Bed bugs are becoming more of a problem in the United Kingdom. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11491127

Harlequin ladybirds are becoming more a problem to householders during the Autumn/Winter months.  Like cluster flies they come inside gathering around window frames to hibernate over winter. As a servicing pest control company we have seen an increase in Harlequin Ladybird enquiries, during the Autumn months, over the last 3 years.

Harlequin ladybirds

The Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) is not a native species of the UK and is a relatively new visitor. Originally from Asia the Harlequin Ladybird is now being found in North America and Europe.   In North America it is also known as Halloween Ladybird as it becomes more a problem inside properties at the end of October.

How to Identify the Harlequin Ladybird?  I can do no better but to direct you to the The Harlequin Ladybird Survey website which is very informative http://www.harlequin-survey.org/recognition_and_distinction.htm

We can help by carrying out an insecticidal treatment to internal parts of window frames, this will control Harlequin Ladybirds once inside but please note that we cannot stop them from coming in.  If you would like to arrange a treatment please let us know how many windows are affected (usually the sunniest side of the house south/south west).

We have recently joined Wasp Control UK see link to their website Wasp Control UK. Wasp nest control services throughout the UK

As Autumn approaches we are coming into Cluster Fly Season (weather dependent but approximately October to April).

Location: Numerous locations, but usually in lofts and roof spaces. South-facing windows and walls often favoured.

Detection: Visual sightings of large numbers of adults.

There are three main species of fly collectively known as cluster flies. They are Musca autumalis, a small fly of about the same size and colour as the house fly, Pollenia rudis, a larger fly dull brown/grey in colour, and lastly Dasyhora caynella which is about house fly size and shiny green/blue in colour.

Biology:

Cluster flies, particularly Pollenia rudis are very common occurring throughout Great Britain. The adult flies during the summer months, lay their eggs in the earth or in animal dung. Permanent areas of grassland are favourite sites e.g. permanent grazed pasture or parkland as solid cultivation such as ploughing disrupts the flies breeding cycle. The larval stage is parasitic, entering earthworms and feeding upon them until emerging as an adult fly.

Cluster flies migrate from outdoors into the lofts of houses and farm buildings during the autumn months causing a nuisance to householders. Obvious signs of an infestation is a roof space containing a large quantity of lethargic flies and a quantity of dead flies. Unless the loft is used for storage purposes or is accessed regularly the flies will hibernate successfully leaving in early spring dependent on the weather.

Reasons for control:

Cluster flies are not damaging to property when they enter buildings in the autumn purely to hibernate over the cold winter months. As mentioned above they feed on decaying vegetation and earthworms. Cluster flies are not to be associated with dead animal bodies, faeces and the resulting maggots. Fibre glass insulation material in lofts can look unsightly if covered with the bodies of flies that have not hibernated successfully although its insulation properties will not be altered and no damage to the roof structure will occur.

If the loft is home to a hibernating colony of flies, first floor lighting diffusers or sunken spot light lenses can become full of dead or dying flies. This often occurs in houses where the loft area has been converted into a living room. In most buildings built after 1950, the external roof covering has an under felt layer. Cluster flies can successfully hibernate undetected between these two layers. Often cluster flies can be seen basking on sunny grassland or resting on south facing walls of buildings. Cluster flies, like birds, return to roof spaces previously occupied so re-infestation is almost inevitable.

Control/Treatment:

Unfortunately the only option available is to try and control the number of flies by either:-

Insecticidal space spray by us or another pest control company (N.B. if bats are present in your loft/attic this will not be possible). If you are not in our area please see the BPCA’s web site to locate a pest control company near you search BPCA member. Number of visits required will depend on the time of year the treatment is carried out and also on weather conditions (mild autumn) as to when flies come in to hibernate.

The use of fly control units also works well (N.B. it is not recommended that electric grid machines are used in loft areas/roof voids, however if you wish to use this type of machine it is important that these are used with an extra deep cluster tray and checked on a regular basis). Please see our online eshop www.hygieneshop.co.uk for fly killer units which are suitable for controlling cluster flies.

Below photo shows a glueboard covered in cluster flies:-

N.B. If bats are present in the roof space, then it is not recommended that any sort of fly control is used.

In the current financial climate it is understandable that some businesses are finding trading difficult and are looking to cut back on expenditure. Some companies may feel that pest control services and contracts are an area where savings are possible. However, be warned that the long term cost of cutting back on pest prevention and pest control may far outweigh any short term financial gain.
A pest control contract should be viewed as an insurance policy. It should be seen as part of a ‘due diligence’ defence for a business owner to show that they have done what is reasonably practicable to protect people and products from pest infestation. As with all insurance policies, you need to adhere to certain conditions, and these will be the recommendations given by the pest controller in their report. So if you decide to go without an insurance policy, then what are the risks?

One of the main risks associated with pests is disease. These can be passed on to staff or on to customers via contaminated products. Rats, for example, carry Weil’s disease in their urine, an infection that presents with flu like symptoms but can be deadly. Cockroaches and housefly can transfer a number of illnesses due to their unsavoury feeding habits, and birds such as pigeons and their droppings can carry disease and cause respiratory illness. Any employer who ignored such pest activity and allowed employees or customers to fall ill would find themselves in serious trouble with enforcement bodies such as the Environmental Health department, with heavy fines and jail being possible. Combined with the bad publicity that surrounds Environmental Health prosecutions, businesses can struggle to survive.

The cost of a pest infestation can also be heavy in terms of damage to stock and equipment. Mice for example feed ‘little and often’, taking food from dozens of locations in a single night. Mice are also incontinent and freely urinate and defecate on every surface they come in to contact with. This can result in the destruction of huge quantities of stock contaminated by mouse activity. Rodents must also gnaw to stunt the growth of their incisor teeth. This again leads to damage, often shutting machinery down when power cables are chewed through. Every year, a number of properties are damaged and destroyed by rodents causing fires and floods with their gnawing habits.

As you can see, the cost of pest infestation can be high. Disease, damage, prosecution and bad publicity can all be caused by unchecked pest infestations. A pest control contract with a suitably insured, trained and qualified company will not necessarily guarantee no pest activity. However, regular inspection visits with a competent contractor will act as an early warning system, with which pest activity can be flagged and dealt with before it becomes a threat to the business. A contract that contains a call out programme is also highly beneficial as it ensures that any pest activity, taking place between routine visits can be rapidly dealt with. If you would like more information on visit frequency, scope of contract and our charges, please contact Vermatech Pest Control on 0800 781 4059 or 0118 972 4895. We are full members of the British Pest Control Association www.bpca.org.uk 01332 294288.

We are now well into the wasp nest season and are having a busy summer. Our wasp (or hornet) nest treatment charge is from £45 plus VAT.

This year wasps seem to be doing particularly well and we are finding that most of our customers have more than one nest. So before you phone us to book an appointment have a look good round your property to see if you can find anymore, as it is cheaper to have the nests treated together rather than on separate occasions.

When you phone please let us know where the nest is (i.e. eaves, shed etc.) and we will then make an appointment for one of our professional technicians (Andrew, Roy or Wez) to come out to you.

So don’t get stung this summer give us a buzz on 0118 972 4895 or 0800 781 4059

Congratulations to our technician Wez for passing his RSPH/BPCA Level 2 examination.

This qualification is principally aimed at people working in pest control, who will be better equipped to carry out their professional duties safely, efficiently and humanely. It is designed to provide an understanding of public health pests and their control, and fulfils the legal requirement relating to the training of pest control technicians as set out in the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986.

Holders of this qualification will have a good understanding of rodent control, invertebrate control, health and safety and accident prevention, legislation, customer care and control of non-rodent mammals and birds. The qualification is divided into two units (Vertebrate Pests and Invertebrate Pests) and one half unit (Health, Safety and Legal Aspects).

We have a wasp nest in our shed!  At the moment (16 May 2010) the queen wasp is a very hard working single mum; she has to build the nest and look after her young.  As you will see from the photograph the nest is quite small about the size of a golf ball.  The queen is constructing her nest from chewed up wood mixed with salvia which she makes into a paste (a bit like paper mache) she then builds her nest layer by layer.  When her young hatch they will take over the building of the nest and foraging of food for the wasp grubs. The nest (if left untreated) will grow rapidly throughout the summer months.

Queen wasp building her wasp nest

At the moment, unless you can actually see the wasp nest, you will probably not know it is there.  During the summer months when activity increases you may spot a steady stream of wasps coming and going from one area.  It is best to leave treatment of wasp nests to the experts as wasps will know when their nest is under attack and defend it. So don’t get stung this summer give us a buzz on 0800 781 4059.  We charge £45 plus VAT to treat a wasp nest.

When a fly lands on your food, as flies cannot chew they have to suck up their food, in order to soften it up they vomit on it, the digestive juices, enzymes, and saliva in the vomit begin to break down and dissolve the food. The fly can then suck up the liquid food with its sponge-like mouth parts and its proboscis. The fly’s feeding technique underlies, the main mode of food contamination with disease pathogens and spoilage organisms.

The fly is a highly mobile pest, able to fly from filth to food carrying with it a wide range of disease-causing organisms on its body. There are many thousands of species of flies; however, relatively few interact with humans. Those that do are among the most destructive of pest species, spreading diseases to man and domesticated animals as well as contaminating food and packaging.

It is every company’s responsibility to ensure adequate measures are being taken to avoid infestations by flying insects, especially where food is being prepared, packed or stored. At the same time home owners are becoming more aware of the risks and also want to offer the same high standards of care to their families.

Fly control is integrated; this means that no one specific method of control will control flying insects 100% of the time. As a result of this, flying insect control has to be integrated for example with fly screens on open windows or fly screen doors.

HACCP House Rules in relation to Flyscreens

• Windows opening directly into food preparation areas must be fitted with screens capable of resisting common flying insects (ideally apertures should be of 2mm2 or less)
• Screens must be removable to allow for cleaning
• Kitchen doors which open to the outside air and which are opened for lengthy periods must also be suitably screened using a close-fitting insect-proof screen door

Vermatech supply and install bespoke flyscreens for commercial customers only such as schools, restaurants, public houses. Please contact us to arrange a survey of your premises either by using our online contact form or by telephoning us on 0800 781 4059.

When should you change the ultra violet bulb in your fly killer?

Ultraviolet light is invisible to humans and deteriorates over a short period of time, usually around 12 months. Blue light will still be emitted from the tube, but this will not attract the insects. Just because a tube lights up that does not mean that it is producing enough of the correct range of UV to attract flying insects. It is therefore important to change tubes at least every 12 months, preferably at the onset of warmer weather. We sell a wide range of ultra violet tubes please see our online Internet shop at www.hygieneshop.co.uk or phone us on 0800 781 4059 to ensure you are ready for the fly season.

Fly Control Units

We also sell a wide range of British made fly control units both electric grid and glueboard. Please see our Internet shop at www.hygieneshop.co.uk or phone us on 0800 781 4059.

We treat a number of different species of ants but the most common is the black garden ant (Lasius niger). These ants tend to nest in gardens, around footings of houses and under paving slabs favouring sandy dry soil in sunny sites. Small piles of fine earth brought up to the surface by the ants can easily distinguish nest openings. Sometimes nests are well inside buildings with the ants exploiting proofing defects such as cracks in the building fabric. Garden ants are not regarded as a significant risk to public health; they are more of a nuisance when they find their way inside properties.

Ants, wasps and bees belong to one of the largest orders of insects the Hymenoptera order. Ants have complex social structures with one queen per nest, males and a large number of workers (infertile females) tending to various functions. The queen may live for up to 15 years. Ants collect food for their colony from nectar, organic material and high protein foodstuffs.

It is the workers we usually see foraging for food. Foraging workers can be a nuisance when they find their way inside houses, office kitchens, bars in search of sugary substances.

Ant nests may survive for many years but young queens together with reproductive males will leave the nest as ‘flying ants’ in July and August usually triggered by weather conditions, this used to be known as “the ants’ wedding day”. This is a common sight on a hot sunny afternoon and will only last a few hours. The winged ants fly away mating in the air. The males die off leaving some of the mated females (who shed their wings and return to the ground) to attempt to start a new ant colony.

Before you call us, it is worthwhile carrying out simple cleaning measures to try and persuade ants to forage elsewhere i.e. clearing up food and drink spillages, putting away sugary food/fruit etc.

Vermatech can carry out one off treatments to control garden ants that are finding their way inside your home or work place and causing a nuisance. We will treat internal areas and if applicable the external perimeter of the property. For commercial premises we would recommend the use of ant bait to avoid out of hours treatments, however patience is required to allow this method of control to work. We will only use insecticides that are appropriate for the situation.

Please note we will not treat ants in gardens or on lawns, after all, that is where they live and can actually be a beneficial insect and of course ants are food for birds (such as woodpeckers).