Pest Control News & Updates by Pest Busters Birmingham, Midlands & UK

Posted February 27, 2015 & filed under Latest News.

Rats are incredibly resourceful creatures and they only need a gap of about 1cm and they can push their way through the tiniest of spaces. They are well known for entering sheds and getting into integral garages and if you have gaps in your brickwork then they can potentially enter direct into your home. There have also been cases where rats have used cat flaps to enter homes and also through the u-bends in toilets which demonstrates just how creative they can be when they are seeking shelter!

rat problems And shelter is exactly what motivates them – shelter and food. Rats are looking for somewhere comfortable to live where they can get easy access to food so this is why your home is very inviting to them.

So are there any simple precautions you can take to avoid rat problems?

Well, the simple answer to that is yes, there are certain practical measures for rat control that you can take to stop them from being a problem in your home or garden.

Here are some of the things you can do:

Remove any food sources
Make sure your bins are secure and closed
Only use squirrelproof bird feeders
Don’t leave pet bowls outside with water in them
Keep anything they can access in tight sealable containers
Make sure that any broken air bricks are fixed
Seal up small gaps around doors and in brickwork
Repair any roof damage and use wire mesh to seal gaps
Use tight fitting grates or screens to cover drains

If you have a persistent rat problem then we would always advise calling in professionals such as Pestbusters to eradicate the problem for you. We can also give you plenty of advice about how you can avoid rat infestations in the future. Please get in touch if you need any help.

Posted December 20, 2014 & filed under Latest News.

A question we get asked quite frequently by clients when our domestic pest control services are being engaged is if they need to do any preparation prior to our arrival. This will largely depend on the type of pest control treatment we are doing and whether the work is being done inside or outside. When you contact us with your problem we will be able to give you more detail about what’s required so that you can be prepared.

We often get asked to deal with ants, fleas and cockroaches so here are some general guidelines to help you:

Move items and storage away from walls
Clear items from window sills
Cover fish tanks and turn off pump
Remove and wash all bedding (fleas only)
Remove items from under the bed and carpeted floors(fleas only)
Vacuum all floors ( fleas only)
Clear food items off counter tops

Be prepared to leave your property for 2 to 4 hours whilst we conduct the spraying (this will give enough time for the treatment to completely dry)

Keep your pets away from the property for the same period of time

If there’s anything that you’re unsure about don’t be afraid to ask. We like to keep our clients informed about the pest control process we are carrying out so that you can have complete peace of mind.

To find out more about the pest control services we offer and the preparation required please do not hesitate to contact us.

Posted December 3, 2014 & filed under Latest News.

Pest Busters presents you Bed Bug Life Cycle – Incomplete Metamorphosis. This contains interesting information about adult bed bugs, young bed bugs, their shape and size, eggs and favourite places for harbourages. Controlling bed bugs is very detailed work and not recommended for DIY treatments. Treatments include insecticidal sprays and freezing articles of bedding and clothing. Contact Pestbusters (Midlands) Ltd today for any Pest Control Services you need!

Posted September 1, 2014 & filed under Latest News.

Summer may be coming to a close and the chillier weather is already starting to kick in but one of the abiding memories from a pest point of view that the summer of 2014 will be remembered for is the sheer volume of flying ants we were plagued with!

It’s certainly been a bumper year for flying ants with literally billions of them emerging all over the UK. In fact we have seen a 2331% increase on flying ants this year compared to last year which is a staggering increase.

So why has this year been so different?

Experts have put this down to the hot weather we experienced in June and July. The high temperatures we experienced in those months caused the common black garden’s ant annual summer mating ritual to happen earlier, causing billions of ants to emerge from their colonies and swarm across the country.

This has meant that we have had a longer flying ant season than usual because the conditions have been perfect for their reproduction ritual.

The impact of so many flying ants has ruined many a barbecue, put pay to lazy afternoons sunbathing in the garden and they have also invaded many a kitchen and conservatory through gaps and cracks in the brickwork!

Generally ants of any variety are more of a nuisance than a health hazard. However, if left unchecked, they can carry bacteria to your food so if they start to infest your kitchen and food cupboards then you will clearly need to do something about it.

Need help with insect control problems?

It will be interesting to see in 2015 to what extent we are plagued by flying ants again. The effect of global warming and hotter temperature than usual in late spring and early summer could see a repeat performance.

If this happens then you know who to call. Pest Busters have many years experience in dealing with ant infestations and all types of insect control problems. If you need any advice then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Posted July 29, 2014 & filed under Latest News.

Sometimes a pest control problem can seem easy enough to deal with and you might feel that you would be wasting a pest control company’s time if you called them in. This is hardly ever the case. Pests such as mice, rats, ants, wasps etc are notoriously difficult to deal with and whilst you might be able to halt a problem superficially, it’s unlikely that you will get rid of the problem for good without the right advice or using the right equipment.

Not only that, certain pests can be dangerous to deal with, especially wasps, and if you don’t know what you’re doing then you could cause yourself some harm.

Calling in Pest Control Specialists will give you access to the knowledge, tools, experience, training and experts with the appropriate licences to carry out and eliminate pest infestations in a safe manner and this is why you should use a professional pest control company in the event of a problem.

Pest infestations can cause damage to your property as well as expose you and your family to health risks so the sooner you call in professional help the better.

Dealing with pest infestations

Pestbusters are Licensed Pest Control Professionals and we are trained to use the extremely toxic and specialist chemicals which are designed to control the populations of rats, mice, cockroaches

and bed bugs etc. Using these chemicals yourself without the proper training could have serious consequences to your health, the health of those around you and also the local environment so never attempt using chemicals to control pests. Seek professional help for your pest infestation problem.

Pests are also very resilient and whilst you may think you have got rid of them by using a method you’ve picked up from the internet, there is a strong likelihood that they will come back and sometimes in significantly larger numbers than before.

Pest problems can often re-occur and this is often the sign of an underlying issue that needs to be dealt with. This is where you will benefit from the advice a professional pest control company can give you about how to avoid pest infestations in the future.

To summarise, using a professional pest control company to deal with your pest infestation problems will ultimately be safer, more environmentally-friendly, humane and more cost effective, especially if your property is currently being damaged and you are facing big repair bills.

If you are currently suffering from a pest infestation and need professional help then please do not hesitate to give Pestbusters a call. We will be happy to assist you.

Posted May 27, 2014 & filed under Latest News.

Bedbugs are tiny blood-sucking insects that can live in the cracks and crevices in and around your bed.

They are attracted by your body heat and carbon dioxide and at night there’s nothing they like more than biting your exposed skin and feeding on your blood!

Spotting Bed Bugs

So how do you spot them?

* If you have an unexplained skin rash or itchy bump this might be a tell-tale sign

* Check your mattress for black spots – these might be their dried faces

* Inspect the crevices and joints of your mattress using a torch and see if you can see them

Bedbugs are capable of squeezing into the tiniest crevice or crack, such as the seam of a mattress or the joints of a bed frame so they can be a devil to spot.

They can also live away from your bed in places like your bedroom furniture, behind mirrors or along the edges of the carpet.

How Bed Bugs Are Spread?

There is a misconception that bedbugs will only appear where there is grime and dirt. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Bedbugs don’t care and they will live anywhere. More often than not they are spread from the outside and they can be transported into your home through luggage, clothing, furniture etc. This is why hotels are terrified of bedbug infestations because tourists and travellers can easily bring them in!

What to do if you have a bed bug infestation?

If you do suffer an infestation then there are a couple of practical measures you can take such as:

* Washing your clothes and bed linen at 60% and tumble drying on a hot setting to kill the bugs

* Thoroughly inspecting your bed and furniture with a bright torch and vacuuming up any bugs that you find

As you can imagine this is a pretty painstaking job and the chances are that you will miss some and not put a permanent halt to the infestation.

The best advice we can give you is to call in the professionals. At Pestbusters we have a range of measures to comprehensively deal with bedbug infestations so if you need any help please get in touch.

Posted April 16, 2014 & filed under Latest News.

The British Summer wouldn’t be the same without your picnic or barbecue being ruined by wasps! But seriously, if you do start to see a number of wasps congregating around your house and garden then there’s a good chance that you have a wasps nest and that’s a problem that you should deal with.

Wasps will start to emerge in the spring in fairly low numbers and it is possible to find a nest at this stage and potentially use DIY products to remove it. Only consider doing this if the wasps nest is no bigger than a golf ball and the numbers of wasps are small. There is still the potential for being stung so tread with caution and always wear protective clothing.

By the summer a wasps nest could contain literally thousands of wasps so if you come across one we would definitely advise against dealing with it yourself and get a professional team in to handle it.

Where Wasps Build Their Nests?

There are two main types of wasp you are likely to find in the UK and they are the Common Wasp and the German Wasp. Both of these species can sting you and if you happen to be allergic to wasp stings then it could potentially be life threatening.

Wasps will build nests in attics, under eaves, in air bricks, spaces in the roof and any type of wall cavity. Their nests are made of saliva and wood pulp and are actually fascinating structures to examine……after the wasps have been dispersed!

If you are experiencing high numbers of wasps then track their activity to see where they are emerging from and flying back to but don’t try and disturb them. Wasps can be extremely volatile and their capacity to attack can be quite frightening.

Wasp Treatment and Nest Removal

If wasps are causing you a huge nuisance and you think you might have a nest then please get in touch. At Pestbusters we have handled hundreds of wasps nests and helped eradicate the problems they can cause.

We initially treat the nest with special chemicals that will humanely kill the wasps. It is then best to wait at least 48 hours before physically removing the nest. This allows time for wasps that were away from the nest at the time of treatment to come back and be eradicated. This means you will avoid a secondary infestation. We will arrange to remove the nest for you.

Safety is our absolute priority so we will ensure that you and your family are kept free from any harm during treatment. All of our team are highly trained in the insect control and removal of wasps nests and they use the appropriate protective clothing and the latest industry methods to action the treatment and nest removal.

Please contact us if you need any help and we will be happy to assess the problem for you.

Posted March 12, 2014 & filed under Latest News.

As soon as spring arrives and starts to awaken flowers and plants there is another creature that starts to awaken and that’s the ant! Slowly but surely ants start to emerge and then by the summer they can be found in their thousands. This is as nature intended but if they start to appear in your home, invade your conservatory and end up in your food cupboards, it’s time to take action!

Ants provide real nuisance value during the summer months and, because you don’t know where they might have been, if they get into your food cupboards then you may have to throw away a lot of your food. Ants could potentially carry bacteria into your food cupboards and contaminate your food products so an ant infestation could prove to be a costly affair.

The most common ant you are likely to see is the Black Ant. They are attracted by sweet foods and once they get into your home and find what they’re looking for, they will leave a pheromone trail so that others can follow.

Other types of ants that you might come across include Pharaoh’s Ants. These are smaller than black ants and are a yellowish-brown colour. Pharaoh’s Ants love to feed on rotting food so this species is more likely to carry harmful germs.

Ghost Ants are similar to Pharaoh’s Ants in appearance but they tend to go for sweet and greasy foods.

Ant Infestation Problems

So, if you have an ant infestation problem what can you do about it?

Well, prevention is better than cure as the old saying goes. Ants are looking for food, especially sweet food so start by taking these preventative measures:

• Keep food covered
• Clean up food and liquid spillages and maintain a good standard of hygiene
• Keep food in airtight containers if possible
• If you have a pet don’t leave their food and drink bowls on the floor once your pet has used them.
• Get rid of any food debris that might be under your kitchen appliances/cupboards
• Seal up cracks and crevices in doors and window frames to stop them from entering
• Make sure that any compost heaps in the garden are well covered
• Make sure that your rubbish bins are tightly sealed.

What attracts ants?

Ants are attracted to food in general, and water, but most of all they cannot resist the lure of sugar. So that lemonade the children split and left to dry in the kitchen is exactly the sort of welcome ants are looking for…

It’s not only kitchens that become an unintended home for ants though, they can also find their way into all other parts of the house as they hunt for food by squeezing through the tiniest spaces.

And once they are in, ants are notoriously hard to get rid of as they leave a scent trail to encourage other ants to follow.

How to prevent ants from getting into the house

As with all household pests, good hygiene is the best starting point to deter unwanted visitors. Be scrupulous when dealing with food waste, keeping crumbs off the floor and wiping up spillages while also maintaining a clean kitchen area.

Part of the trick is keeping pests out in the first place by sealing any nooks and crannies that ants and other pests can squeeze through. Check doors are not cracked, windows are sealed properly and any broken brickwork or woodwork is fixed.

Are ants a health hazard?

Ants are not a health hazard in themselves, but they can cause health concerns if they have access to – and crawl over – a food supply due the risk of contamination. The ants that make their way into your house could have been anywhere and walked over anything, they could then transfer potentially harmful bacteria onto your food.

With this in mind an ant invasion needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

How to get rid of ants

Killing ants one by one is unlikely to solve the problem as more ants will continue to follow the trail. The area affected and their route into the house will need to be cleaned thoroughly to remove the trail. If you can, locate the nest and clean back to that point.

If the problem persists there are a variety of ant powders, sprays, and bait stations available on the market. With anything chemical remember that you don’t want to cause any harm to wildlife or your plants so be careful to read the instructions well before using it in the garden.

The main goal is to get to the nest and the queen which can be notoriously difficult to find. If you can get the ants to carry back the poison to the nest then you stand a good chance of getting rid of the problem.

Many ant infestations are reoccurring and come back to plague you every year. With large or multiple ant infestations that just won’t go away, we would advise to bring in professional help to assist you in dealing with the problem.

At Pest busters, we have helped numerous households deal with their ant problems. We have tried and tested methods that will help control your ant infestation and we can provide you with plenty of advice on how to avoid infestations in the future. If you need any help then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Posted February 24, 2014 & filed under Latest News.

Rats tend to be nocturnal creatures so it’s not always easy to see them in the flesh but the tell-tale signs that you have a rat problem are not that difficult to spot. If you notice any of the below in your home, garden or shed the chances are that you have a rat infestation and you will need to take below action:

– Ammonia-like odour
– Scratching noises under floors, in-wall or under decking
– Nests of paper, fabrics and plastics
– Rat Droppings which are sausage-shaped and dark in colour
– Teeth marks on food packaging

Even if the rats seem to be confined to the garden, you should not be complacent that they won’t get into the home. Rats are resourceful creatures and they only need a gap of about 1cm and they can push their way through. Rats are well known for entering sheds and getting into integral garages. They have also been known to enter houses through cat flaps which can be very distressing for homeowners.

Rats carry all sorts of nasty diseases such as salmonella, e.coli, Weil’s disease and tuberculosis so if you are faced with a rat infestation problem don’t ignore it and take the appropriate steps to eradicate.

Dealing with rat problems

If you think that you might have a rat problem there are certain rat control practical things that you can do that will make a big difference. These include:

– Removing food sources
– Making sure bins are secure and closed
– Only use squirrel-proof bird feeders
– Don’t leave pet bowls outside with water in them
– Keep anything they can access in tight sealable containers
– Make sure that any broken air bricks are fixed
– Seal up small gaps around doors

Rats are looking for somewhere comfortable to live where there is plenty of sustenance to keep them happy so if rats have nothing to gain by being in or near your property then they will soon move on.

Are rats a common problem under decking?

Rats and mice are opportunist shelter seekers so decking can certainly tick the boxes in what they are looking for.

It’s outdoors, they are unlikely to be disturbed and if it’s underneath an outdoor table, they might even discover a free source of food.

Posted February 6, 2014 & filed under Latest News.

If you have a pest control problem it can be tempting to try and control the problem yourself but this can sometimes be foolhardy, especially when the pests in question and the methods to control them can be very dangerous. Pest control specialists have the know-how, tools, experience, training and appropriate licences to safely eliminate pest infestations so this is why pest control should be left to the professionals.

Pest infestations can potentially cause health risks to you and your family as well as cause damage to your property so the sooner you call in professional help the better. Trying to save money by doing this yourself or listening to your neighbour who had a similar problem and has given you advice on how to deal with it can sometimes be a false economy. Better to pay for professional help now whilst the infestation might still be in its early stages.

Licensed Pest Control Professionals

As licensed pest control professionals, the Pestbusters team are trained to use the extremely toxic and specialist chemicals which are designed to control the populations of rats, mice, cockroaches and bed bugs in the UK. Any attempt to use these chemicals yourself could have serious consequences to your health, the health of those around you and the local environment. Under no circumstances should untrained people use these chemicals so if you have an infestation please give us a call.

Pests can be very resilient and even though you may think you have got rid of them by using a method you’ve picked up from Google or YouTube, the chances are that they will come back and sometimes in larger numbers than before. With re-occurring pest problems like this there is very often an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. An issue that you are unlikely to get to the bottom of without professional equipment and experience.

A common pest control problem is with stinging insects such as wasps. Wasps can be very hostile if their nests are threatened and they can potentially pose a serious health risk to homeowners. Wasps will swarm when the get agitated so don’t take the risk of removing a wasps nest by yourself otherwise you could end up regretting it. Call in the Pestbusters team.

In the long run using a professional pest control company to handle your pest infestation problems will be safer, more environmentally-friendly, humane and could even save you money, especially if your property is currently being damaged. For more information about Pestbusters wide range of pest control services please get in touch.

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