Pest Control News Archive 2012

Squirrels In The Attic
Grey squirrels, like most other rodents, are experts at gaining access to otherwise inaccessible areas of our homes, such as loft spaces and attics. Able climbers, squirrels will often take advantage of fence lines, rows of conifers and even telegra... [more]

Battling The Pigeons
Experts agree: There are definitely more pigeons in the north west these days. And with the increased population comes increased problems related both to public health and property maintenance. Many people are resigned to the fact that pigeons are a ... [more]

Mating Interruptions For Moths
A leading food industry cleaning company is using science to disrupt moth mating cycles and prevent them contaminating chocolate bars. Hygiene Group is using pheromone technology to confuse male tropical warehouse moths, whose larvae can chew through... [more]

The Battle Against Bed Bugs
First come the bites, amazingly itchy, raised red welts that appear, literally, overnight. Then, you might notice scarlet spots on your sheets from smashed bugs or perhaps clusters of little black dots that you assume are dirt but are in fact constel... [more]

Are Pests Bugging You?
They are as big as a man; they're invisible. Some have fur, others feathers, maybe armoured scales. They creep, crawl, hop, jump, scamper, slither, fly – you name it. And they're generally things you don't want around. That's why they're called... [more]

IPM In Fast Food Restaurants
We can be proud that our pest control industry has been rightly called a "guardian of public health" – and we can be proud of that role as it applies to the fast food restaurant industry. The presence of flies, rodents and / or cockroaches in f... [more]

Swift End To Mouse Plague
With the weather turning colder, it is inevitable that rodents will attempt to find more substantial shelter and, as a consequence, you may find that you have unwelcome visitors to your home. With so many over-the-counter products available from bai... [more]

Plague of Mice Spreading
Warmer winters, the prevalence of rubbish on the streets and homeowners renovating their houses are all causing mice numbers to escalate at an alarming rate. New figures have revealed that homes and businesses with mice problems increased by eight p... [more]

Bed Bug Epidemic
An epidemic of bed bugs is sweeping the nation, fuelled by air travel and warmer summers leading to the number of infestations soaring by 500 per cent in the last two years. Cities such as Cambridge and Peterborough have taken the brunt of the epidem... [more]

Attack of the Home Wreckers
"Home, sweet home" can have an entirely new meaning when used in connection with pests. Rats, cockroaches and other pests can treat your house as a veritable food source, reducing it to a shell right under your feet. Rats and cockroaches are not jus... [more]

The Beneficial Nematode
People throughout the ages have searched for practical, organic pest control. Ancient Egyptians covered slaves in donkey's milk to keep the fleas away. Fashionable folks of the 18th century wore tubes filled with blood round their necks to deter the ... [more]

Eyes Peeled For School Pests
The latest green movement experienced in our schools today includes pest control. Environmentally friendly Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs are being encouraged across the UK to tackle the problem of preventing insects and rodents from roami... [more]

Watch Out For Rodents
It's getting cold, and rodents want to come indoors as much as you do. However, if they get in to your home, mice, rats and squirrels can cause hazards to both your health and your property. With ravenous appetites they will raid your cupboards, soi... [more]

Mice Heading For Home
When the weather turns cold, we aren't the only ones seeking the toasty comforts of indoors. When it gets cold outside, mice try to come inside, and they're not only looking for food – they're looking for warmth and they're looking for a good n... [more]

Contract Killer
The "joys of pest control" may sound like a contradiction in terms, but this industry is if nothing else, an interesting one – you never quite know where you're going to be from one minute to the next. Not simply something you can pick up over... [more]

Got Fleas? Get The Vacuum
Chances are, if you have ever owned a pet cat or dog, you will have encountered fleas at some point. In most situations, flea infestations are small and therefore, are one of the easier pests to eradicate. Fleas spread diseases, can transmit worms, ... [more]

Unwanted Garden Visitors
Creating a garden is hard enough without having to deal with rodents, cats and other critters eating it. Animals can wreak havoc in a garden – munching on leaves, nibbling on flowers and overturning pots. But these critters don't have to ruin a... [more]

Victim of the Larder Beetle
Imagine the scenario... You go to your kitchen cupboard to get some dry food for your pet. As you reach for it, you notice a couple of small, dark, hairy-looking "worms" on the bag. When you look closer, you see a couple more on the shelf, away from ... [more]

Pest Proof Your Home
The recent wet weather has caused the number of phone calls regarding cockroach and ant infestations to soar. When infestations do occur, the most effective method of removal is to invite your local pest control company to assess and then remove your... [more]

Time To Go On The Defensive
The alarm rings. You rise in the dark. You stumble into the kitchen. You flip on the light. AAAACK!!! No, not a burglar. This instant heart failure has been brought to you by a creature no bigger than a nectarine stone. Autumn is prime time for mous... [more]

Removing School Pests
Recent rat infestations across the country have nudged schools to focus on more modern methods of dealing with pests. Schools are putting together what's known in pest control circles as an integrated pest management plan, wbich relies more on buildi... [more]

Good Night, Sleep Tight...
... don't let the bed bugs bite. While parents have long left their children with these seemingly benign words as they drift off to sleep, few consider the reality of bed bugs when reciting the rhyme. Yet the bugs have made a comeback across the coun... [more]

Tips For Home Pest Control
The first important step in the process of insect control is to identify the insect that is present so that the proper control procedure will be used. The internet is a great source of information, and pest control officers from you local company wil... [more]

Control Garden Pests Organically
Knowing how to prevent and treat pest problems is fundamental to maximising the rewards you can reap from your gardening efforts. When faced with a pest problem, gardeners – new ones in particular – often reach for toxic insecticides. It... [more]

Silverfish Control
Silverfish thrive anywhere moisture is high – under sinks, around leaks, bathrooms, kitchens, attics, piles of leaves and mulch, and anywhere there is standing water. Silverfish control begins by reducing excess moisture as much as possible by ... [more]

The Noise of Rats with Wings
As the sun sinks slowly and day turns into night, the glowing skies at dusk often carry the soft sounds of the fluttering wings of the majestic... pigeon? Oh, yes. Columba livia – the Rock Dove, or common pigeon – has found a good thing ... [more]

Sting in the Tail
The picnic gatecrashers are back with a vengeance. Drunk, irritable and ready to cause trouble, they are amassing in greater numbers and heading for a jam sandwich near you. A warmer winter and spring coupled with a wet summer has reduced the natura... [more]

Control Of The Meal Moth
The main pest species of stored food include the Flour or Meal Moth, the Mediterranean Flour Moth and the Indian Meal Moth. The larvae of these and several other species feed on cereals and cereal products and frequently destroy or damage large quan... [more]

From Great Britain To Great Bitten
Bed bugs are everywhere; and the UK is experiencing an epidemic that has seen a 500-fold increase in these egregious little parasites, something which has been largely attributed to increased mobility and warmer temperatures. No longer confined to g... [more]

Sticky Sticky Sticky
Use of glue boards to trap stinging insects is really catching on at homes and sensitive accounts such as schools and churches. For most insect accounts, the best time to treat is in the evening, when most of the colony have finished their daily for... [more]

Clean and Spray to Oust Cockroaches
The first thing to ensure is that your pest is actually the humble cockroach. At this time of year, crickets and other insects that resemble cockroaches like to enter homes. These look-alike insects are rather benign, but cockroaches constitute an im... [more]

Bug Free Barbeques
When the sun is shining and the drinks are cold, you know it's time to heat up the barbeque, however when pests gatecrash the party, the seasonal fun can be spoiled. Ants, flies and stinging insects are prevalent in the late summer and early autumn ... [more]

Ants Are Enemy Pest Number One
They paraded into the pantry, inundated the bathroom and marched their way under the covers and into bed. The six-legged pests even turned up frozen in the middle of ice cubes. Attacking everything, ants can very nearly take over your home and your ... [more]

The Perils of Building Management
No matter how clean, well-managed or amenity-rich a building is, insect and rodent sightings are guaranteed to put tenants on the warpath, therefore making proactive pest control a component of your building management plan is the key to avoiding thi... [more]

Pest-Free Schooling
Which would you prefer. A school free of the many insect and rodent pests that can spread disease or one in which fears of pesticides exceed having a safe learning environment? Every year, parents hear or read stories involving the application of pe... [more]

Welcome Summer, Unwelcome Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes top the list of summer pest concerns according to recent research. Although mosquitoes will inevitably continue to put a stinger into summer fun this year, there are a number of solutions available to homeowners, helping you to keep these... [more]

How Does Diatomaceous Earth Work?
Fossils before grinding Diatomaceous Earth, also referred to as DE, is used as a non-toxic pesticide that can control a variety of pests in and around the home. These include ants, bedbugs, cockroaches, fleas, carpet beetles, centipedes, millipedes,... [more]

Crawling Bed Bugs
Bed bugs were largely wiped out by DDT after World War II, but for whatever reason – resistance to pesticides, changes in people's travel habits – their numbers are increasing at an alarming rate. As to their spread, bed bugs are great h... [more]

A Compendium of Pigeon Control Methods
Pigeons can be a menace to society and can cause damage and distress simply by deciding to take residence in our buildings. It's not only their droppings that cause problems, but their poor standards of hygiene and in particular their ability to harb... [more]

The Enemy In The Closet
Most moths are harmless to humans, but step inside the boudoirs and it's a different story. Our wardrobes are under siege from clothes-eating moths – or, to be more precise, their larvae. Global warming has seen a surge in moth numbers, but im... [more]

How To Choose A Safe Pest Control Firm
First of all, you want a pest control firm that has been in business for a while – pick your own standard. In addition, you should probably make sure that he / she belongs to a pest control association such as the British Pest Control Associati... [more]

Killgerm Apprentice 2012
Elliot Lowe, who runs Cavalry Pest Solutions in Wigan, Lancashire, has been named the 'Killgerm Apprentice 2012' winning a prize package of equipment and training worth £3,000. Elliot, who says he wanted to be in pest control since he was in junior... [more]

Controlling Mosquitoes
Did you know that there are more than 2,500 different species of mosquitoes throughout the world? The UK is home to over 30 of those species, which amounts to a large number of irritating mosquito bites. Not only do mosquito bites cause skin irritat... [more]

No Fleas Please
Fleas are a more difficult opponent to eradicate than most other household pests. But by using an integrated pest management approach that includes you, the homeowner, as part of the overall, long-term solution, fleas can be effectively controlled an... [more]

Controlling Moths With Pheromones
Fabric pests feed on a variety of organic materials, including cotton products, wool products, animal fur, feathers, clothing, carpeting, draperies and other fabrics. Most fabric pests are either clothes moths or carpet beetles, although silverfish c... [more]

Stinging Insects
People are often amazed to learn just how many species of stinging insects there are - and summer is the time many have a painful introduction to one or more of them. There are fleas, flies, lice, mosquitoes, ticks, wasps, and bees, to name just a fe... [more]

Elevated Wasp Populations
The pest control world is bracing itself for a marked increase in the wasp population across the UK and Ireland this summer. A mild winter and early spring coupled with low winter rainfall has given every opportunity for colonies to flourish. Early ... [more]

Ant Diets
Baits can be very effective at controlling ant infestations. However, to use baits successfully requires a reasonable understanding of species identification, ant feeding preferences, and how these preferences are influenced. Understanding ant diets... [more]

No More Free Estimates
Simply by flipping through the local phone directory, it is easy to get a good idea of the number of companies offering free estimates in a doomed-to-fail attempt to attract recurring business. Sadly, there tends to be far more pest control companies... [more]

London Residents Turn To Expert Team
Television and film paint a pretty rosy picture of the benefits of living in town, particularly in a bustling metropolis like London. Apartments, cafes, a comfortable life style; it all seems almost too good to be true. Many urban residents, however... [more]

How To Deal With Bed Bugs
For insects that can't hop or fly, bed bugs do have an amazing ability to get around. This is proved by the fact that bed bug infestations are on the rise in North America, Western Europe, and Australia. The National Pest Technicians Association (NP... [more]

Cockroaches Trigger Asthma
In recent years, several large-scale studies funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have reinforced the dangerous connection between cockroaches ... [more]

The Eco-Friendly Garden
Kermit the Frog is fond of saying "It's not easy being green", but thanks to concerned companies and people all over the world, going green has risen from obscurity to the mainstream in recent years. Gardeners and weekend warriors, along with the pr... [more]

Insects Wrongly Branded As Pests
Of all the insects found in and around your home, only around 5 percent should be considered as pests. The rest are actually quite useful to us, providing an important service in pollinating our plants and flowers. Pollen must be spread from one flo... [more]

A Working Life: The Falconer
Emu, a very handsome nine-year-old male harris hawk, is sitting on the roof of a flatbed truck in Eaton Square, London. Although the driver can't often have seen a bird of prey sitting on his truck, he is not at all amused. In fact he is glaring at t... [more]

Bed Bug Encasements
Bed bugs are proving to be one of the most challenging bugs pest management professionals have ever faced. The resiliency of this insect is nothing short of amazing. In addition to being capable of withstanding weeks of freezing temperatures and the... [more]

Market Report Reveals Growth
Apex Insight, a new research company based in London, has published research on the UK pest control industry. This quantifies the market size and historical patterns of growth, probes key trends behind the figures, profiles and explores the performan... [more]

Battle Those Pests
It's important to get rid of certain insects and animals because they're destructive to our homes and landscaping. With that in mind, this article offers an insight into how to track down your pests and get rid of them. Bed Bugs According to many s... [more]

DIY Rabbit Repellent
A small group of rabbits can easily ruin your garden in a short space of time. So what to do? Well you have a few choices. You can call in a hunter, hire an exterminator or take action yourself. Although rabbits may be stubborn creatures, they can be... [more]

Super Rats
The scale of the problem of rat infestations in towns and cities across the UK is continuing to grow, and one of the prime reasons for this increase is down to the way that Britons are disposing of their rubbish, which is the prime food source for th... [more]

Feeling A Little Antsy?
Springtime is when ants always seem to appear in large numbers anyway, but if homeowners are seeing a few more six-legged guests than usual, take comfort: you're not alone. Just about anywhere that's been getting heavier-than-usual rainfall has been ... [more]

Nature's Pest Control
There's an epic battle going on in garden's across the UK and Ireland. Ants are herding aphids on a weakend hibiscus, but a swarm of ladybirds have been unleashed who are now crawling over the leaves munching hungrily on the little white pests as the... [more]

Help To Control Fleas
Fleas can create a full-blown infestation of your home and jeopardise the health of your loved ones without warning, but homeowners can arm themselves with the right information to better treat, control, and eradicate fleas. Homeowners are urged to ... [more]

Booming Vermin Populations
In many areas around the country, the council has cut back its pest control services to divert resources to "priority" causes, most notably recycling. Rubbish is collected every week but unfortunately in areas such as London, overflowing bins are a c... [more]

Romantic Insects
Some of the mating rituals of pests can put your first date to shame. Male insects offer gifts, song and even dance to impress the female. But remember, this is not Love Story - this is Fatal Attraction, which can cause many headaches for homeowners.... [more]

BASC Scheme Helps Out Farmers
Farmers in Northern Ireland are being urged to take advantage of a pest control scheme launched by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU). BASC and the UFU joined forces to put farmers who ar... [more]

Suddenstrike Win Major Contract
A Nantwich family business is taking to the road in a fleet of new vehicles while celebrating a major contract with DEFRA. Pest control specialist Suddenstrike has invested more than £100,000 in wagons and digging machinery as part of a rebranding ... [more]

Spiders Check Weather
Spiders love to fly. Hundreds can touch down in an acre of land on a day when conditions are right. But before casting out a silk thread and swooping miles through the air, a spider checks the weather just as a human pilot might do during a pre-fligh... [more]

Controlling Periodomestic Cockroaches
Peridomestic cockroaches include all of our common large cockroaches such as the American cockroach, but also some smaller species, such as the Asian cockroach. When you find peridomestic cockroaches indoors, they usually came from outdoors. If the ... [more]

Speciality Pesticides
Speciality pesticides are pest management tools used in and around homes, businesses and public areas as well as on lawns, flowers and trees. They're used in commercial greenhouses and nurseries, factories and offices, parks and gardens, to control ... [more]

Bed Bugs Make A Comeback
The incidence of calls regarding bed bug infestations has risen over the last year. Calls are being received from five-star city hotels to council estates, all in dire need of a bed bug exterminator. The problem faced by pest control companies attem... [more]

Hungry Insects Invade British Homes
Looking for the leftover scraps on the counter or that last doughnut in the open bakery box, little black ants are inviting themselves into British homes. After waking up from hibernation, ants are ready to chow down. If they can't find what they ne... [more]

The Birth Of A New Pesticide
With the instances of bed bug infestations on the increase, it is suprising that there still isn't a specific spray for the treatment of this intrusive insect. The problem lies not with the development of an appropriate pesticide, but the sequence o... [more]

Breakthrough Study Of Cockroach Sex
Wanted: Mature males looking for a good time. Must have all six legs, strong antennae and love city life. Proclivity to procreate a must. Apply at crack in the bathroom wall, apartment 8B. Believe it or not, female German cockroaches looking to attr... [more]

The Rat Race
Pest rodents are the fourth-ranked top pest by volume of work, so why are rats and mice still such a focus of effort? Enough bait and traps have been sold in the past decade alone to kill millions of these pests, and no secrets exist in the life cyc... [more]

Beneficial Garden Insects
Using beneficial insects to help manage insect pests can be a significant part of a successful pest-management plan in your garden. However, there is more to it than just buying some ladybirds and releasing them in your garden. Knowing what these in... [more]

Little Bloodsuckers
A couple of years ago, none of the calls received were about bed bugs. People would contact us begging for their home to be rid of fleas, ants or mice. But bed bugs? Hardly ever. Until now. Decades after the tiny bloodsuckers were almost eradicated ... [more]

Pests In Your Flat
A flat dweller can clean up after every meal, vacuum religiously and dust every conceivable crack and nookie in their home but pests can still inevitably invade their personal space, and it isn't just those tenacious cockroaches that are to blame. R... [more]

Processing Plants Targeted
Food processors are a growth market for pest control companies as they traditionally rely on staff to keep insects and rodents at bay, according to a new report. It shows that, in general, restaurants and other facilities operating kitchens are almo... [more]

Choosing A Pest Control Company
Discovering a pest problem or infestation that is threatening your property, your health or even just your peace of mind can be a major annoyance. The last thing one needs in this situation is the added stress of finding a reputable pest control com... [more]

Sheltering From The Cold
Now that we're on the cusp of February, residents across the UK are bracing themselves for the cold, wet weather that usually hits the UK at this time every year. It is now that you may want to take a moment to glance around your home, looking for ... [more]

The Pest Control Future
I'm sometimes a little disappointed by the lack of technical progress that's been made in my lifetime. Sure, we now have computers, DVD players, wall-to-wall plasma-screen TVs, and mobile phones that can make calls, send and receive e-mail, take pict... [more]

Bed Bug Battles
The conflict between humans and insect pests has raged for centuries, but few battles boast the sheer make-your-skin-crawl ick factor as the war between people and bed bugs. And the battle, once played out largely in hotels with high international tr... [more]

Pest Management For Restaurants
The most common pest in restaurants, by and large, is the German cockroach. This is a roach that is predominately found inside homes. It is not an outside insect, and can easily be moved from area to area in boxes, in cartons, and in deliveries. A l... [more]

Pest-Proof Your Home
It may seem counter-intuitive for pest control professionals to advise consumers how to pest-proof their homes, but many companies now offer this service because our business is not just about the elimination of an infestation, but its prevention. H... [more]

Pest Free 2012
Winter would seem to be the time when residents in the UK have fewer pest problems, but between an invasion of bed bugs or mice, the problems remain active even when most insects species enter a dormant period. Rodents are by far the biggest problem... [more]

Controlling The House Sparrow
House sparrows can be difficult birds to control, in part because of their high reproductive capacity. A female house sparrow averages three to five broods per year with four to seven eggs per brood. In other words, she can generate about 25 young pe... [more]