Its been busy as expected recently, cold weather has pushed plenty of rats and mice indoors and certain insects have made their presence felt. Bedbugs have been really common and I have seen numerous bad infestations. Its amazing how bedbugs can build up to serious numbers without being noticed until its too late. Also given the fact that some people don’t react to bites, its always difficult to tell the true depth of a problem without a proper survey. Some people claim not to get bitten while others shows large nasty bite marks….the truth of the matter is all get bitten but only some react. This is true for all insect bites such as fleas and midges….so its not that you have thick skin or bad tasting blood, you just don’t show bites.
Many bedbug infestations have a surprising source, surprising for the home owner that is….posh hotels are as likely to blame as backpacking in the outback. Bedbugs are a worldwide problem and its important to protect yourself. Never un-pack your suitcase on a bed and when on holiday always store your case as far from the sleeping area as possible. Washing all clothes on your return is also important.
In the last 12 months I have also seen a couple of cockroach infestations, the average is about 1 a year so nothing out of the ordinary. As always they tend to have a source, dried fish imported as part of an afro-caribean diet is always a favorite as they tag along in the box with a food source onboard! Luckily we now have gels that treat them fairly quickly, better than the old days of spraying and night time visits! We have just about made cockroaches extinct in Britain and only certain areas have ongoing infestation problems.
A cockroach with egg case.
Although the weather is meaning we have plenty of mice calls it has also meant I am behind on my mole jobs…so if your suffering from a problem with moles I’m on my way….as soon as this snow goes!
