A lot of people think they have bedbugs but don’t know what to look for. We’ve compiled a short video showing the 3 most obvious signs of bedbug infestation to look out for. Do be warned there are some graphic pictures in this video. For help with any potential problem call us on 01418460022 and we’ll do our best to help you

The best pest control service in East Kilbride at your doorstep

If you live in East Kilbride and you need pest control then don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

I routinely carry out pest control treatments in all areas of east Kilbride for all sorts of pests.

East Kilbride being as big as it is gets its fair share of pest problems.

In fact I just read somewhere recently that around about 75000 people live in east Kilbride which certainly isn’t a small number.

Are you looking for a pest control company in Glasgow?

We are your local professional pest controllers experienced in all types of pest control in Glasgow at affordable prices!

We Deal with the following pests on a regular basis:

• Rats
• Mice or Squirrels
• Birds
• Moths
• Bed bugs
• Fleas
• Beetles ants
• Cockroaches
• Spiders
• Mites
• Woodlice
• and much more..

For Any Queries Or Advice Please Call 0141 846 0022

Rat Pest Control

Over the years I have killed a limitless number of rats in Glasgow’s homes and businesses.

I know that psychologically speaking nothing is more terrifying in someone’s mind than the thought of a rat in the house.

The signs to look for when you suspect there is a rat in the house include:

• Items that have been gnawed including foods or any hard substrate with an edge.
• Large droppings which are usually spindle shaped and black or brown in colour
• A stale odour in areas with heavy rat infestations.
• Smearing present around holes or gaps you think they are coming from.

To be honest most people usually see the rat first when they call us!

With regards to rat removal in Glasgow killing the rats is one part of the equation.

This is normally achieved using properly baited traps or poison of various kinds in relevant locations.

A point to keep in mind is that rats exhibit a behaviour called neophobia. This is a fear of new objects.

This can mean that in some cases certain traps and rat killing devices can take some time before they work as the rats need to overcome their fear of the new object in order to explore it and hopefully be killed by it.

A good pest controller will have their own methods of dealing with neophobia to ensure they get better results more quickly.

This is an important point to note. If you don’t place the rat killing material in the right location you may not even give the rats a chance to find the traps/poison leading to a complete failure in treatment.

Identifying and sealing the entry point is also vitally important and the other part of the equation.

Now in terms of identifying the entry point this can be an easy task or a harder one depending on the type of building we are dealing with.

In the case of detatched or semi detatched homes it is usually straightforward to identify all external entry points in the ground, walls and roof and seal them.

If your a ground floor flat (or any floor to be honest) in a tenement or a terraced house with neighbours to either side it’s best to check the back wall of the building to see if there are any holes in the wall that rats can enter the building through.

I should add sometimes the entry point for rats in this case can be in a neighbouring property anywhere along the row of tenement flats or terraced houses meaning it can be quite challenging to find the initial entry point.

This kind of scenario can require a combined approach to the problem where all the neighbours work together to resolve the issue.

Also another point to bear in mind is that rats can enter properties through defective drainage systems. This can be the cause of long standing repeat rat infestations.

In these cases it is sometimes worthwhile employing a drainage company with a telescopic camera to check the condition of the drains to identify potential defects that allow rats entry into a property.

Special smoke producing devices and dyes can also be used to identify drainage defects that rats can use to enter a building.

Please remember it is usually recommended that the holes are sealed on completion of the treatment. The last thing you want to do is seal the holes and trap the rats in the building where they cause havoc.

In the case of commercial buildings or certain residential areas it may be that the only practical solution is to install an external baiting system and monitor and treat the issue as a long term thing to prevent rats from entering the building in the first place.

This is often suitable in industrial areas or in areas with a close proximity to railway lines or bodies of water.

For experienced professional rat removal in Glasgow please call me on 01418460022.

Who pays for pest control? The landlord or the tenant?

This is an age old question people ask when they have a pest problem in their rented property.

What is the answer you ask?

Well it depends…

You see the answer will usually be in your tenancy agreement. This is why we always advise people to have a clause covering pest control in their tenancy agreement otherwise it can result in a lot of finger pointing and a slow response in resolving the issue potentially allowing the problem to get worse.

Most tenancy agreements will usually stipulate that the landlord is responsible in keeping the property in a habitable state and the tenant is responsible for maintaining sanitary conditions.

In our experience overwhelmingly the landlord has been responsible for pest control works required in the property. There are several reasons for this such as:

• A structural issue like a hole in a wall or defect in the roof has allowed the pests entry and resulted in the infestation.
• The property was already suffering from a pest problem prior to the tenant moving into the property or has had pest problems in the past and the problem has reoccurred.
• If the tenancy agreement states that the landlord is responsible for pest control in the property or ensuring that the property is habitable then that usually means the landlord is responsible for the repair.

Please bear in mind that the scenario presented can have a bearing on the situation.

For example if you have pets in the property and they end up with fleas. In this scenario it is difficult to ascertain liability, as although the pets may have not caused the problem, the fleas will not usually infest a property that has no pets.

If your lease says no pets allowed and you have pets in the property which get fleas and the property requires treatment then it is difficult to see how the landlord should be responsible for the treatment of the property.

Also if you have travelled recently and been exposed to bedbugs and brought them back to the property. It can be difficult to ascertain liability in these situations without reading your tenancy agreement and speaking to the landlord.

In all cases such as this it makes sense to speak as soon as you are aware of the issue with the landlord or managing agent to discuss your options. If there is a dispute then legal help may be the best option.

Please note that what we have said in this article is mainly based on our experience of pest control in tenanted properties in the past and from reading other related material. We are not offering legal advice and do not take any liability whatsoever for any inaccuracies in the information presented above. When is doubt always consult an appropriate legal professional.

A point I would like to add for landlords. Some landlords are very proactive in repairs regardless of liability and some do not see why they should pay for pest control especially when they have a good case for not paying. I would always like to bring it to their attention that in my experience in the past I have seen many instances where tenants have not taken adequate steps to resolve an issue and have left the property leaving the landlord with an even more expensive problem to fix further down the line as pest problems, as a rule of thumb, only ever get worse with time. I am not advocating on behalf of either party but I would strongly urge you to protect your investment as promptly as possible.

Is there good money in pest control?

There is a living to be made in pest control if you know how to do it right but I would rush to add that the living is no way superior to a living doing other occupations. As a salaried pest control technician you will rarely make significantly more than the UK average wage. If you are self-employed then you have the potential to make a lot more but do not go assuming millions. All those millions are tied up with larger companies who have the man-power and the infrastructure to deal with companies that have a lot of money to spend on pest control.

According to indeed -the jobs website- the average wage of a pest control technician is £22,000. Self employed pest controllers can earn the same or a hell of a lot more depending on their hard work, luck and contacts in the industry if they’re well known.

In fact I know a window cleaner with few if any qualifications to his name who makes way more than most self-employed pest control contractors I know. How much money you make is massively dependant on what effort you put into an endeavour.

I know of pest control companies who have not raised the prices of their pest control contracts in 20 years. Like all industries and markets in the UK the pest control industry has a lot of competition. There are big and small companies out there battling for custom doing everything in their power to get customers. Some charge ridiculously high prices and some ridiculously low prices.

Pest control is especially price sensitive as no customer wants pest control -they need it and hence will look for the cheapest in a lot of cases. This is especially true for commercial pest control customers who will do everything they can to keep the cost down.

I should add though that a lot of pest control companies owners I know are successful in earning a living salary from there business but few if any of them have the traditional trappings of wealth like big houses or cars.

So if you have a get rich quick mentality then that is not going to happen. Blood, sweat, tears and years is what it will take to build a pest control business up to a good wage level. I would like to add that it is worth it in the end but that is the same with any business where you graft your way to a living.

Pest control technicians need to have a thorough and detailed understanding of various pests, practical control methods, legislation, safety protocols and the paperwork associated with all of the above. One mistake can send you to jail. I’m not kidding. You are usually working with products not available to the public and so great care and effort are required when your out on the field. At the same time due to the knowledge and experience required by a professional pest controller and the fact that it is not an obvious career choice for most people, it is quite stable.

I would add that pest control is not a recession proof industry, but it is recession resilient. I mean that pests will always be around so they will need to be controlled but as any experienced pest controller will tell you commercial work is an important part of the job and that can be affected in a recession. I know many pest control technicians who have lost there jobs in a recession but many who have kept them also.

If you want to do it as a career then I don’t see why not. Pest control is an undervalued but extremely important service. You will in most cases make a reasonable living doing pest control, be it employed or self-employed, but your effort and luck will determine your outcome. I think that applies to everything in life.

How much does pest control cost?

The pest control cost in your home or business depends on many different factors

3 such factors are the nature of the problem, the location of the property affected and the type of building or property with the pest problem. It is impossible to give someone an exact cost off the bat for pest control as all these factors need to be considered before quoting.

A 5-bedroom Edwardian house with a rat problem will pest control cost more than a new build 2 bedroom semi in most cases for example. Now if the 2 bed semi had a bigger infestation then that may flip the equation in the opposite direction.

If your calling national companies for quotes then I have seen some whopping figures quoted for pest control. An example would be a combined £2500 for bedbug chemical and heat treatment. This is a treatment we can do for less than a 1/4 or 1/5th of the price.

If your calling for a wasps nest removal service companies usually quote in the region of £50 to +£100. It all depends on who you call. I know that other companies can quote all the way up to £200 for the same service and that is sometimes with no guarantees of any kind.

For rat and mouse control the cost is very variable and I caution readers against companies who display fixed pricing for these issues as how are they supposed to know before discussing your problem with you as to how many visits your problem is likely to take to resolve or how much material will be required to kill all your pests.

The severity of the issue plays a part as well.

Your property type, level of problem and location all have a part to play in the exact cost. Bear in mind that severe rat or mouse issues may require more visits which will of course increase the cost.

I would strongly encourage you to be just as wary of prices which are too cheap as ones that are too expensive.

Prices which are too cheap will usually involve the use of sub-standard or illegal materials, poor accountability on the part of the contractor and in the worst case scenario you end up having to pay twice as the first person failed to resolve the issue. That does not mean you pick someone expensive. You look at the reputation of the company and select one who seems reasonable.

I was once called to do pest control in a fast food takeaway which had cockroaches. They paid their previous contractor a pittance for treatment which obviously was done using materials completely unsuitable for the job and only made the problem worse. Later when the environmental health officer walked in and saw the state of the infestation she closed them immediately. The business owners called and called the cheap contractor who completely ignored them and then realised that they would have to pay the going rate. We completely eradicated the problem in about 9 days and it has remained clear since as they kept us on for their regular checks. You get what you pay for. Don’t pay for the most expensive company but don’t go looking for Mr cheap as there is usually a reason why they’re so.

With regards to bird control and commercial pest control both pest control requirements usually require a site survey to accurately quote as each job and its requirements may differ.

London based pest control companies will as a rule of thumb be more expensive than say Glasgow based ones as they will have invariably higher operating costs.

In a nutshell – get some quotes.

Pest control for mice and the tell-tale signs?

The number 1 pest problem in Glasgow these days must be mice.

I say this from first hand experience dealing with mouse pest control infestations on a regular bases through the length and breadth of Glasgow.

One day I can be treating mice in the southside of Glasgow such as govan hill or kinning Park. The other day I can be in the west end in kelvin bridge all the way through to Jordan hill etc trying to fix mouse pest control problems.

By mice I am referring to primarily house mice (mus musculus) but also field mice (apodemus spp).

House mice by their nature like to stay indoors living “inside” buildings. By inside I am referring to them living in cavity walls, sub floor voids and roof voids. It’s rare for them to be nesting directly inside your property -although not unheard of!

Field mice are of course outdoor creatures pushed indoors usually due to environmental conditions.

These conditions could be low temperature weather, an increase in population forcing them to invade areas they’ve never been to before or even building works uprooting them from where they were living.

Both have the potential to spread disease, damage personal belongings and electrical wiring by gnawing on the items in question and of course contaminate foodstuffs by feeding on them and generally frighten the daylights out of most people.

What are the tell-tale signs I have mice in my home or business?

SIGHTINGS

Obviously if you see a live or dead mouse in any part of your house then that is a strong indication that there could be a bigger problem than what you’ve just seen.

DROPPINGS

These are usually the size and shape of a grain of rice, black (sometimes brown) in colour and rock hard most of the time (soft if fresh). Mice are incontinent and can poop up to 50+ times per day leaving droppings along the way. Places to check for mouse pest control droppings include behind kitchen kickboards, alongside skirting and lofts.

GREASE MARKS

These are caused by mice brushing closely against objects such as walls, floors and skirting regularly resulting in dark smears around entry/exit holes.

URINE PILLARS

When you have a heavy infestation urine, dirt and droppings and body grease can combine to leave urine pillars. These are usually small mounds, up to 1cm wide & 4cm high.

SCRATCHING NOISES

You will usually hear these at night coming from voids in the property like in the cavity walls, beneath floorboards and in false ceilings.

NESTS

Mice tend to shred materials like paper, insulation, fabrics etc to make their nests. Mice tend to nest in lofts, wall cavities, under floorboards and behind refrigeration units etc.

SMELL

Mouse pest control urine has a strong ammonia-like smell.

DAMAGED WIRING/PIPES

A mouse’s front 2 teeth (the incisors) grow continuously throughout its life. If mice don’t gnaw on things to wear their teeth down then it can be harmful to their health as their teeth will grow too long obstructing their ability to feed. As a result mice like to gnaw on things. Quite often plumbing and wiring is a target.

If you have any problems with mice feel free to give us a call. Not only do we enact treatments using the highest quality materials and equipment, but we carry out thorough surveys to identify the most likely entry points. The best number to call is 01418460022.

Much has been said about Heat Treatment for Bed Bugs of buildings and belongings for dealing with insect infestations.

The main creature most people are interested in killing is bedbugs also known as cimex lectularius. A blood sucking parasite which can be found anywhere from 5 star hotels to tenement flats to even cars!

Heat treatment for bed bugs.

First things first what is heat treatment?

Heat treatment is the application of heat at a certain temperature to buildings or items for a certain duration to kill any living creatures that may be within the area heated. When done correctly it is 100% effective at killing all stages of bedbug activity from eggs to nymphs (babies) to adults.

Here at City Pest Solutions we offer heat treatment for infested items in the form of a specially designed heavily insulated “tent” with its own associated thermal units & sensors. We come to your premises at a time that suits you and set the system up. We then take items of furniture such as sofas, bed frames & mattresses and “cook” them in the tent.

With chemical based treatments it can be difficult to reach the bedbugs as they can be hidden so deep inside the furniture that the insecticides simply won’t reach them. The advantage of these systems is that once the items are cooked then you can be sure that there are no more bedbugs in them as the heat will penetrate the entirety of the item and kill all stages of the bedbug lifecycle.

Whilst the furniture is “cooking” we can carry out a treatment of the actual premises as well using our standard treatment protocol.

So with heavy infestations were it can become inevitable that some furniture needs to be discarded as it is too badly infested you now have an alternative with heat treatment that can save you lots of money as you don’t need to replace any expensive furniture on top of the treatment.

For more information and very reasonable prices please call 0141 846 0022.

Use of smoke bombs or devices in attempting to eradicate bedbugs or fleas?

I cannot tell how many times I have had members of the public say to me that they have used or are thinking of using a smoke bomb to get rid of a crawling insect infestation such as bedbugs or fleas.

I have yet to see any type of smoke bomb successfully eradicate an infestation of bedbugs or fleas.

There have been published lab studies done where smoke bombs have had zero effect on bedbugs.

Smoke bombs are designed and used by professionals primarily for flying insect control as opposed to crawling insect control. It is not standard practice for pest controllers to use smoke bombs to deal with bedbugs or fleas.

Encouraging or semi encouraging reviews on the internet and misleading advertising by smoke bomb manufacturers results in wasted time, money and effort on the part of the consumer. Also many fire and rescue services have to attend emergency callouts to premises that are being treated with smoke bombs. Neighbours see smoke and call the fire brigade resulting in wasted time and money for our fire services as well.

Crawling insects can go into cracks and crevices that smoke bombs cannot reach. Also the vast bulk of DIY products in this category do not have the strength to deal with problems effectively. Finally very few people have the technical know how to use smoke bombs safely and effectively.

I know everyone wants to save money but this is not the way to do it. Shop around for quotes from qualified and experienced professionals as opposed to spending money on useless products.