Posts Tagged ‘Lancashire’

Pest Control Services In Your Area

0800 019 8382 or 0161 930 8814

Pest Control Services In Your Area – Harrier Pest Control deal with all pests 7 days per week and offer a fixed price on wasps nests for 2010 of just £32.00 except for postcode areas CH,CW and L where we charge £44.50 due to increased time and distance. These are guaranteed fixed prices 7 days per week.

During 2010 Harrier Pest Prevention will be increasing their area of operation and including a new service of bee swarm removal where we will make every endeavour to rehome the bees with a beekeeper rather than destroy them. As this makes quite an interruption in our day we charge £75 for this service.

Harrier Pest Control deal with all pests and a complete list of our area of operation and pests dealt with is below.

Rats, Mice, Bed Bugs, Bed Bug Bites, Ants, Wasps, Red Spider Mite, Squirrels, Beetles, Pigeons, Cluster Fly, Carpet Beetles, Biting Insects, Bedbugs, Bed Bug Rash, Mattress Bugs, Hotel Bugs, Wasps Nests, Birds, Moles, Flies, Starlings, Fur Beetles, Silverfish, Spider Beetles, Cat Fleas, Flea Bites, Cockroaches, Biscuit Beetles, Cluster Flies, Red Ants, Wasp’s Nests, Spiders, Magpies, Fleas, Bedbugs, Wasps’ Nests, Rat traps,
pest stop, Mouse repeller, rat killer, rat poison, mouse traps, rat repeller
Birds, Insects, Rodents in the following areas:

Pest Control Squirrels in Manchester Lancashire and Cheshire

Squirrels in the loft?

A word of caution, damage caused by squirrels to electricity cables and water pipes with the resultant risk of fire and flooding is unlikely to be covered by your insurance policy as most insurance companies invalidate vermin damage.

Pest Control Squirrels in Manchester Lancashire and Cheshire – The grey squirrel population in  North West England has rocketed over the last twenty years to the extent that they are now a major pest species.
The grey squirrels which we see in our parks and gardens (Sciurus carolinensis) are not native to Britain, having been imported here less than 200 years ago from America.
Like many members of the family Sciuridae, the Grey Squirrel is a scatter-hoarder; it hoards food in numerous small caches for subsequent recovery. Some hoards, especially those made near the site of a sudden surplus of food.
Other caches are more permanent and are not retrieved until months later. It has been observed that each squirrel makes several thousand caches each season. The squirrels have very good spatial memory for the locations of these caches, and use distant and nearby landmarks to retrieve them. Smell is used once the squirrel is within a few centimetres of the cache.
The nest of the grey squirrel is called a dray (or drey) and it is usual for the female to have two litters per year, with two to four babies each.
They are minor pests in the garden, rooting up bulbs and stealing food intended for birds but can become major pests when they come into our houses.
It is increasingly common for pest controllers to attend homes where a nest has been constructed in a loft or attic space.
Squirrels are true rodents and as such have teeth which never stop growing; the word rodent coming from the Latin ‘rodere’ meaning ‘to gnaw’ and this they do very well indeed.
It is rare to enter an attic space where a dray has been constructed and find that they have not damaged electrical wiring, indeed it is estimated that up to 40% percent of fires without an obvious cause cause may be started by rodents damaging wiring.
Unfortunately they can also chew through water-pipes, especially with the recent trend towards plastic piping.
As if that wasn’t enough, many household insurance policies specifically exclude damage caused by rodents so if a squirrel floods your home by chewing through a pipe in the attic you may find yourself without cover.
Removing squirrels requires professional help, not least in as much as the law regarding squirrels restricts your options. You cannot simply buy a packet of rat poison from your local store and deal with them that way as you would be committing a criminal offence.
Furthermore you cannot trap them and release them some distance away, not only would removing a squirrel from the area of its food caches would probably condemn it to death by starvation, it is also a criminal offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 which makes it illegal to release a grey squirrel in Britain.
That pertains also to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing injured squirrels.
In the majority cases trapping is the the only option and this must be done in a specific manner with routine, regular inspections of the traps.
Trapped squirrels should be then despatched humanely.
If you have a squirrel infestation in Lancashire, Cheshire or Manchester telephone Harrier Pest Prevention on 0800 019 8382 or 0161 930 8814

Manchester Pest Control – Carpet Beetles

Manchester Pest Control – Carpet Beetles – The Varied Carpet Beetle – Beetles in My House – The Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a fairly new pest to the northern parts of Great Britain having been largely confined to the balmy southern climate but now pest controllers in Cheshire, Lancashire and Manchester are increasingly being called out to infestations of this insect pest.

Image via Wikipedia

A.Verbasci is a very distinctive, easily recognised beetle that can be a serious problem in the house. It feeds on natural fibres and can damage anything of natural origin, woolen carpets, furniture} and clothing.
The larvae are known as a woolly bear, a name it shares with the larvae of Pyrrharctia isabella or the Isabella Tiger moth.

A. verbasci was the very first insect to be shown to have a circadian and an annual cycle and to this date remains a classic example of

circannual cycles in insects.
The larval form of A. verbasci are circa 4-5 mm in length. The body has a pattern of alternating light- and dark-brown stripes. The body of the larvae is usually wider at the back than at the front and contains 3 pairs of hair tufts on its rear abdomen that can be used for self-defence

Adult insects range from 1.7 to 3.5 mm in length. Their dorsal surface has scales of two colours, whitish and yellowish-brown. White scales are condensed along the lateral margins of the pronotum. In addition, their antennae are 11-segmented with a club of 3 segments
A Verbasci has a very unusual life cycle for an insect, developing from larvae to adult in 1-3 years, according to the environment in which it finds itself.
Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring, very often they are associated with birds’  nests or around stored natural fabrics Larvae eat natural fibres throughout their larval stage, eventually experiencing a dormancy or diapause before completing pupation and emerging as an adult. Adults emerge between  March and early August, and feed on pollen.
These insects cause both physical damage by their larvae eating fabrics and psychological damage from the vast numbers of these pests which can emerge into living quarters.
When attempting to deal with these insects it is important to look for the presence of birds’ nests and remove any nests and feathers etc from the affected area before treating with an appropriate insecticide..
It is important to keep in mind that in the U.K. legislation affects the removal of birds’ nest, including sparrows and starlings which are the two common birds which have an association with A.verbasci so professional assistance should be sought to avoid [breaking the law.

That concludes this article entitled - Manchester Pest Control - Carpet Beetles

Pest control in Manchester, Lancashire & Cheshire 2009

Pest Control in Manchester and surrounding areas has seen a lively start in 2009.

Pest controllers were kept busy with the usual city centre rat problems throughout the winter of course, but the relatively early spring has seen ant infestation call outs a month earlier than usual.

The wet summers of 2007 & 2008 were not to the liking of the hymenoptera (sawflies, wasps, ants & bees) but 2009 looks like being a busy year for ant infestation work.

Frequently ants nest under the floors of houses and inside cavity walls causing a large number of foraging ants to visit kitchens & food cupboards.

However it is at mating time when they can be most distressing as they produce winged queens and males which then mate in flight.

The emergence of several thousand of these ‘flying ants’ inside houses can by traumatic indeed.

A relatively new pest has been especially troublesome this year, the Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci).

It was rare for pest controllers in Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire to encounter these pests until recent times but they seemed to arrive from nowhere in 2008 and already this spring has seen reports of varied carpet beetle in unprecedented numbers.

Having a similar life cycle to moths their larvae, known as ‘woolly bears’ can eat natural fibres and can do substantial damage to carpets and natural fabrics. They can be a difficult and persistent pest.

Bed bugs are continuing their resurgence in the Manchester area, frequently arriving as unwanted guests in the suitcases of returning holiday makers.

Often the first reaction of unfortunates who realise that they are infested with these blood-sucking insects is to destroy the old beds and buy new.

This is a costly mistake as despite their name bed bugs do not just live in beds and in an infested room will be found anywhere within about fifteen feet of the bed, in cupboards, drawers etc, even in electrical sockets and the new beds are quickly re-infested.

Many people confuse bed bugs with dust mite which are not visible to the naked eye.

Bed Bugs Bites

They dine exclusively on blood which they take form their sleeping victims. People often associate bed bugs with dirty conditions but nothing could be further from the truth, they don’t require dirt, they dine on you!

Until the end of April 2009 Harrier Pest Control are offering a 25% reduction on their guaranteed ant treatment.

The treatment which is guaranteed for three years, extendable indefinitely by a low cost re-treatment every three years can be carried out in most homes subject to free site survey

Contact Harrier Pest Prevention for details on 0800 019 8382

That concludes this article entitled Pest control in Manchester, Lancashire & Cheshire 2009

Flying Ant Problems in Lancashire, Cheshire & Manchester

Only people who have experienced it will know the true horror of flying ants in the home.

Having an infestation of normal wingless ants is bad enough but when they go through their annual mating ritual the situation can become unbearable.

Ants often build colonies under the floors and in the cavity walls of our homes and this colonies will continue for many years if left untreated getting progressively worse each year.

Ants love a sandy soil and there are many places in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester which tend to produce more ant problems than others, Southport, Blackpool, Bolton, Sale & Altrincham spring  to mind as hot ant properties.

Unfortunately it is during their mating phase that they are most troublesome. Here in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester this tends to be fairly regularly around the third or fourth week in July.

Ants mate on the wing and around mid-summer they produce winged immature Queens and winged males which in nature would fly off and mate on the wing. Many thousands of these winged ants are produced per nests and nests tend to synchronise their release so that they mate with ants form other nests.

Invariably this process commences after a couple of days of very hot, dry weather  and will usually last for about a week although isolated releases will occur throughout most of June, July & August.

Unfortunately when the nest is under the floor of the house the results can be catastrophic, literally thousands of flying ants emerge into the lower rooms, collecting on windows as they head for the light.

This can be extremely distressing for some people leading to severe emotional trauma to the extent that people learn to dread the summer and have actually sold their homes to escape the plague of ants which they know is coming.

The wet summers of 2007 & 2008 meant that ant problems were down on previous years but nature has a way of catching up and 2009 looks set to be a particularly troublesome year.

Most people who have this problem attempt DIY solutions with powders from hardware shops etc but mostly these efforts are fruitless as they are not addressing the heart of the problem which is the nest itself, safely hidden in the cavity wall or sub-floor area.

Fortunately for many people a solution is at hand.

At Harrier Pest Prevention (subject to site survey) we are able to cure this problem and issue an extendable three year guarantee.

The process which is done mainly from the outside of the house, is perfectly safe for pets and children and leaves no smell, involves drilling small holes into the cavity walls of the property, not unlike a damp-course injection and blowing an insecticidal powder into the cavity under pressure.

This forms an impenetrable barrier across which the ants cannot go and together with a precautionary internal spraying (if appropriate) will gradually bring the situation under control.

The holes, which are only 8mm in diameter are left open so it is a simply matter of re-injecting the cavity every three years to extend the effectiveness of the guarantee indefinitely.

This process is best carried out in the early spring although it can be done at any time of year.

As a special offer before our busy times begin we are offering 25% off the normal cost until April 30 2009. Whilst we normally cover the whole of Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, we are prepared to travel further afield but this will be reflected in the cost.

For a discussion or to arrange an appointment contact Harrier Pest Prevention on Free Phone 0800 019 8382 or http://harrierpestcontrol.com