Rodents
Droppings, scratching in the loft at night, or grease marks along skirting. Mice breed quickly. Rats gnaw cables. Both are easier while the numbers are still small.
Practical advice
What to do before we arrive.
A short bit of preparation makes a treatment more likely to work the first time. If you are unsure, do less rather than more, and ask when you book.
Call sooner rather than later
Wasps
A steady flight line to one hole in a roof, shed or bird box is a nest. Do not block the hole and do not spray it yourself. Blocking the entrance pushes wasps indoors.
Bed bugs and fleas
Bites in rows, dark spots on the mattress, or ankles bitten after you have been away. Bed bugs are not a cleanliness problem. Fleas often arrive with pets or a previous occupant.
Prepare the rooms
- Fleas. Clear as much floor as you can and vacuum thoroughly before we arrive, including under furniture and along the edges. After treatment, do not vacuum or wash the area for at least two weeks, longer if possible. Washing the product away is the usual reason a flea job fails.
- Bed bugs. Do not start throwing the mattress out before the survey. Tell us if you have already used shop sprays. Strip beds only if we ask you to, so insects are not scattered into other rooms.
- Rodents. Note where you have seen droppings and keep food in sealed containers. Do not move bait that has already been laid by someone else until we have seen it.
- Wasps. Keep windows near the nest closed, and keep children and pets away from the flight line. We will treat the nest or the entry hole. You do not need to find the comb yourself.
Habits that make a return less likely
Proof the building
Mice need a gap about the width of a pencil. After treatment we point out the holes worth filling: around pipes, air bricks that are broken, and gaps under doors. Proofing is part of the job, not an optional extra we mention and then ignore.
Take away the reason they stayed
Open food, a dripping overflow, or a bird feeder against the wall will undo rodent work. For moths, storing clean wool in sealed containers after treatment protects what the larvae have not already eaten. For ants, treating in spring beats waiting for the flying swarm in July.
Questions we are asked first
Do you charge extra for evenings and weekends?
No. Visits before 9am, after 5pm and at weekends are how we normally work. There is no out-of-hours surcharge.
Will you quote before treating?
Yes. A survey and a quotation come before any treatment. You will hear the chemical and non-chemical options where both are realistic.
Are the vans marked?
No. We travel in unmarked vehicles so the visit stays discreet.
What if there is no pest after all?
If we attend and there is no pest issue to solve, only a small call-out fee is charged.
Can you tell me what the insect is?
Yes. We identify it on the visit, or use monitoring if the signs are not clear on the first look. Photos by email help us prepare, but they do not replace the survey.
Where are you based?
The office is at 1 Union Street, 2nd Floor, Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, NG10 1HH. We cover Derby, Nottingham and roughly 30 miles around them. Call +1 928-267-9041 or email [email protected].