The common black ant, 4mm long is the most common garden ant found around houses. An active insect it nests in walls, grass and under paving. It will forage widely in search of food, which is how it comes to enter domestic premises, usually they prefer sweet foods.

The nest becomes active in spring and may build up to such a population that in late summer the queen will leave the nest to begin a new one, she will be followed by the winged males and this is when a swarm of ants is normally seen.

Control is possible by good housekeeping, giving the ants little to forage and find and by insecticidal means, directly or indirectly treating the nest. We can provide this treatment for a charge.

Adults are 5mm long, reddish brown in colour with well developed antennae. The principal host is man, though other warm-blooded animals can be parasitised. Any household can be invaded by bed bugs, and as they cannot fly, they must either crawl or be passively transported in clothing, luggage, furniture or any other object that can be used as a harborage. Possible sources may be from areas of high population density such as hostels, hotels and holiday camps. Other sources may be from old bird nests in lofts and eaves.

Normally found in bedrooms, near to where the host sleeps, they will hide away in cracks and crevices by day and emerge at night for feeding.

Control measures should include location of the source of infestation and its extent. It will be necessary to treat the premises thoroughly with suitable insecticides which should be undertaken by a professional pest control company, as the detection and treatment of bed bug hiding places is a job which requires experience. We can provide this treatment for a charge.

There are many different types of bees which we may come across and all are very beneficial to our environment, some species, such as solitary mining or masonry bees do not have the ability to sting man and some are specific pollenators of certain flowers.

However, if bees do come in conflict with man, by their location, a treatment for their control is possible. This should not be undertaken by those who do not understand bees as a treatment may not be necessary due to the type of bee found and the possibility it may be harmless or a resting swarm which will move on. We can treat bee swarms but if possible we will contain them for collection by a bee keeper.

We can provide advice and, if need be, a treatment for a charge.

The Adult varied carpet beetle is 2-4mm long, its body strongly convexed, with a variable colouration of brown, black and mottled with yellow or white scales on the dorsal surface.

The larval stage, or "Woolly bear", will produce the tell tale carpet damage to areas of carpet where they will not be disturbed, such as under heavy objects or along skirting boards.

Carpet beetle may just incidentally enter thorough open windows or from old bird nests in lofts. They produce eggs in fabrics, normally woollen, and the larval stage goes through several moults. After pupation and emergence as an adult, it will attempt to fly off to continue its life cycle.

Control is by identifying sources of infestation and if possible its extent. Thorough insecticidal treatment is necessary and we can provide this, price details are available.

If left untreated the larval stage can cause considerable damage to furnishings.

The adult House Cricket is yellowish grey and can be from 12-20mm long. Although many cricket populations exist out of doors during the summer months, especially around rubbish tips and compost heaps, many of these insects migrate indoors during the autumn seeking warmth and protection. Populations can be found in heating duct systems and in other areas, which will provide the necessary warmth.

They are mainly nocturnal in habit, and the male is responsible for the sometimes distractingly loud chirruping. They are particularly sensitive to temperature being inactive below 20oC,and high humidity is known to be important. This is reflected in the crickets preferred habitats of kitchens, boiler houses and underground heating ducts. A treatment is available, please refer to our price list for cost details. It may take several treatments.

The common earwig 10-15mm long can be found almost anywhere, including gardens and houses. They have the ability to fly but seldom do so, and can be present all year, although usually dormant in the ground in winter. A moist damp environment is preferred such around door frames and damp wood.

Control is possible by reducing the damp environment by airing or warmth and cutting back long grass and moving debris away from buildings, thus reducing their harborage. An insecticidal treatment is available, please refer to our price list for cost details.

Normally the cat or dog flea 2-3.25mm long. The adult is brownish in colour, body streamlined and covered with backward directed bristles. They have well developed hind legs for jumping.

Adult fleas live exclusively as parasites of warm blooded animals. They will survive on any hosts blood and will normally be in the resting or sleeping area of the host, e.g. in a dog or cat basket. Fleas can be the vectors of disease and a source of severe irritation. If left undisturbed in a vacant property they will become dormant and await a source of warmth and vibration before emerging out for a blood feed.

Regularly treating pet bedding and their sleeping quarters will help to control outbreaks of flea infestations, as will thorough vacuuming with a machine with an effective filter. (Remember to change the bag!)

A treatment is available for properties, please see our price list for cost details. This will involve the use of safe, effective and residual pesticides.

The common wasps are 12-20mm in size and have the characteristic yellow and black colouration on their head, thorax and abdomen. The queen wasp will emerge from hibernation in the spring and establish a new nest in a variety of places, from the eaves of buildings to holes in the ground. The nest may become well established through the year and may have up to 3000 workers. At the end of the year the queens produced will leave to over-winter and the nest and workers will die off. The original nest will never be used again as it dries up and is unusable. If left untreated, the queen wasps will emerge in late autumn and possibly over winter in the immediate location that will increase the possibility of a nest the following year. We can provide a treatment, please view our price list.

The hornet is Europe's largest social wasp, its size being from 20-35mm. It is easily recognised by its brown and gold pattern and the reddish colouration on the legs. Its lifestyle is similar to the wasp and the treatment and cost is the same.

Generally a carrot shaped body with silvery scales on the body, which can be up to 20mm long. They are nocturnal and normally forage in bathrooms and kitchens where the humidity and dampness will be greater than other parts of a house. They are capable of damage by chewing paper, textiles and leather. The best method of control is by reducing the humidity content of the general environment by increasing the circulation of air. A treatment is possible please view our price list.

Long oval bodies with grey scales, curling into a ball when alarmed, approx 12mm long similar in lifestyle and control to silverfish. A treatment is possible please view our price list.

The most commonly encountered are the German cockroach,12mm long and yellowish brown or the Oriental cockroach 20-24mm long which are dark brown or nearly black. Cockroaches are gregarious and nocturnal, spending the day hiding in cracks and crevices around such areas as sinks, drains, cookers and the backs of cupboards and in refrigeration units. Infestations may be introduced as egg cases or adults in crates or packaging, furniture, laundry or raw materials. They may possibly enter through drains or refuse chutes

Cockroaches are potential vectors of diseases, transmitted by the insect's body or in their faeces.

A survey needs to be carried out to establish the extend of the infestation by the use of monitoring traps and a treatment should only be carried out professionally, with an understanding of the cockroach and it breeding cycle and harborages.

We can provide a treatment for cockroaches. Please view our price list for cost details, additional follow up visits would normally need to be made depending on the level of infestation.

Common houseflies can have a flight range of up to 5 miles. In colder climates breeding generally ceases before winter, however in warm environments houseflies remain active and reproduce throughout the year. They will frequent and feed indiscriminately on any liquefiable solid food which may equally be moist, putrefying material or food stored for human consumption. Possible outdoor breeding sites such as open refuse should be kept tidy and enclosed in bins.

Grey thorax with less prominent longitudinal dark stripes. size with wingspan 12mm.wings at rest are folded back. Erratic flight pattern.

Lesser houseflies are prolific breeders in manure, but will also breed in other moist decaying matter. The newly hatched larvae frequently wander for some time before burrowing into a suitable food. These potential breeding sites should also be removed and cleaned. Control for both is a high level of hygiene, clearing damp, overgrown breeding sites, occasional flies in the house can be controlled by fly strips or fly spray.

Large reddish compound eyes with the thorax covered by yellow gold hairs and the abdomen very bristly. Wingspan 10mm.

Cluster flies normally live harmlessly out of doors in summer but may enter buildings in autumn to hibernate, sometimes in vast numbers, normally congregating first in large numbers on the sides of a building. They may return to the same building year after year.

Control is possible once the temperature drops and the cluster flies travel up from walls into lofts and roof spaces to over winter. A treatment is available please view our price list for cost details.