Hints And Tips
FLIES
As autumn draws in, customers are now reporting problems with flies that are coming in to hibernate.
Many customers seem to think that they are caused by something dead in their loft, this is not the case.
Cluster flies as they are known, feed on pollen and nectar. They lay their eggs in damp soil and their larvae parasite earthworms till they are ready to hatch as adult flies. The name cluster flies, refers to their habit of “CLUSTERING” together whilst they hibernate.
As for treatment for such a problem, this is best carried out after a cold snap, that way you can ensure ALL the flies are in the loft when the treatment is carried out. Panic and have it treated to early, you will just need to have it treated again when the temperature drops, a totally needless cost.
If the flies are getting into a room, look for possible holes in the ceiling, such as where pipes go into the loft space. Even ill-fitting light fittings will allow them into rooms. Also, poor-fitting loft hatches can allow them to escape if so put masking tape around the edges to seal it off.
If done at the right time, it will only require one treatment, which only takes a few minutes with the right equipment and should not cost the earth.
MICE
Customers tend to be a little more tolerant of mice than rats in premises, yet mice too, spread disease and the damage they can cause to wiring and electrical appliances, poses a potential fire hasard. The cost of repair to such damage far outways the cost of prevention.
Many customers rely on killing them only after they have gained entry to their property by relying on poison being kept down in known areas.
Even if mice eat the poison, due to the delay action of poisons, it may still take several days for the poison to take effect and in that time, the damage is done.
RATS
Rats are now starting to be a problem for customers.
Out in the rural areas, farmers are harvesting their wheat fields, driving around the country lanes, it has been noticed that there are a large number of dead rats in the roads and lanes. If you live in a rural area and there are wheat fields near to your property, the best advice I can give you is to make sure over the next few weeks that you remove all available food sources from your gardens. This can be bird food or food waste on the compost bin. The reason for this is because now that harvest time is here, rats that have been living and feeding in these fields will quickly run out of food and once this happens they will migrate in search of new food sources. If they find one in your garden, they will happily take up residence, by removing all food supplies, the rats will still come, but will move on to better pickings if there is not enough food at your property.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no reason why anyone should have too put up with rats in their properties.
A recent study carried out by local authorities concluded that only around 10% of properties are actually infested with rats at any one time. Many local businesses, schools, shops, homes, pubs and other establishments, since using our service, have discovered that some, for years, have been paying large sums of money for totally unnecessary pest control.
We are, in many cases, providing cheaper long term solutions than some companies and even local authorities who are providing one-off treatments…
Having treated many thousands of properties for infestations of rats, we have learnt that there are only a few reasons why you, as customers, get this type of problem.
Unlike some companies, we think you the customer deserve the right to know why you find yourself infested with rats so that you can take the necessary action required to prevent reinfestation.