The cockchafer beetle is often misidentified as a cockroach but they are very different.

The cockchafer is also known as the may bug as May is the time of year it makes it an appearance. Cockchafers are not a public health pest and are harmless and do not require a treatment. Cockchafers can fly and will often fly into a property at night being attracted by a light, best advice is to collect it up and pop it back outside.

The cockchafer larvae (grubs) are not popular with gardeners or farmers as they can be destructive.

Please see images below for identification purposes:-

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

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).

Thanks for visiting our new website, we look forward to working with you to solve your pest control problems.

We will be posting our latest news right here – check back soon!

From the Vermatech Pest Control Team