Don't Get Stung By Rogue Traders

Experts warn ‘Don’t get stung by rogue traders’

Homeowners searching for help to get rid of wasps nests this summer are being urged to avoid a costly sting in the tail.  Industry experts say reports of unqualified pest controllers charging hefty prices for jobs often left half-finished are all too common.  They are warning householders to tread carefully and say only by using professional technicians can residents be sure nests are properly removed for a fee that represents value for money.

“We’ve heard a number of reports of people having to pay way over the odds to have a wasps nest dealt with.  But if people entrust their pest control to unqualified part-timers or rogue traders, they’re leaving themselves open to problems like that.  By using technicians who are experts in their field they can be certain the job will be done properly and they won’t have to pay through the nose.”

Wasps begin building a new nest in spring and can expand their numbers to a peak of around 2000 by late August, so it’s best to remove it earlier in the summer when the colony is smaller and the wasps are less aggressive.  But it’s a job that should always be left to the professionals.

“Wasps feel threatened and are likely to become aggressive if their nest is tampered with, so householders attempting their own removal are dicing with danger.  A mature nest can contain thousands of wasps so it’s really not worth the risk.  A professional technician will provide an effective solution that keeps everyone safe, so I’d advise anyone who finds a nest to call in the experts.”

Fully trained and NPTA accredited professionals are obliged to stay up to date with the latest products, techniques and legislation.  They will give the best advice as well as safe, effective and legal treatment to destroy wasps nests and every other pest infestation.

Pest Control Ipswich - Click here to view our main website

Pest Control Felixstowe - Are Wasps on the Rise and Why?

If you hear the sound of buzzing and see a striped insect flying in the direction of you and your lunch, this can really get the adrenalin pumping and, in some cases, can have you running very fast in the opposite direction. For those that fear wasps, the bad news is that the warmer weather we have experienced over the last few months may mean another rise in the number of these pests this year.

Nick Collinson, managing director of Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions, who provides pest control in the Felixstowe, Ipswich, Woodbridge, Colchester, Manningtree and Braintree areas, said: “The number of callouts to tackle wasps varies wildly each year, and is weather related.” If it is a wet and windy spring, for example, this can affect the number of wasps and delay the development of colonies through to autumn.

“It is too early to tell at the moment whether there will be a rise in the number of wasps this year but if it is an early spring, as it has been, the queens come out of hibernation earlier.  So, depending on the weather, we can expect a large number of wasp related callouts.”

Pest Control Felixstowe - Contact us today for a friendly and effective pest control service in Suffolk and Essex.

Wasps hit the headlines in late August last year as pest control experts nationwide noticed a sharp rise in the number of these pests. After coming out of hibernation over the long winter, the late summer provided plenty of food.

These pests can build nests in homes, businesses, and even out in the open countryside in fields, banks, trees, bushes and in abandoned underground burrows. And, with the right habitat, and abundant food, it is estimated that there can be as many as 1,000 wasp nests per square mile.

Wasps also present a risk in urban areas where they build nests in gardens and porch ways and also at height – close to windows and in the roof voids of properties. This is not only a nuisance, it can also be very frightening for the occupants – especially the more vulnerable such as the elderly and the young – and it puts them at risk of being stung.

Mr Collinson said: “If wasps nest under tiles they can eat through the plasterboard ceilings and fly into the bedroom, which can be quite harrowing, especially as you can get thousands of wasps in a nest.” The average is 2,000 to 5,000 wasps per colony, but it is possible to get up to 20,000 in a nest.

Wasp Removal: Suffolk and Essex

Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions are one of the few pest control experts in the Felixstowe, Suffolk and Essex areas who have specialised equipment to tackle wasps at height. They have 8 metre fibreglass extension lances, which can blow dust up into the nest to kill off the wasps over a 24 hour period.

Other methods to tackle wasps include spray treatments, which are used when the wasps pose an immediate risk to people and the nest requires urgent removal (near schools or parkland for instance). Staff at Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions follow stringent health and safety guidelines for wasp removal, including the use of bee suits, veils and face masks, to prevent  contact with the pesticide.

Wasp traps are another method of tackling these pests and are a popular buy for people in the hospitality industry, such as pub, bar, cafe, restaurant or hotel owners. Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions not only sell wasp traps, but will also provide recommendations on the most effective places to site them.

Facts About Wasps

Only the female wasps sting, which they do using a tube which is connected to a sac which pumps venom into the victim. Unlike bees, one wasp can sting their victim several times. Wasps can also secrete distress chemicals when attacked to attract help from other wasps.

What Role do Wasps Play in the Ecosystem?

Although feared by many people, wasps do play a vital role in the ecosystem and are a food source for some common garden creatures such as hedgehogs, and birds, including house wrens and bluebirds. Wasps also seek out grubs and insects such as caterpillars, mosquitoes, houseflies, and greenflies, and they can steal from spider’s webs to feed their young.

Sky News Recently Featured an Article on the Asian Hornet making its way to the UK – Is it Likely to Pose a Significant Threat?

The Sky News article back in May revealed that the insect had been sighted in France and could make its way over the Channel to the UK.

However, Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions haven’t had any callouts in relation to this type of pest in Felixstowe and Suffolk and, on average, only get 2 - 3 callouts a year to tackle hornets’ nests – but get hundreds of calls for wasps.

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was quoted in the article as saying that it was likely the cold weather would prevent these insects from living successfully outside of the most southern parts of the UK.

For pest control in the Felixstowe, Suffolk and Essex areas, contact the experts by clicking on the link below.

Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions - click here to find out about our effective pest control services.

Related articles:

Effective Wasp Extermination Ipswich - Calling on the Professionals

Know Your Foe - Wasps ID

The Annoying Buzz of Summer

Living With Bees

Your pest controller has advised you that the insects you have living in your property are bees.  They are therefore important and useful for the pollination of a large variety of plants, so should be preserved if at all possible.  Many species are either harmless or are very unaggressive, so it may be possible to live alongside them without fear.  Your pest controller will be able to advise you accordingly.  If possible, please live with the bees in your property.

However, from time to time bees can become a nuisance or even a danger to humans, so may need to be destroyed.  This is perfectly legal as no bees are protected by Law, but how they are dealt with is affected by a number of legal constraints, particularly if they are Honey Bees.

Honey Bees will have come from a nearby hive and anything done to your bees could affect other, innocent, hives.  Everyone, including you and your pest controller must by Law take every reasonable effort to prevent these other hives being affected by what is done to your unwanted bees.  This, unfortunately, may have significant cost implications.

Preventing Access to Your Treated Bees Nest

Bees can be controlled, but it may be difficult and therefore costly to take all the necessary measures to protect other bees from the control treatment carried out.  It will be necessary to seal up the nest entrance and to do this safely may require specialist access equipment.

Removing Treated Honey Combs

It is strongly advised that the honey combs made by your Honey Bees be removed as the honey they contain will eventually leak out and could cause significant damage to your property.  However, depending on where they are, this work may involve a builder or roofer to get to them and to make good your property afterwards.

These honey combs will also be contaminated with insecticide so must, by Law, be disposed of by incineration using a Licensed Waste Contractor.  Your pest controller may be able to arrange for this extra work to be done, but this will inevitably lead to additional costs.

Code of Practice

Your pest controller will be working within the constraints of a ‘Code of Practice Relating to the Control of Feral Honey Bees’.  If you would like to see a copy of this, contact the National Pest Technician’s Association on 01773 717716. 

We apologise for having to bring you this unwelcome news, but we all have a responsibility to protect these important creatures wherever we can.  Your co-operation is greatly appreciated.

Pest Control Ipswich - Click here to view our main website


Honey Bee:

 

Bumble Bee:

Everything You Need to Know About Clothes Moths

Do you have clothes moths multiplying in your wardrobe? If you do, it is vital to call on the services of Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions - the pest control experts of Colchester, Chelmsford, Witham, Braintree, Manningtree, Ipswich, Stowmarket and Felixstowe – before your moth problem spirals out of control.

We all cherish the clothes in our wardrobe, so it can be hugely upsetting to find moths have munched their way through some of our much-loved outfits and accessories. Clothes moths not only feed on wool fibres, but also on silks, cottons, linens, furs and rayons (usually blended with wool). In the worst cases they can cause hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds worth of damage. And, it’s not just clothes that are the target of these pests – clothes moths can also attack carpets, rugs, curtains and upholstery.

There is no doubt about it, it is devastating to put on a favourite jumper, T-shirt, suit, trousers, dress, skirt or scarf to find that clothes moths have feasted on the fabric, creating holes in the most obvious of places. Unfortunately, it isn’t the cheapest fabrics they go for. Moths have expensive taste and your favourite woollens, cashmere, silks and vintage clothing are, sadly, generally the ones that fall victim.

Once you have moths in your home, they can be very difficult to get rid of. While it is possible to repair some moth holes (by taking them to an experienced clothes menders), more damaged items, particularly woollens, can be impossible to mend. And if items have to be thrown away or replaced, this can prove extremely costly.

So, if you are worried about clothes moths, for complete peace of mind it is vital to call in the experts.  Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions are the pest control experts of Colchester and Ipswich and will help rid our home of clothes moths, their eggs and larvae. And, as an untreated clothes moth problem can prove expensive, we offer a cost effective solution, which could save you valuable money in the long run.

Pest Control Colchester – contact us now for effective pest solutions.

What do clothes moths look like?

Clothes moths are quite distinct from common swift moths or other types of UK moths which have different characteristics.

The most common types of clothes moths are the webbing clothes moth and the casemaking clothes moth, which are similar in size. The webbing moth is gold in colour and the casemaking moth is browner, with dark coloured spots on the wings; both have hairs on the top of their head.

The larvae of the casemaking clothes moth carry with them a silken case, which takes on the same colour as the clothes they have eaten. The webbing moth leaves patches of silk webbing, like cobwebs, and produce excrement which contain dye from the clothes they have been feeding on, making them hard to spot.

What environments do they like best?

Contrary to popular belief, and unlike other moths, such as the common swift moth, clothes moths are not attracted to the light. So they fester in folds, collars and cuffs of clothing; under furniture and between upholstery; in the dark crevices and corners of wardrobes, and in attics and cellars.

As these species are attracted to undisturbed places, it is often difficult to discover a clothes moth infestation until it is too late. One solution is to check your clothes regularly, including the ones that you have put away in storage, so you can take action at the earliest opportunity.

Do adult moths eat clothes and fabric?

No, it is not the adult clothes moths that are the offenders, but the moth larvae which are responsible for the destruction of clothes and fabric – and, depending on the conditions, they can stay in this state for a year.

How quickly can they multiply?

Although adult moths have a relatively short life-span of up to three weeks, the female moths of both species can lay up to 100 eggs in this time. These only take a few days to hatch, after which the larvae to start to feed.

Are all fabrics at risk?

Natural and blended fibres are most at risk, as moths tend to avoid fabrics, carpets and upholstery made entirely of synthetic fibres. Moths generally avoid synthetics, unless the fabric has lots of sweat, saliva or food stains. Keeping your clothes clean with regular dry cleaning or laundering will help deter moths.

Are they a pest all year round?

Yes, clothes moths are a persistent pest all year round, and this is partly down to central heating and milder winters.

Is it possible to get rid of them yourself?

There are all sorts of moth deterrents on the market, including chemical and natural varieties such as lavender bags and cedar balls, although there are limits to how effective these can be.

Regularly laundering your clothes and vacuuming in the crevices of wardrobes, under beds and along skirting boards can help. As can storing your woollens in the freezer over winter, hanging them outside when it is frosty, and keeping them in sealed plastic bags.

Other home solutions include moth traps, sprays, ultra violet light bulbs and moth strips. However, if you have a persistent problem, it is vital to call in the experts.

How Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions can help

If you are worried about moths in your home, call your friendly local pest control experts of Colchester and Ipswich – Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions – who will carry out a full survey to discover the source of the infestation and will treat the problem to prevent further costly damage.

We use the most environmentally friendly products and ask householders to vacate the property both during treatment, and for a couple of hours after it, to allow our insecticide sprays to dry.

Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions – Contact us now to address the problem of clothes moths at your home or business.

Facts and Information about Bed Bugs

Do you have bed bugs in your home, hotel, guest house, hostel or B&B? For urgent pest control in the Manningtree and Ipswich areas, call on the services of Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions – or you could end up with a major problem on your hands.

Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans and their bites can cause adverse reactions such as allergies, rashes and psychological distress. Bed bug bites could damage the reputation of your establishment and your company may end up being ‘named and shamed’ with a bad review. So if you have bed bugs, it is vital to call Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions immediately, as we are experienced in this field and can rid your establishment of these persistent pests.

Whether you require pest control in the Manningtree and Ipswich areas, or further afield in Suffolk and Essex, we are the people to contact. We provide a friendly, local service at very competitive prices and, in addition to this, we can guarantee our work so you can rely on us for our service.

Pest Control Manningtree – Contact us now for fast and effective pest control services in Essex, and all areas of Suffolk.

Where are you most likely to find bed bugs?

Bed bugs are most associated with hotels, bed and breakfasts, and guest houses. However, they can also be found in privately owned homes, rented establishments, hospitals, residential homes, student accommodation and hostels, including homeless shelters. Not only can they be found in the creases and folds of mattresses and sofas, but in some cases, even on walls and furniture.

Are bed bugs on the rise and why?

Before DDT was banned in the UK in 1984, bed bugs were almost eradicated from homes in the western world. However, unfortunately the population has escalated dramatically in the last two decades. This is for several reasons but one of the main ones is international travel, as bed bugs can get to and from buildings on people, clothing and in bags and suitcases. A second is the rise in popularity of second hand furniture and other items, which again can transfer bed bugs from one place to another if they have come from a place that is already infested. Another is that these pests are becoming more resistant to popularly used insecticides, which now makes them harder to get rid of.

How long do they live?

The life span of a bed bug varies according to temperatures and how often they feed, but they can live many weeks, or even months. During their lifetime, a female can lay up to 500 eggs.

Can you get rid of them yourself?

Keeping premises clean and well vacuumed, including regular hot washing and tumble drying of fabrics, is a good way to keep the bed bug population down. Wrapping mattresses also helps.

However, bed bugs are hard to get rid of and tend to be resistant to over-the-counter pesticides.

So, for effective pest control in Manningtree, Ipswich, Colchester and Stowmarket, it is always best to call Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions who can eliminate the problem so you and your guests can sleep easy.

How do Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions tackle bed bugs?

Our first step is to complete a thorough review of the premises to check how extensive the problem is.

Carpets, bedding, clothing and infested furniture are thoroughly cleaned and washed and an insecticide applied. Up to three treatments, once a fortnight, are recommended to eradicate these pests.

Nine things to know about bed bugs:

• These creatures are generally nocturnal, so humans won’t notice when they are feeding.

• Bed bugs, their faeces and their sticky eggs can be found in their hundreds, or even thousands on furniture and upholstery of infested property.

• Once they have fed on human blood, they can return to their host for another feeding by following a chemical trail.

• They have a distinctive odour which has been likened to rotting fruit.

• Their droppings, if wetted, look a bit like blood smears on fabric.

• They feed every five to ten days.

• Female bed bugs can lay up to five eggs a day.

• Bed bugs can be eaten by cockroaches, ants and spiders.

• They are a problem not just in the UK, but all over the world.

For prompt and discreet pest control in the Ipswich and Manningtree areas, click on the link below.

Pest Control Manningtree – Contact us now to tackle the problem of bed bugs at your home or business.

Related articles:

Bed bug treatment

Pest Control Witham – FAQ About Ants

While ants may only be the tiniest of creatures, they can be a major pest: entering homes and businesses to seek out sweet stuff which, once found, can attract hundreds more ants in one place. This is why if you have an ant infestation, you need to call on the services of Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions who are pest control experts covering Witham, Stowmarket and the surrounding areas. Here we address the most common questions we are asked about ants, including how to control them.

Pest Control Witham -contact us now for efficient and effective pest control services in Essex, Stowmarket and other areas of Suffolk.

What are the characteristics of ants?

There are more than 12,000 species of ants and they can be black, yellow, brown or red in colour. They are around 1mm upwards in length, although some of the tropical species are up to 25 mm long. Like other insects, their body is divided into three sections: the head, the chest area (otherwise known as the thorax) and the stomach, although unlike other insects they can carry up to 50 times their body-weight. There are thought to be around 1.5 million ants on the planet per human; they live in colonies, and one colony can house anything from 500 to several thousand ants.

Why are ants a problem in homes?

If you have an ant colony near you and have spilled something sweet in your kitchen, you can soon get an ant infestation in your home. If sugar is found by foraging ants, they will leave a trail of pheromones (special scents) to guide other ants in their colony to the food source. These ants will follow the path, adding yet more scent to the trail. This means very quickly you may have hundreds, or even thousands, of ants converging on the food source in your home and this can become a major problem if it is not dealt with quickly enough. Ants can climb walls, windows, doors and bins and are attracted to sweet things, such as sugary food and jam, as well as proteins, including dog food.

Why are they a problem in gardens?

Ants are more of a nuisance than a pest in gardens, as they rarely eat plants. Large colonies of ants can prevent you sitting out and enjoying your garden, while tunnels of ants in pot plants can cause the plants to wilt. They can also cause a problem on lawns as there will be earth left outside the nest entrance which can prevent your mowed lawn looking neat and tidy.

In addition to this, ants can destabilise paving slabs if they remove the sand, which poses a danger to pedestrians, and can cause the outside of domestic or commercial properties to look unkempt.

Why are they a problem in commercial properties – and which buildings are most affected?

Just as with domestic properties, ants can also cause problems in commercial properties, especially in office kitchens. However, they also pose a major threat to food-based organisations such as factories, restaurants, bars, hotels, supermarkets and warehouses, where they can contaminate food and threaten the reputation of your organisation. They can also be a big problem in hospitals and care homes, and can be hard to control as they enter premises through the tiniest of openings.

If you have an ant infestation in your commercial property, it is important to call Essex and Suffolk Pest Control, so that an infestation can be dealt with straight away to keep your reputation intact, and to prevent any potential loss of revenue.

When is the ant season?

Female ants usually emerge in spring to lay eggs and the larva are fed by the queen for about four weeks until they pupate. This generally happens in April/June time and is the stage when the larva changes into its adult form.  Winged ants emerge by the end of the summer and mate between August and September. They go back to the soil in the winter and the process begins again.

Ants have a fairly lengthy lifespan as queens can live up to 15 years, and worker ants can live as long as seven years. If you don’t tackle the problem and organise pest control for your Witham or Stowmarket home or business, ants are not only a nuisance for the season, they can return year after year.

Can you tackle an ant problem yourself?

It is possible to buy over-the-counter ant control solutions, including pellets and sprays. There are also various DIY methods which involve putting adhesive on window sills, using lemon juice, cinnamon or chalk to deter ants. However, none of these compare with professional pest control. What is a good deterrent, however, is making sure surfaces are always thoroughly cleaned after use, so that ants are not attracted to your premises.

How is an ant infestation problem tackled by the experts?

Garden ants, such as the Black Garden Ants (Lasius niger), also and the Rogers Ant (Hypoponera punctatissima), can be treated using baits or insecticide. However, the Pharaohs Ants, which are the species that can infest food industries, need to be more thoroughly tackled or they will multiply. These yellow to light brown, almost transparent ants, nest in buildings and can spread disease, so it is essential to call in the pest control experts, Witham and Stowmarket to eliminate the problem as soon as you spot the first signs of infestation.

Pest Control Stowmarket – contact us now so we can combat an ant infestation at your domestic or commercial property.

Pest Control Colchester, Felixstowe and Woodbridge: FAQS About Squirrels

At first sight, squirrels may appear like attractive animals with their lively scamper, glossy coat, bright eyes and bushy tails; but the truth is that they can cause a great deal of damage. If they have found their way into your attic, or are creating havoc in your garden, it’s time to call upon the services of Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions, the pest control experts in Colchester, Woodbridge and Felixstowe. We provide a quick and successful grey squirrel removal service for domestic and commercial organisations, and to keep our services low key, we can arrive in an unmarked vehicle on request.

Pest Control Colchester – contact us now for a friendly, efficient pest control service in Essex, Woodbridge and Felixstowe.

Meanwhile, at Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions we are often asked for information about various pests in the Colchester, Woodbridge and Felixstowe area, and here are our answers to some of the common questions we are asked about squirrels:

What species of squirrels are there?

The most common species of squirrels in the UK are red and grey squirrels. Whereas the red squirrel is native to Britain, and is a protected species, grey squirrels are considered to be a pest. They carry a pox which is deadly to their native cousins, and compete with the reds for food. Unfortunately, while the red squirrels are declining at an alarming rate, the grey squirrels are rising in number and there are estimated to be around 2.5 million greys in the UK.

Black squirrels are a lesser known species of squirrel and, like the greys, they originated from North America. The two species share a similar nature and habitat and black squirrels are commonly spotted in rural parts of Cambridgeshire.

What do grey squirrels eat?

Grey squirrels eat all sorts of plant based material such as buds, bulbs, flowers, fruit, roots, nuts, acorns and tree shoots. They sometimes steal birds’ eggs and eat fledglings.

What is a squirrel’s lifespan?

A grey squirrel can live up to a decade, although their lifespan will generally fall between three and four years. They are a pest at any time of year, and this doesn’t depend on the season.

When is their breeding period?

Female grey squirrels usually give birth around March and April time and if they have a healthy access to food, they sometimes produce a second litter, commonly around June or July. They produce up to nine young at a time.

Why are squirrels a problem in domestic properties?

Squirrels can cause considerable damage to property. Over time, they have become much more courageous in their search for food, and they can sometimes enter kitchens to take scraps. At Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions, each year we get a number of enquiries to deal with the problem of squirrels settling in lofts and roof voids – you will know if they are in your attic as you can hear them running about. If you do have a squirrel problem, these pests are best dealt with straight away as they can chew through walls, beams, insulation and electrical cables.

What damage can they create in commercial buildings?

In commercial buildings, grey squirrels can cause similar problems to those listed above; and if they do chew through cables, at the very least it can cause electricity failure, but more worryingly, this can create a serious fire risk which could put your staff and business in jeopardy. This is why it is so important to deal with a squirrel problem straight away.

What damage can they cause in parklands and woodland?

Grey squirrels are not only a threat to property, but they are also a concern in gardens, parks, open spaces and commercial woodland. They chew through bark to get at the sap which can kill off a tree as it prevents vital nutrients from travelling up to the branches.  Squirrels are also prone to digging holes in gardens (to bury their food) and will seek out newly planted bulbs to eat. 

Can I carry out DIY squirrel pest control?

There are various DIY measures on the market if you have a problem with grey squirrels. These include government approved spring traps, and pest repellers to stop squirrels roaming into your garden. However, this is not always an effective form of pest control so it is important to bring in the experts from Colchester, Woodbridge and Felixstowe, who can tackle the problem and prevent it happening again.

It is also important to note that although grey squirrels are not protected by law, it is an offence to kill or injure red squirrels.

Do Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions take preventative measures?

Yes. As with all our pest control measures in Colchester, Woodbridge and Felixstowe, we feel that prevention is the best course of action. After treatment we will also make sure that your domestic or commercial building is left squirrel proof and lay strong wire mesh to prevent the problem from re-occurring.

What other ways do Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions address a squirrel problem?

Our pest control measures are extremely effective, which is why we can offer a guarantee. We generally use traps, which are simple to use and are very successful for the treatment of grey squirrels, although poison may be necessary in some cases.

Pest Control Felixstowe –  contact us now to address the problem of grey squirrels at your domestic or commercial property.