Vale Pest Control Cardiff
Tel. 02920 552243 for professional pest control in Cardiff, the Vale and South Wales.
Common Pests & Vermin
We’ve set out some introductory information on a range of common pests found in South Wales, UK.
For more information on the individual pests please go to the relevant page.
For information on pests not mentioned check under the appropriate title heading or do a search of the site, if you can’t see it call us and we will identify it.
Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius)
Bed bugs are most commonly found in and around beds, but in cases of large infestations can be found in other areas within the furniture. Detection is usually instigated by the fact that someone is being bitten around the neck and waist whilst in bed, and needs to be carried out very carefully with an attention to detail. During a visual inspection one mainly looks for sightings of adults and blood spotting (faecal matter).
During the day they hide in crevices in beds, furniture, wallpaper, skirting boards. Because they do not have wings they need to travel on foot to their host, so live within these crevices in close proximity, only emerging when hungry.
Feeding usually only takes about 10 minutes, during which time they can ingest up to 7 times their body weight in blood, after which they can survive for up to a year without feeding again.
These days the spread of bedbugs is on the increase, mainly because of the change in our lifestyles with an increase in travel and the use of modern luggage which gives them more opportunity to hideaway.
For more information and control methods please follow Bed Bugs.
To download a bed bug advice sheet please follow this link Bed Bugs Advice Sheet
Black Ant (Lasius niger)
Ant nests are found in various locations around a property, most relevant to us are the garden, the lawn, other patches of grass, in the soil of the borders, beneath pathways, under stones, at the base of walls, in fact anywhere that can provide suitable shelter in a material that can be formed for their nest. Nests are often located near buildings, possibly in the foundations and on occasion within the structure of a building.
An ant colony divides the many tasks needed for its survival into specific roles, amongst which is that of the foraging worker, this is the ant we most commonly come across. These workers will follow well defined trails to a feeding area for some distance from the nest. It is not important to these ants where the food source is and as a result they will cross all forms of barrier and are capable of enter buildings thru the smallest of crevices.
They are attracted in particular by sweet food and once a good source has been located will soon develop a trail to run from the nest to the supply.
On occasion ant infestations may occur inside a property. Infestations can develop quickly and it is something that managers and personnel of businesses such as restaurants, office buildings, food shops and outlets, hospitals and other properties should be looking out for.
For more information and control methods on Black ants, Pharoh ants or ant control generally, please follow Ant info.
Cluster Fly (Pollenia rudis)
We come across cluster flies during two periods of the year, firstly when they are hibernating and secondly when they are sunning themselves on South facing walls.
There are three main species of cluster fly; the Musca autumalis, a small fly about the same size and colour as a house fly, Pollenia rudis, a larger fly, with a dull brown/grey colour and Dasyhora caynella about the size of a house fly with a metallic green or blue colour.
During winter they can be found hibernating within the roof beneath the tiles, it is only once we have noticed them that they become a problem, usually they will return to a hibernation location yearly, resulting in an annual infestation.
For more information and control methods please follow Cluster Flies.
Flea (Cat Flea – Ctenocephalides felis)
The most frequently found flea is the cat flea, this is the flea we most regularly come across in homes, offices and even hospitals, there are ofcourse many other flea types but these are all less common than the cat flea, some of the better known ones include the dog flea, bird fleas, hedgehog fleas and very rarely human fleas.
Flea bites are usually found on the lower part of the body especially the legs, below the knee. The bite of a flea is often worse than that of a bed bug and after being scratched at can become infected, so care should be taken on avoiding infection. The flea is most well known for its role as a carrier of the bacterium of the Bubonic Plague by the black rat flea. .
For more information and control methods please follow Flea Control.
To download a Flea Advice Sheet please follow this link Fleas Treatment Advice.
Mole (Talpa europaea)
The first sign of a mole is the appearance of mole hills, these mole hills are made up of earth from the excavations that are created when the moles tunnels below ground. It is not possible to identify how many moles there are by the number of mole hills showing on the surface. Often there is only one mole causing all the molehills, this is because moles are very territorial and it is unusual to find more than one mole per acre (200 m2).
For more information and control methods follow Mole Catching.
For mole control pricing please see Residential Mole Catching or Farmers & Landowners.
House Mouse (Mus domesticus)
We have far more call outs for mice than we do rats, and generally these call outs are for field mice more than they are house mice. The main problem with mice is that they constantly pee and leave droppings everywhere, and have an unbelievable reproduction rate. Based on ideal conditions, 1 male (buck), 1 female (doe), maximum litter size etc. two mice could be responsible for nearly 2000 more in a 12 month period. This is possible because of the short gestation period of just 3 weeks, with a result of 5 to 6 babies. These babies are then weaned after just 3 weeks and sexually mature and ready to reproduce at somewhere between 8 and 12 weeks. A female doe may have as many as 10 litters a year though they don’t usually survive for more than 12 months out in the wild (in the laboratories they may live for as long as 2 years).
For more information and control methods please see Mouse Control.
Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Usually the first sign of a rat is that of visibly seeing it. After time once an infestation is in place additional signs are the droppings, damage due to the rats constant gnawing, well worn runs through undergrowth, excavations around and under buildings, dark smear marks as a result of regular contact from the rats body with surfaces. In the UK there are two breeds of rat, the Norwegian Rat (Rattus Norvegicus) and the Black Rat (Rattus Rattus). The black rat is very rarely found, most usually infestations are as a result of Norwegian rats.
Very similarly to us they have five senses, with exceedingly well developed hearing, smell and touch, which compensates for their poor vision and the fact that they are colour blind, though they are very good at detecting movement.
For more information and control methods please see Rat Control.
Oriental Cockroach (Blatta orientalis)
In the UK the two most commonly found cockroaches are the Oriental cockroach (Blatta Orientalis) and the German cockroach (Blatella Germanica) which are both major pests of buildings. These two cockroach’s have quiet different preferences for their harbourage.
The Oriental is the most common of the two and is usually found in basements, cellars, boiler rooms, ducts, kitchens etc, in places such as bakeries, toilets, restaurants and bars. It is a potential carrier of pathogenic bacteria, and because of its habits and breeding sites is a substantial cause of risk to health. In addition to the risk of health thru the transfer of bacterium to food, it has been found that nearly 20% of us is allergic to cockroach droppings, their odour and other breakdown products.
For more information and control methods please see Cockroach Control.
Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
It is easy to identify when you have problems caused by rabbits, from a distance the damage caused by grazing is easily visible. Up closer there will be obvious evidence indicated by small scrapes where they have attempted to get to the roots, and large quantities of hard small round droppings. In addition there runs will be easily visible and lead to the warren. During winter the evidence will be most visible on trees and shrubs, particularly smooth barked varieties. The stripping away of the bark by the rabbits is likely to kill the trees, so in addition to controlling the rabbits it is wise to protect the trees with guards or fencing.
For more information and control methods please see Rabbit Control.
Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
As much fun as squirrels can be to watch they can cause very significant problems with their need to gnaw to keep their teeth under check like all other rodents.
A squirrel drey (nest) out in the wild is made up of twigs and leaves sometimes with a grass lining, however when built inside a roof space it will be constructed from whatever materials can be easily found at the time. They will gather up insulation, cardboard, fabric or any other material suitable for drey building, during this process they can be very destructive. In addition their is a potential for them to cause house fires and floods because of their need to gnaw. A squirrel has a varied diet, consisting of nuts, seeds, plant & tree buds, new shoots, fruits, and fungi. The grey squirrel unlike the red squirrel given the opportunity will also eat birds eggs and nestlings.
For more information and control methods please see Squirrel Control.
Wasps: Common (Vespula vulgaris), German (Vespula germanica)
The hazard of a wasp sting is something feared by most people. They have unlike bees the potential to sting for no apparent reason. Their are very few people who manage to avoid being stung at some time or another. The severity of reaction to a sting can range from localised discomfort to that of being fatal.
In addition to the pain of a sting, wasps can cause significant damage to fruit and crops from orchards. A wasp will chew its way through the skin of a fruit such as an apple, pear or plum to access the sweet fruit inside. Earlier in the year wasps can be found chewing on wood such as garden furniture, timber cladding and fences, which they turn into a pulp for their nests.
For more information and control methods please see Wasp Control.
Call For Advice and Help on any pest problems : 02920 552243
HOUSEHOLDER FIXED PRICE PROMISE
No call out or hidden charges – fixed price guarantee
Pricing varies dependent upon area, this is because of the high cost of fuel which can be significant if multiple visits are required. So to be fair we have tried to distribute accordingly.
Cardiff County Pest Control pricing
Vale of Glamorgan Pest Control Pricing
Caerphilly County Borough Pest control pricing
RCT – Rhondda Cynon Taf pest control prices
Bridgend County Borough pest control prices
Moles
from £12.50 per mole as detailed for Householders
from £3.00 per mole as detailed for Landowners