Pest control service

Rats 

An adult rat weighs 100 to 500 grams and measures about 24 cm long (excluding tail). They are brown or black with grey fur underneath.

Rats are efficient burrowers. They favour compost heaps and the ground underneath hedges and sheds, where they will dig shallow burrows and form nests with dry grass and leaves.

In houses they nest in wall cavities and beneath floorboards. They are good climbers and can climb vertical brick walls. They are also proficient swimmers and are at home in sewers where they have food, water and shelter.

The front teeth of rats continue to grow, so they gnaw on hard objects such as lead water pipes, brickwork, electric cables and wood to keep them at a manageable length. Rats are usually active at night, but may also be seen during the day. They usually have well worn runs between their living area and source of food and water. 

The life expectancy of a rat is approximately one year, during which time a female will typically breed five times with an average litter of 8. Female rats will have their first litter at the age of 4 months. Rats can be a major hazard to health as they can spread many forms of disease (especially through droppings and urine). Some of these diseases, such as leptospirosis, can be fatal to humans, although incidences are rare. 

Signs of rat infestation

Rat infestation can be characterised by the following signs: 

• damage caused by gnawing: packaging will often show tooth marks which will indicate whether it is a rat or a mouse

• holes made by rats in doors and walls, and the entrances to nests, are about 80mm (3inches) in diameter, and nests may be made in wall and floor cavities

• rat runs: once the best route has been established, rats tend to use this run frequently and it will become soiled with the grease and dirt and be very apparent in even moderate infestations

• smears and droppings: a good indication of the size of infestation and how long it has been there

• footprints can be seen on soft or dusty surfaces

Mice 

An adult house mouse weighs about 30 grams and is 90 mm long (excluding tail). It has brown fur with grey stomach and large ears (in relation to the body) and small feet. The tail is approximately the same length as the head and body.

Mice can be confused with young rats which have smaller ears, larger feet and thick tails which are shorter than their body.

They are widely distributed throughout urban areas and in farm buildings. The house mouse is the most common domestic pest and will nest in partitions, floors, and behind wall boarding.

Mice are mainly active at night and occasionally during the day. Mice are excellent climbers and can scale vertical brick walls.

They are not dependent on having a source of water and get enough moisture from food. 

The life expectancy of a mouse is a year. Females may breed up to six times (with an average litter of six) and start producing babies at 2 months. Mice are a hazard to health and can be responsible for the spread of disease.

They may eat food intended for human consumption and contaminate it with urine, droppings and fur. All contaminated food should be disposed of.

Mice can also cause structural damage by gnawing woodwork, water pipes, electric cables and household items.

Signs of mouse infestation

Signs of mouse infestation include

• damage caused by gnawing

• feeding holes

• smears

• droppings

Mice nibble from the centre of a grain, whilst rats often leave half grains or pieces of debris.

Nest entrance holes are about 20mm diameter and appear in the ground, floors, walls and the base of doors.

Footprints may be evident in dusty environments.

The amount of droppings present indicates the size of infestation and how long it has been there. 

Bees and wasps

Please read the advice below, and if possible identify the type of bee or confirm that you have a problem with wasps before you contact us for help. 

What do they look like?

Bees can be easily mistaken for wasps but the colours of a wasp are iridescent yellow and black stripes whereas the bee’s colours are duller. The bee’s body is more furry than the wasps and little yellow pollen sacs are usually visible on the hind limbs. There are many different kinds of bees:

Bumble bees

Big and bulky with dense hair covering their bodies.  Distinctive 'bumbling' flight.  Colours can vary as we have 24 different types in the UK. These are reactively large (up to 30mm) but there can be a variety of sizes within a colony. They often nest below ground, using old mouse holes, but may use a bird box or shed, in compost bins or compost heaps etc. A nest may contain between 100 and 200 bees but there are usually about 50 - 80. They rarely sting, unless when severely provoked and are a beneficial insect.

General advice should be to leave them alone.

Bumblebee nests only live for a short period (approximately 2 months). They are important pollinators and should be allowed to live out their life cycles. If left alone these should pose no problem.

Bumble bees cannot be collected or removed by a beekeeper.

Honey bees

Thinner looking compared to a bumblebee, chocolate brown and yellow stripes with a slightly furry top half with dark yellow hair. Live in hives but sometimes swarms escape. These are important pollinators and should not be killed unless essential for public safety. They can form large nests within cavity walls, lofts, sheds hedges and trees etc. A colony can have up to 40,000 bees and a swarm can contain up to 20,000 bees.

Considerable numbers of honey bees can be attracted to plants which are in flower. This is their normal behaviour to 'forage' and collect nectar and pollen. Foraging bees should pose no problem and should be left alone.

At certain times of the year honey bees can ‘swarm’. Swarms can be triggered by weather conditions, or caused when the size of the hive becomes too large or its safety is threatened.  Find out more about honey bee swarms below. A bekeeper can assist if you have a swarm.

Solitary bees

Vary in size, colour and hair density - make nests in cavities in soil, sandy embankments or crumbling mortar.  Although solitary, sometimes found to nest in large numbers, especially ground nesters. They do not form large colonies. They cause relatively little damage and are unlikely to sting.

General advice should be to leave them alone.

Solitary bees are harmless and are important pollinators and should be allowed to live out their life cycles.  Many are now endangered.   If left alone these should pose no problem.

Solitary bees cannot be collected or removed by a beekeeper

Wasps

Much thinner than a bumblebee, distinctive yellow and black markings, hairless body.  Nests made of a paper like structure.

Honeybee swarms

Only Honeybees swarm. This is a natural process where a queen leaves a colony and her followers mass around her. It typically occurs during very hot weather at the beginning of summer (May-June). Swarms occur where a colony of bees produces more than one queen, the colony then splits and one of the queens leaves the hive along with her workers to find a suitable site to create a new colony.

If you have a swarm of bees on your property it is best and safest to leave them alone and seek some expert advice from a beekeeper or Pest Control.

Beekeepers do not work for the Borough Council, and are not obliged to respond. Any arrangement you make with them is a private agreement. They may make a charge for their time and travelling expenses.

If the swarm is not easily accessible, or no beekeeper is available the Borough Council may be able to assist. The Authority is unable to ‘collect’ bees and can only use a chemical to destroy them. The council is reluctant to carry out control measures for bees on environmental grounds. We have a policy to only destroy bees in extreme circumstances and where they constitute a credible threat or danger and risk to public health. Our contact details are shown below.

What to do if you are stung

Some people (about 3 in 100) are strongly allergic to bites and stings and can be very ill. Most people who have an allergic reaction have been stung before without an allergic reaction. Some people never have another allergic reaction again after their first. This is why they are almost impossible to predict.

You should:

• remove the sting if it has been left in the wound

• wash the area with soap and water

• put a cold flannel on the area

• raise the part of the body that has been stung to prevent swelling

• use a spray or cream containing local anaesthetic or antihistamine on the area to stop the itching and swelling

• take painkillers, such as paracetamol if it is very painful

• do not scratch the area as it may become infected

• if you experience swelling or itching anywhere else on the body immediately after being stung, wheezing, headache, feeling sick, fast heart rate, feeling faint, difficulty swallowing, or a swollen face or mouth, you may need emergency treatment. Call 999 for an ambulance immediately as you may be having a generalised allergic reaction and this can be fatal

• be aware that although itchy and sometimes painful they are rarely dangerous and need only some antihistamine or local anaesthetic cream from your pharmacist. Ask your pharmacist for advice. Bites can become infected by scratching

• be aware that the redness and swelling are usually due to the allergy rather than an infection. Antibiotics are rarely needed in the first 48 hours

• call your doctor if the symptoms will not go away or if you are stung in the mouth, around the throat or receive multiple stings

• contact NHS 111 if you require further advice about aftercare.

Masonry or sand bees

These burrow into soft mortar or soil and lay a single egg at the end of each hole..

Information from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Bumble Bees

These are reactively large (up to 30mm) but there can be a variety of sizes within a colony. They often nest below ground, using old mouse holes, but may use a bird box or shed, in compost bins or compost heaps etc.

A nest may contain between 100 and 200 bees but there are usually about 50 to 80. They rarely sting, unless when severely provoked and are a beneficial insect. General advice should be to ‘leave them alone’.

Honeybees

These are important pollinators and should not be killed unless essential for public safety. They can form large nests within cavity walls, lofts, sheds hedges and trees etc.

A colony can have up to 40,000 bees and a swarm can contain up to 20,000 bees. See below for more information about honeybee swarms.

When are they active, and what else needs to be done?

Wasps and bumble bees are seasonal insects in so far as when the first frost arrives the colonies die but honey bee colonies continue to live throughout the winter. It may be necessary to remove honey bee comb from your property as walls can become stained and the wax can burn.

Once established in a property none of the above insects are likely to just go away.

If nests are built in a chimney or gas vent it is essential that the nest is fully removed. Contact a chimney sweep or a gas engineer if the nest is in the vent to a gas appliance, and do not use the appliance until it has been confirmed to be safe.

Bees will not normally sting unless they perceive a severe threat to the colony. Once a bee has stung it dies.

Honeybee swarms

Only honeybees swarm. This is a natural process where a queen leaves a colony and her followers mass around her. It typically occurs during very hot weather at the beginning of summer (May to June). Swarms occur where a colony of bees produces more than one queen, the colony then splits and one of the queens leaves the hive along with her workers to find a suitable site to create a new colony.

If you have a swarm of bees on your property it is best and safest to leave them alone and seek some expert advice from a beekeeper or our Pest Control team.

If a swarm has settled for more than a couple of hours, and is in an accessible location, you can contact a beekeeper who will often come and remove the swarm for you. 

Beekeepers do not work for us, and are not obliged to respond. Any arrangement you make with them is a private agreement. They may make a charge for their time and travelling expenses.

If the swarm is not easily accessible, or no beekeeper is available, we may be able to assist. We are unable to collect bees and can only use a chemical to destroy them. We are reluctant to carry out control measures for bees on environmental grounds. We have a policy to only destroy bees in extreme circumstances and where they constitute a credible threat or danger and risk to public health.