Frequently Asked Questions
Ant Treatment
Q: What kind of ants are infesting my property?
A: There is around 33 different species of ant in the UK, but the common black garden ant, red ant and pharaoh are the most common and likely to be what’s infesting your home.
Q: Why is the treatment I’m using not working?
A: Pesticides that are available to the general public only contain a small amount of the active ingredient when compared to professional products. As a result they’re a lot less effective and only increase pesticide resistance.
Q: How are the ants getting into my property?
A: Ants are tiny creatures that can get through the tinniest of gaps, whether it’s through gaps in the pipework entering your property, through the air vents, beneath doors or through cracked brickwork, proofing your property from ant ingress is challenging.
Q: What I am seeing a steady stream of ants in my property?
A: Ants release several pheromones. The most common is the trail pheromone that allows other ants to quickly locate the food source discovered by the ant that initially found it. When they find a food source, an ant will leave behind this distinctive scent so the others can find it too.
Q: How can I minimise the likelihood of having an ant infestation?
A: Proofing your property to prevent ant ingress should be done wherever possible. Hygiene plays an important role. Denying ants from accessing a food souce is key. This means storing food on shelves and in sealable containers and cleaning all surfaces from spillages .
Bee Treatment
Q: Do you provide a bee treatment service?
A: No. Bees are a protected species. They are pollinators so they play essential part of maintaining the natural habitat. Some pest controllers provide a bee extraction service if the bee hive is problematic and/or in an inaccessible location.
Q: I have a swarm of bees near my property, what should I do?
A: Do nothing. The swarm should move on in 24 to 48 hrs. If the swarm is an issue contact your local beekeeper and they will likely agree to rehouse the swarm to one of their hives.
Q: Do bees reuse their hive?
A: Yes. Unlike wasps who create their nests out of chewed wood and paper and only use their nests for one season, a bee hive is made of wax which is therefore more durable. Bees reuse their hives.
Bed Bug Treatment
Q: Do I have to prepare my property prior to the flea treatment being applied?
A: Yes. You will receive a detailed bed bug treatment prep sheet listing what is required at least 24 hrs before the treatment is scheduled to be applied.
Q: Do I have to vacate my property while the treatment is being applied?
A: Yes. Everyone but the pest control technician must vacate the property before the treatment is applied including pets. The only exception is aquatic pets. Details on how to prepare the fish tank/aquarium can be found in the prep sheet.
Q: How long must I vacate my property for?
A: At least 4 hours after the treatment has been applied.
Q: How long does the treatment take to apply?
A: It usually takes several hours and can depend on the size of the bedroom(s) and how many bedrooms need to be treated.
Q: What does it involve when applying the treatment?
A: A compression sprayer is used in conjuction with an insecticide to apply a fine spray of insecticide residue on the property’s floors and furnishings – excluding the mattresses. A specialsed professional bed bug steamer is used to eradicate the bed bugs on infected mattresses and bed frames.
Q: How long does the treatment remain active?
A: It depends on what insectide is used. Usually it lasts for 6-12 weeks on condition that it’s not removed (vacuumed or swept up.)
Q: Why am I still being bitten after the treatment has been applied?
A: Bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices, so it’s impossible to be able to directly target them. After the treatment has been applied the bed bugs will however be forced to emerge from their hiding places in order to get a blood meal from their host. This is when they will come into contact with the insecticide treatment and die.
Q: How did I get bed bugs?
A: Bed bugs can be brought into people’s properties on second-hand furniture, luggage or on people’s clothing.
Flea Treatment
Q: Do I have to prepare my property prior to the flea treatment being applied?
A: Yes. You will receive a detailed flea treatment prep sheet listing what is required at least 24 hrs before the treatment is scheduled to be applied.
Q: Do I have to vacate my property while the treatment is being applied?
A: Yes. Everyone but the pest control technician must vacate the property before the treatment is applied including pets. The only exception is aquatic pets. Details on how to prepare the fish tank/aquarium can be found in the prep sheet.
Q: How long must I vacate my property?
A: At least 4 hours after the treatment has been applied.
Q: How long does the treatment take to apply?
A: It usually takes between 1 to 2 hours depending on the size of the propery.
Q: What does it involve when applying the treatment?
A: A compression sprayer is used in conjuction with an insecticide to apply a fine spray of insecticide residue on the property’s floors and furnishings – excluding the mattresses.
Q: How long does the treatment remain active?
A: It depends on what insectide is used. Usually it lasts for 6-12 weeks on condition that it’s not removed (vacuumed or swept up.)
Q: Why am I still being bitten after the treatment has been applied?
A: Fleas have to complete their life-cycle before they will come into contact with the insecticide treatment. This typically can take 10-12 days depending on the temperature.
Cluster Fly Treatment
Q: Do I have to prepare my property prior to the flea treatment being applied?
A: No. Fly infestations are nearly always in your property’s loft spaces, so preparation is very rarely needed.
Q: Why do I get flies in my loft space?
A: If they’re cluster flies it will be because they seek refuge in the colder months in loft spaces to keep warm while they hibernate. If it’s blow flies it’ll be because a blow fly has laid its eggs on a dead animal carcass and the eggs have now developed into pupa which is pupating, releasing adult blow flies from their cacoons.
Rat Control
Q: How are rats getting into my property?
A: Rat ingress can be from multiple points. Rats can enter your property from either the drainage system or from an external point of the property. An inspection will determine the ingress point(s).
Q: How do you eradicate an infestation?
A: The preferred method is to lethal trap. Although a professional grade rodenticide is sometimes used if lethal trapping is unviable.
Q: How long does it take to eradicate the rat in my property?
A: On average it takes at least three visits.
Q: How can I prevent rat ingress in the future once the rats have been eradicated?
A: Rat ingress can be prevented once the ingress points have been identified and proofed.
Q: How do I proof my property against rats?
A: If the rat ingress point is from faulty drainage, the defect must be rectified. This may involve having a fractured pipe sleeved, or simply an inspection chamber being repaired.
Q: If I have rats in my property where will they be hiding?
A: Once rats have gained entry into your property, unfortunately they can be anywhere and everywhere.
Q: What type of rats do I have?
A: You’re almost certaintly to have brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) also known as Norwegian rats. Although it has been known for properties to have black rats (Rattus rattus) also known as ship rats.
Q: What can rats gnaw through?
A: Simply put, rats can gnaw through almost through anything, including concrete. The only thing rats can’t gnaw through is metal.
Wasp Nest Treatment and Removal
Q: Do I have to prepare my property prior to the wasp nest treatment being applied?
A: No. All the technician needs to to know where the wasp nest is located and whether there is anything that could pose a risk to their health and safety.
Q: Do I need a ladder?
A: No. The technician will have ladders to access both the loft space and the property’s roof.
Q: What does wasp nest treatment involve?
A: The wasp nest when located is injected with a professional grade insecticide to ensure the queen and the workers are destroyed
Q: I’ve had my wasp nest treated but I still have wasps around where the wasp nest entrance was.
A: Even when the wasp nest has been treated and the queen and workers destroyed, it’s normal for a few stragglers to be around. They will either die or move on elsewhere.
Q: Is you wasp nest treatment guaranteed?
A: Yes. If a second treatment is required this will be done free of charge.
Q: Do you removal the wasp nests?
A: Normally the wasp nest is just treated because a wasp nest is never reused. It’s only used for one season. However, if you’d prefer the wasp nest to be completely removed this can be arranged for an additional fee.
Q: Can you proof against wasps to prevent future wasp nests being built?
A: Unfortunately no. Wasps will gain access through the tinnest of holes. Even new build houses cannot prevent wasps and flies from gaining access into a property’s loft space.
Last Updated: 22-07-2024