Local Pest Control and Wildlife Management
Just received this email
“I think our bumble bees have been attacked by what looks like very small wasps. The attached photo i think is of our queen bee with something on her, she was struggling to fly and i suspect will die in a few minutes.
Will these wasps take over the nest?”
If you have call for any rodent control be it mouse control or rat control then you need to be aware of recent changes on the labelling of rodenticides as a result of European legislation and directives.
On the receipt of new orders of rodenticides from our suppliers we have been seeing evidence of something referred to within the pest control industry as the “35 day Rule” which is rapidly creeping in to place.
It’s something that has been a long-time in the making.
Simply put, rodenticides should not be left in place for longer than a 35 day period for the control of rats and mice inside and outside.
What does this mean?
Firstly it means that a pest controller can not just visit you once and place a load of rodenticide in trays or bags where ever he feels is appropriate. He needs to make a second visit within 35 days to pick up any remaining bait.
Ideally he should also have visited you at least once after 5 to 7 days to try and locate any dead rodent bodies which he should also be picking up and disposing of in a suitable manor, bearing in mind that they contain poison.
Secondly at long last it hopefully means an end to unnecessary permanent perimeter baiting; which has never really be necessary in most scenarios and has been very much to the detriment of wildlife.
Permanent perimeter baiting is where large national companies have been allowed to place loads of bait stations around and within a sites perimeter and to fill these bait stations with rodenticide, and to then top them up on each visit.
The idea being that any mouse or rat heading towards the protected area will consume the bait and die before arriving – to hell with the consequences of secondary baiting.
The large nationals have made good money on the selling of the bait stations initially, the monitoring and filling takes minimal effort and they charge a fortune for doing it.
The idea of permanent baiting may appear to be a good idea to the uninformed – it isn’t.
The most likely creature to be poisoned is Apodemus sylvaticus the wood mouse or long-tailed field mouse, which in turn maybe consumed by the local kestrels, falcons or some other predator.
The wood mouse are not ideally suited to living within buildings and far prefer it out in the wild, though they may look to take shelter in the autumn and winter.
Any business operation that feels it needs something like this is obviously failing badly in another aspect of pest control – proofing.
Proofing should be the first line of defence, followed up with the monitoring of the environment. If during monitoring for rodents there are any adverse signs then rodent trapping techniques and possibly poisoning should be brought into play where necessary.
It maybe that part of the monitoring process uses trapping so that monitoring and control are carried out at the same time, as there are ways in which this can done.
Most importantly the pest controller used needs to be familiar with all aspects;
The fleas that invade our homes and feed on our pets are almost always cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis. Despite their name, cat fleas are just as likely to feed on your dog. They don’t usually live on humans, preferring furry animals, but they can and do bite people.
Dog fleas (Ctenocephalides canis) can also infest homes, though far less commonly. They also will feed on you and your cat.
Fleas don’t live on people, the human flea (Pulex irritans) prefers to feed on humans or pigs, but these parasites are very uncommon in homes and more often associated with wildlife.
Adult fleas are built for hiding in fur, their laterally flattened bodies help them navigate between pieces of fur or hair. Backwards-facing spines on their bodies help them cling to the fur when its on the move. Our relatively hairless bodies don’t make great hiding places for fleas, and it’s much harder for them to hang on to our bare skin.
People living with pets often find themselves faced with a flea infestation, as they multiply in number some will start to bite and feed on you. Flea bites typically occur on the ankles or lower legs, and can itch badly especially if you’re allergic to them.
While fleas rarely take up residence on the human body, they can and will live in a human home with no pets present. If fleas find their way into your house and can’t find a dog, cat, or something to feed on, they will use you as the next best thing.
For biting insect problems in Cardiff and surrounding areas call 02920 552243 to speak to a professional pest controller
Please find below Cardiff County Council pest control charges as of Jan. 2011
We have included our prices for the Cardiff area in blue, which are current as of April 2012, please check pricing when booking job.
Cardiff Council Pest Control Charges 2011 (VAT incl.)
Domestic Premises
Rats (for complete infestation) £35 ~ Our price £80 (3 visits)
Mice (per visit) £46 ~ Our price £55 (for 2 visits), £80 (for 3 visits)
Squirrels – 2 visits (minimum required) £70 ~ Our price £65 set up
Additional visits £35 ~ Our price £30
Moles ~ please check here for more info
Wasps £41 per visit ~ Our price £35 and £15 per additional nest at the time
Spray Treatments (for fleas, carpet beetles, etc.)
Ground or Single Floor £61.50 per visit
Whole House £92 per visit
Our price £78 for 3 rooms plus £20 per additional room
Cockroaches £92 per visit ~ Our price from £78 per visit
Ants £? ~ Our price from £89 for complete eradication
Flies £? ~ Our price from £55
Bed Bugs
1/2 bed property 1st Treatment £77 subsequent treatments £61.50
3 bed property 1st Treatment £102.50 subsequent treatments £82
4/5 bed property 1st Treatment £128 subsequent treatments £102.50
Our price £95 for 3 rooms and £29 per additional room
NB Preparation work at £30 per hour if it has not been carried out properly prior to arrival
Missed appointments will incur an additional charge of £5
We work with you to avoid this, but if it happens £5 to cover fuel etc.
Commercial Premises
Rats, Mice (First hour/part thereof) £63 ~ Our price £55 incl. VAT
(Half hourly increments) £32.00 ~ Our price £28 incl. VAT
Spray Treatments – Consult Pest Control Officer for price of treatment (prices will vary according to the size of the premises
*Landlords are classified as commercial customers.
Call us to discuss your situation.
We reserve the right to adjust our prices as necessary, so please call to confirm current pricing.
Service contracts are made to suit
Areas Covered
Adamsdown • Atlantic Wharf • Birchgrove • Blackweir • Blaengwynlais • Butetown • Bwlch-y-cwm • Caerau • Canton • Capel Llanilltern • Cardiff Bay • Cardiff city centre • Cathays • Cathays Park • Cefn Mably • Coedbychan • Coedcefngarw • Coryton • Creigiau • Culverhouse Cross • Culverhouse Cross • Cwmnofydd • Cyncoed • Cyntwell • Danescourt • Ely • Fairwater • Gabalfa • Gabalfa • Graig-goch • Grangetown • Gwaelod-y-Garth • Hailey Park • Heath • International Sports Village • Lakeside • Leckwith • Lisvane • Llandaff • Llandaff Fields • Llandaff North • Llandaff North • Llanedeyrn • Llanedeyrn Village • Llanishen • Llanrumney • Lydstep Park • Maindy • Maindy • Michaelston-super-Ely • Morganstown • Mynachdy • Mynachdy • Old St. Mellons • Pantmawr • Pengam Green • Pentrebane • Pentwyn • Pentyrch • Penylan • Plasnewydd • Pontcanna • Pontprennau • Radyr • Rhiwbina • Rhydlafar • Rhydwaedlyd • Riverside • Roath • Roath Park • Rumney • Saltmead • Sophia Gardens • Splott • St Mellons estate • St. Fagans • Thornhill • Tiger Bay • Tongwynlais • Tremorfa • Trowbridge • Victoria Park • Wenallt • Wentloog • Whitchurch