German cockroach

German Cockroaches Scientific Name: Blattella germanica Size 13-16mm

Biology: The reason that German cockroaches are such successful breeders is they carry the egg case (Ootheca) until 1-2 days within hatching. Each egg case produces between 30-40 eggs and they can produce up to 8 cases a year. Development time from egg to adult varies between 54-215 days depending upon the environment. Adults can live on average 200 days.

Habits: German cockroaches are found throughout structures but have a preference for warm (21C) and humid places. They are usually found in kitchens and bathrooms, but they also occur in the lounge and bedroom etc. Any crack or crevice they will use as harborage. For young adults (Nymphs) they need a crack of only 1mm adult's needs only 5mm. They feed on almost anything including all kinds of food, and such things as soap, glue and toothpaste. Because of the way they spend their time in the harborage about 30% of the young nymphs will not be seen during an inspection.

Power Pest Control West London Treatment: The treatment for cockroaches can take several visits to eradicate a current infestation, especially if it has been left to worsen with time. After a full inspection of the property a full insecticidal spray is carried out in all the badly affected areas, along with a gel bait insecticide applied in all areas where the cockroaches are active. Large insect monitors are also put down to trap as many as possible, the insect monitors play a vital roll through out the treatment as on each visit they are inspected and when we finally find no cockroaches on the monitors, we can determine that the infestation is cleared. Once the treatment has been carried out pest control London advise that the areas treated cannot be cleaned for at least 2-3 weeks and any dead roaches found after the treatment are left alone as other cockroaches will eat them and ingest the insecticide and die as a result of second generation poisoning.

Black Ant

Biology: Over wintering females or Queens lay their eggs in the spring. The white legless larva's hatch in about 3-4 weeks and are fed by the Queen on secretions from her salivary glands. The entire life cycle takes about 2 months. The nests can last for several years and can contain 15-20,000 ants.

Habits: Their life is mainly spent outside in the soil and under paving slabs etc. but because of the foraging for food they enter indoors and become a problem. As they forage for food they leave scent trails for the other ants to follow which is why you see long lines of ants. They are a very social insect this is the reason you see them in large numbers.

Ants will also nest in cavity walls and in internal walls over the winter months for warmth. This can then lead to ant infestations within a property causing high levels of ant activity. When ants nest in this manner it can make it very difficult to locate the nest and also prolong the treatment.

Power Pest Control West London Treatment: Treatment: Ants can be treated with many of the available insecticides used by professional pest controllers, these are applied either directly into the nest if it can be located. If the nest is well hidden away the insecticides are applied to the trails used by the ants, they walk on the treated surface taking it back to the nest. A gel bait can also be used, the ants take small amounts of this back to the nest and feed it to the queen. Some ants nests are very hard to locate which means sometimes multiple treatments are needed from West London Pest Control to eliminate an infestation.

Common Clothes Moth

Common Clothes Moth Scientific name: Tineola bisselliella Size 12mm

Biology: On the day of emergence from there pupae, adult females can mate and lay eggs. Each female on average lays 30-40 eggs, either singly or in small groups over a 2-3 week period. The eggs hatch within 4-10 days in the summer but may require up to 3 weeks in the winter. Development time from egg to an adult varies from a typical 50-90 days to between 35 days to 4 years. Females die after all their eggs are laid, usually in about 116 days, whereas males live on average about 28 days.

Habits: They attack synthetic fibres only when they are interwoven with natural animal fibre material or are soiled. They feed on materials such as wool, hair, fur, carpets & clothes etc. they have been found infesting beef meat, fish and milk products in addition to furs and woolens. With a heavy infestation larva maybe visibly seen crawling around exposed. The adults do not feed.

Power Pest Control West London Treatment: Before treatment can be carried out it is best to locate the worst affected areas. Any areas of the home that are to be treated, mainly all carpeted areas, cracks & crevices should be vacuumed or cleaned before any application of insecticide.

The treated areas cannot be cleaned or vacuumed for at least 3 weeks, this is to allow enough time for newly laid eggs to hatch and the young moths to walk on the insecticide.

Good advice from West London Pest Control: It is best not to treat clothes with an insecticide as this may cause damage to garments, all clothes in an affected wardrobe or storage space should be removed and laundered.

Common Rat

Rats reach sexual maturity in 2-5 months. Pregnancy lasts an average of 23 days. Average number of litters per year is 3-6 each containing 7-8 young rats. One healthy breeding pair can produce over 2000 offspring in one year. They require about 25g of food per day (approx. 10% of body weight) and 25ml of water each day. They can carry many  diseases including, Marine typhus via fleas, Weils disease, Salmonellosis via their droppings which is between 30-180 per day and 16cc of urine everyday.

 Rats normally nest outdoors but do nest indoors in cellars and lower portions of the building although they will infest attics and roofs if it's possible. An entry point the size of a golf ball is that is required for rats to gain entry to the premises. They will eat practically anything from meat, fish, cereals and even there own dead. If they dislike a food they will quickly develop food shyness. They also need a non-food source for liquid. They will travel between 30-47mts from their harborage for food  and/or water. They will gnaw anything to get to a food source and water source even plastic and lead pipes. Rats teeth will  continue to grow throughout there lifespan, therefore they need to gnaw and chew continuously to maintain correct growth of their incisor teeth, for this reason alone the damage that they can cause to a building or structure is unlimited.

Power Pest control West London Treatment: The treatment for rats can vary depending on the level of infestation and the location of the infested area. Generally rats are baited with a rodenticide, instant kill traps or glue boards etc.

 All rat treatments will require a minimum of 2 visits carried out Power Pest Control West London 1 – 2 weeks apart with additional visits if needed. It is important to try and locate how the rats are entering a property and proof these access point to minimize future re-infestation.

Mice!

Common Name: House Mouse Scientific Name: Mus domesticus Size 6.5-9cm Tail 7-10.2cm  

Biology: The house mouse is a prolific breeder, they reach sexual maturity within 35 days. Pregnancy lasts an average of 19 days. There are about 8 litters a year with an average of 6 young per litter. A mouse requires about 3gr of food per day and 1.5ml of water although this can be extracted from the food they eat.  Mice carry disease the worst being Salmonella via their droppings of which on average is 50 per day. Over a 6-month period a pair of mice will eat about 1.8kg of food, produce 18.000 droppings, and 355ml of urine.

Habits: Their proffered nesting sites are dark secluded places where there is little chance of being disturbed. They require an opening as little as only 4-6mm to gain entry to a property. They eat many kinds of food but prefer seeds, they will always try new foods.

Power Pest control West London Treatment: The treatment for mice can vary depending on the level of infestation and the location of the infested area. Generally mice are baited with a rodenticide, instant kill traps or glue boards etc.

 All mouse treatments will require a minimum of 2 visits carried out by Power Pest control West London  1 – 2 weeks apart with additional visits if needed. It is important to try and locate how the mice are entering a property and proof all obvious access points to minimize future re- infestation, although this can be difficult due to the small amount of room they need to squeeze through.

Bed Bugs

Female bed bugs lay 1-5 eggs per day with the white eggs being deposited individually in cracks or on rough surfaces and secured with a transparent cement for an average total of 200 eggs.

With normal feeding and reproductive cycles individuals can live up to 316 days. A tell tale sign of an infestation of bed bugs is red/brown coloured blood spots on walls and furniture, a blood dot and a trail-smear will be visible, this is known as spotting.

Bed bugs preferred harbourage points are in cracks and crevices during the day and come out to feed at night. Typically they can be found around mattress buttons and beading, in bed springs or  coverings, and in any crevice of a wooden bed frame. Other places to look are picture frames, stuffed furniture, floorboard cracks, behind lose wall paper and door and window frames

Power Pest Control West London Treatment: Given the nature of these biting insects, multiple treatments can be required for the eradication of a current infestation and in some badly infested properties it is advised that bedding, mattresses and the bed itself be removed and disposed of to eliminate a high percentage of un-hatched eggs. The treatment itself consists of a full insecticidal spray to all obvious harbourage points used by bed bugs and in most cases we will also use a powdered insecticide for all electrical points and switches etc. At Power Pest Control West London  we use the most up to date insecticides for bed bugs as they have been showing levels of resistance to some commonly used products.

Wasp Nest Removal

Wasp nest sizes reach their peak in late summer, August and September, but it is better to tackle them early before the nest size is too big, especially as towards the end of the summer wasps often become aggressive when consuming sweet materials. Power pest control West London provide fast effective removal of wasp nest by applying an insecticidal dust to the nest, around and into the entrance.

Treatment for Insect Stings - Good advice from Power pest controllers in West London

Most insect stings in a non-allergic person require no more than mild first aid. If stung by a bee remove the sting by gently scraping the skin immediately (in the direction of the venom sac).

Apply ice to the sting and consider taking an antihistamine or local anaesthetic cream, available from your pharmacist. If it has been more than 10 years since your last tetanus, get a booster within the next few days.

Most stings require no additional medical care. More serious allergic reactions may need immediate medical care. You should go directly to your nearest Hospital with A & E