” advises Simon.