At Falcon Environmental Services we wanted to provide you with a Plymouth pest control ultimate guide so that you know what to do should you discover unwanted guests in your home or business premises. We offer an extensive range of Plymouth pest control services and are often called upon when a particular pest problem has become too large for people to deal with themselves or too dangerous so they seek the help and advice of professionals. Our work varies greatly depending on the time of year and includes tiny and hard to see pests and those that are much larger and make their presence felt. From the localised areas of Plymouth and surrounds to the wider areas of Devon and Cornwall, Matt and his team work hard to deliver an exceptional service and professional advice to both homeowners and businesses.
Given that this is the Plymouth pest control ultimate guide, let’s take a look at some of the pests that you are likely to encounter in your home or around your property, the problems that they can cause and how to deal with them:
Plymouth pest control ultimate guide
Ants
Ants and their nests can be tricky! One minute you spot one lone ant scurrying across your floor and the next thing there are so many that you can barely see the floor. The thing with ants is that they are super intelligent and, working as a team, also very strong. Have you ever seen a team of ants carrying a crumb? Whilst fascinating to watch you really don’t want them crawling through your home looking for food.
When it comes to ants, it is best to treat the source of the problem and leave nothing to chance. Ant powder that you can buy yourself will often sort the problem temporarily but experts are licensed to use products that will deal with these pests more effectively and on a more permanent basis. The trouble with widely available ant powders is that they only offer a temporary solution.
Bees
Bees are not a pest, we repeat – bees are NOT a pest! They should be protected as they do amazing things for the planet. If you see a bee swarm or hive then call us and we will ensure that it is safely removed and rehomed in a local Plymouth apiary. Don’t mistake it for a wasps’ nest which are quite different to beehives and don’t try and deal with it yourself.
There are a few different types of bees including the bumble bee and the valuable honey bee. They will only sting as a last resort and their sting often results in death for most species. Do not try and disturb their hive and try to leave it undisturbed while you wait for an expert.
Cockroaches
There are about four species of these filthy pests that you are more likely to see in the UK. They love dark, damp and humid living conditions and temperatures that exceed 70 degrees Fahrenheit. While they don’t bite or sting, you really don’t want to be sharing your house with them as they can carry nasty diseases. These diseases include Salmonella Typhi which causes Typhoid, Poliomyelitis which causes Polio and Dysentery. They can also carry allergens which have been known to trigger asthma. You will often know you have a problem when you see one although you may see their droppings or smell them first.
While you can spray the odd cockroach yourself you really don’t know what you are dealing with and where there are one there are usually more. Dealing with one may seem easy but dealing with an infestation is not quite so simple. In the first instance, you need to call in a Plymouth pest control expert who will assess the problem and then advise you on the next steps.
Wasps
At the height of summer and later in the season, wasps can become a real pain. On a summer’s day, it becomes almost impossible to sit outside and enjoy a nice meal, a BBQ or a pint without a wasp making their presence known. The familiar sight of someone wafting a wasp away or dancing around trying to out run the wasp, while amusing, is incredibly frustrating. What’s more frustrating is when you see many wasps around your property. Usually this will indicate the presence of a nest close by although this particular summer, fruit trees have become a popular hang-out as the nests run out of food.
Never try to tackle a wasp nest yourself – you run the risk of being badly stung by multiple wasps. Some people can have bad reactions to a wasp sting which can lead to anaphylactic shock. Others, while not reacting, are quite surprised at how painful it is. One sting is bad enough but if you upset a nest you can expect to experience more than one. Keep children and pets away from any suspected wasps’ nests and call in the experts.
Fleas
Don’t let the bugs bite! Fleas are difficult to get rid of in the home. They are usually carried in by our beloved pets and wherever that pet goes, so do the fleas. Now fleas prefer a warm and furry host but if your dog has free access to the house, the fleas will start to multiply – beds, carpets, sofas… before you know it you have a problem that becomes difficult to get rid of.
While you can treat your pets, and try and minimise the spread of fleas in your home, it is wise to call in the experts so that we can get rid of them for you. Don’t ignore the problem – the fleas will breed and multiply and will bite. Flea bites are not unlike mosquito bites – they cause an itchy lump that will drive you mad scratching.
Flies
Where there are flies, maggots follow. If you see a fly land on your food, you can be sure, if there for long enough, that it is going to lay eggs. The thought of it is disgusting and the odd fly is always common in the summer. It is when the flies become a problem that you need to call in a Plymouth pest control specialist to help. There are a few different UK flies that you need to be aware of. The common blue bottle is attracted to decomposing food or flesh while the cluster fly tends to live in cavity walls or roof spaces. The fruit fly likes fermented fruit and the mosquitoes are more commonly found near water.
It only takes one fly to land in your fruit bowl and get to work and before you know it you have the potential for that to become more than one fly. Wheelie bins are a common place for maggots. Although you are supposed to compost the leftover food, often things can stray into the wheelie bin and attract flies – maggots will grow and then, unless you clean out the bin, the maggots will turn into flies. The key is to exercise good hygiene practises but if you do find yourself with a problem then give us a call and we will help rid you of these pests.
Rats
They say you are never more than a few feet away from a rat. You just hope that the rat is on the other side of your external walls! Unfortunately, these crafty creatures are reputed for being able to squeeze through the tiniest gaps to look for food and shelter. Your loft space, wall cavities, floorboards and other warm and hidden places are a favourite. The only trouble is they don’t stay here. At night, they go on the prowl looking for sources of food, often traipsing around your kitchens without you even realising. The diseases that they carry are passed on through their urine and you don’t even want to think about where they might be spreading it.
Unfortunately, rats are not easy to catch and can often cause much damage to electrical cables, wooden beams and pipes in a very short space of time. It is best to call in a Plymouth pest control expert at the first sign of a rat. At Falcon, we will find the rat, locate the source of entry, get rid of the rat or rats and the nest and prevent any more coming it.
Mice
Much like rats, mice carry diseases and like to chew. While they may be a lot cuter than a rat, don’t let appearances deceive you. They are as much trouble as rats and need to be evicted. They will look for warm and dry places to make their nests and like under the floorboards, inside the cavity walls and in roof spaces as well as in garages, sheds and compost bins.
You will normally hear scratching or scuffling noises at night, spot their droppings or smell a strong urine smell. Chewed wires, stains on the skirting and food crumbs where you wouldn’t expect to find them are also a sign of mice. If you suspect you even have one mouse, it’s best to call in the experts.
Bird control
As well as our Plymouth pest control services, we also offer a bird control service and are fully licensed to assist you in the management and prevention of nuisance bird problems.
Seagulls
Seagulls are a nuisance across towns and cities as well as coastal areas. In fact, it is not uncommon to see seagulls in land. In Plymouth, as a coastal city there are plenty of them around. We also cover the surrounding counties when it comes to bird control so wherever you are, if you have a seagull problem we can help. We use many methods to deter and move the birds on including hawking. The hawks fly over the nests giving off the signals that this is their territory so that the seagulls move on and make their nests elsewhere. There are also other preventative methods like netting and spiking which make the areas inhospitable for birds. It is usually placed on roof tops and around ledges – anywhere that a bird can hide away and make a nest.
It is important to protect your environment from nuisance birds and the problems that they cause. Seagulls are vicious when food is involved and aren’t afraid of swooping down and taking it out of your hands. Some people have received some nasty pecks from an angry bird. Their droppings also create a problem over the side of buildings and on nearby vehicles. Their faeces can carry diseases so you don’t want them on your property if you can help it. If you have a problem with gulls then give us a call and in the first instance we can offer advice on the situation and then deal with the problem for you.
Pigeons
Pigeons are brave creatures and are commonly seen walking around populated areas. They tend to roost in big numbers so if you see one pigeon, there will be many more close by. Their preferred habitat is coastal areas where they like to nest and roost on cliff tops. Due to an abundance of food sources they have moved into areas that are populated by humans like city centres where the ledges of homes and commercial premises provide a great substitute for cliff edges.
Less intimidating than the seagull, the pigeon is still a nuisance that needs to be dealt with. Their droppings are a problem as they can erode the facade of buildings and they can carry Histoplasmosis and Candidiasis. It is illegal for humans to interfere with the nests of pigeons and a licensed specialists must be called in to deal with the nesting pigeons. At Falcon, we are licensed so can offer advice on the best course of action to resolve your pigeon problem.
After reading our Plymouth pest control ultimate guide, you can see that we deal with an extensive range of pests. We also help land owners and farmers with pests that affect their land and livestock. These pests include foxes, deer, moles, badgers and rabbits. If you would like to discuss this or anything else mentioned above in further detail then please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to help.
