Pest Control In Manchester & Other Large Cities

Pest Control In Manchester & Other Large Cities by Ken Chadwick

Big city pest control brings its own set of special circumstances which sometimes require a different approach to smaller and quieter towns.

Firstly the very logistics of working in a busy big city can be problematic, even the basics of parking your van near the customers’ premises can be difficult especially when equipment needs to be carried. This can lead to increased charges which have to be passed onto the customer and sometimes these can be substantial.

Premises are often open seven days a week and even twenty-four hours a day thus leaving little opportunity for the pest controller to go about his work.

This may not cause too much difficulty in routine preventative inspection visits but can cause extreme problems when infestation is detected in that often pesticides require premises to be vacated for a period of time.

Big towns & cities usually have a large number of takeaways providing food to eat on the go and often will be littered overnight with uneaten food scraps providing food for rats, pigeons and seagulls which have now moved inland.

Often daily waste collections mean that bagged food waste is put outside overnight thus encouraging rodents.

Pigeons & Seagulls are obviously a nuisance with their noise and fouling but often will take food stuffs up onto roofs and ledges causing a build up of rotten materials which produce flies and maggots.

Pigeons will often roost and nest in roof spaces for many years leading to a large build up of pigeon guano and often their droppings can make the walkways below slippery and dangerous.

Most big cities have a varied ethnic mix with a variety of shops and restaurants supplying foods from all over the world. Often these foods are imported in bulk from countries where pests such as cockroaches are endemic and these pests are then brought into the U.K. hidden away in the goods and packaging.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of big city pest control is the resurgence of the bed bug which in recent years has seen numbers rise exponentially.

A high transient population of visitors often staying in inexpensive, high turnover accommodation means that the bugs can spread quickly throughout a city and even expensive upmarket establishments are not exempt.

The very nature of a bed bug infestation means that it is difficult and expensive to cure and news of infestation is often of interest to local press who will often carry a story about a guest being bitten, thus ruining the reputation of the establishment.

Bed bug infestations require that the infested bedroom and those adjacent be treated thus losing revenue for the establishment.

How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Home Safely

How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Home Safely (Ken Chadwick)

How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Home Safely – Black or Garden Ants (Lasius niger)

Ants in your home can be a horrible experience but they can be cured permanently with professional help

Black ants are commonly found throughout the UK, and although they nest outdoors, they are often found inside houses, causing a nuisance more than anything.

They are social creatures, and live in colonies containing workers (infertile females), males, queens and grubs (larvae). Ants mate on the wing, so the “flying ants” are either males or immature queens.

Where do they come from?

You will find ants nests in dry earth around plant roots, with sandy soil in particular attracting colonies.

The sand used in house foundations, garden paths and patios forms a good site for the queen ant to start a colony. Nests are increasingly being found inside the walls of properties (cavity walls, for example). Once a colony develops it can be difficult to get rid of.

Why do ants come indoors?

The ants found indoors are usually worker ants, which are foraging for food for the queen and the grubs. They have found that buildings inhabited by humans are a good source of provision, particularly sweet or sugary items, and a good dry harbourage.

Do black ants just live on human food?

No, the worker ants are scavengers and collect seeds, nectar, and even dead insects as well to take back to the nest. They also prey on greenfly, blackfly and other small insects, so cannot be considered to be all bad.

Do black ants do any harm?

Although it is unpleasant and a nuisance to find a large number of them in your home, black ants do not transmit any serious diseases.

However, you should remember as well that the ants may have travelled through unpleasant or dirty places during their foraging and before entering your home. This means that they can taint any food, making it unsuitable to eat.

Do not leave food uncovered if accessible to ants, but if they have contaminated food, dispose of in the dustbin (wrapped first to prevent it smelling in the warmer weather).

They are able to bite and squirt formic acid as a defence mechanism, irritate  those with sensitive skin.

How do I get rid of them?

There is no single method available to the general public which is guaranteed to succeed. Often it is better to rely on professional pest control companies.

You can try the proprietary powders available at DIY stores and hardware shops however this often proves only to be a short-term answer, firstly because of the low dosages of active ingredient allowed in domestic insecticides.and  secondly, there can be so many ants in one nest that it is difficult to eradicate the whole colony.

You will often find that the problem re-occurs year after year and it is often worth spending a few pounds to have the problem professionally treated.

The most common treatment that a professional pest control company will carry out is a spray treatment of the infested area. This will usually have the effect of reducing or even removing the problem for a period of some weeks or even months.

The operative should spray inside and outside the property where ants are seen and attempt to get insecticide into the nest itself although this is rarely possible.

The cost for this treatment for an average sized property is in the range £45 – £100 depending on distance travelled and time of call out.

The most successful, but also most expensive method of curing an ant infestation is to drill holes into the cavity walls of the property and inject insecticidal dust into the cavity itself.

This forms an impenetrable barrier, which the ants cannot cross, and is 99.9% successful in removing ant infestations. Although the treatment is more expensive it lasts for several years depending on how dry the cavities are and has the benefit that once the holes are drilled it is a simple and relatively inexpensive matter to re-inject the cavities with insecticidal dust every few years.

Harrier Pest Prevention guarantees the treatment for an initial three years after which an inexpensive top up of the insecticide extends the guarantee for a further three years.

As a rough guide to cost of this treatment measure the external walls of your property, all around the house and multiply the number of metres by £8.

We will be pleased to carry out a survey and provide you with a fixed quotation for this work free of charge.

AuthorThat concludes this article entitled – How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Home Safely

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