Increasing Problems As Climate Changes

Bypest, the professional pest control company based in London, is warning businesses and the general public to be alert for increased pest activity as a result of unusual climate conditions.

The recent cold spell prompted many people to increase their use of heating, which creates ideal indoor conditions for many pests to thrive. For the future, the summer of 2010 is expected to be unusually hot, potentially creating ideal conditions for pest to thrive.

In cold weather, people tend to use their heating more, making their homes a potential target for pests. "In harsh weather, outdoor food sources are scarce, so pests such as mice and rats can seek refuge and food sources inside homes," explains Tony Halliday, Bypest's Managing Director. "Insects' lifecycles depend on the temperature, so in heated buildings pests such as cockroaches will spread rapidly, laying 30 to 40 eggs at a time. Fleas, which require a source of blood to survive, like to be indoors near to people and their pets. Leaving the heating on can lead to up to 1000 of the female flea's eggs hatching in just two or three days."

Bedbugs are a particularly challenging indoor pest, lying dormant in cracks and crevices near sleeping places and emerging to bite at night. "It's difficult to spray bedbugs directly, since they hide in awkward places – inside TVs, behind skirting boards or even in plug sockets," says Tony. "You have to treat the surfaces they will walk over when trying to feed from you. The hard part is that they will remain dormant unless they sense a host in the room for them to feed from – it's unpleasant knowing you have to sleep in the room to attract them out of hiding, but it is essential to treating the problem. This is exactly why bedbugs are a massive problem for commercial clients such as hotels and hostels."

The trend towards warmer and longer summers will also have an impact on pest numbers, particularly insects such as flies and wasps. "Insects' lifecycles speed up when it's hot," says Tony. "For example, the house fly's full lifecycle can take up to four weeks. However, with favourable temperature and food sources, that shortens to as little as one week."

If dangerous pests such as wasps do become a problem, it's essential to seek professional help. "Although British wasps don't tend to swarm, they will sting if you anger them by attempting to move or destroy the nest," Tony points out. "If you decide to leave the nest alone, the wasps can come indoors to seek food once vegetation dies down in the winter – and once the nest is deserted, you'll be obliged to kill each wasp individually. Our advice is to have a professional dust the nest as soon as possible, even if the wasps are not causing a problem."

Article provided by Bypest