Jamie's Blog

With Valentines Day approaching I want to take this opportunity to ask the question, who are you sharing your bed with? Now I am not referring to you husband, wife, fiancé or partner. I am referring to the unknowns you are sharing your bed with, more specifically pests.

There are a variety of pests that can take up residence in your bed or bedroom; most commonly these include bed bugs, dust mites, carpet beetles, moths and fleas. While sometimes we are aware of their presence, often they aren’t immediately obvious. I want to use this article as a way of helping you identify pests in the bedroom.

Bed bugs are typically 4 – 5 mm long, are a reddish brown colour and feed on human blood. They are found in areas such as mattresses, head boards and skirting boards, and although considered nocturnal will strike whenever someone is asleep as they are attracted to body warmth. Warning signs of a bed bug infestation include bites, blood spots on sheets, cast nymphal skins and eggs on areas such as bed posts. Bed bugs spread very quickly making efficient, effective treatment essential

In comparison, dust mites are 0.3 mm long and are invisible to the human eye. Despite the fact that most homes can have up to 10,000,000 of these critters, they often go unnoticed. Dust mites do not bite, but are often the cause of hay fever, asthma and eczema as a result of the droppings they excrete.

The carpet beetle is approximately 3mm long and depending on species will be a mixture of black, white and yellow. These pests will typically mate outdoors and then come indoors to lay eggs. Carpet beetle feed on natural fibres such as carpets and hairs and if left undetected can cause significant damage to household items. Some people may also find themselves allergic to their hairs.

There are a variety of moths you may come across in your bedroom. The most common species include the brown house moth, the common clothes moth and the white-shouldered house moth. While moths do not pose a health risk, they are a pest in homes because of the severe damage their larvae cause to clothes, fabrics, furs, leather and carpets.

Finally, the last bedroom pest is fleas. Fleas are generally red or brown in colour and are approximately 2 – 3mm long. Fleas feed on blood by piercing the skin of humans and animals. Fleas can lay dormant in an empty home and then awaken when there is movement. Fleas can spread very quickly and cause unsightly bites.

All the pests above can cause you significant distress if you find yourself with an infestation in your home. Regular and thorough cleaning is the best way to prevent the issue, however if you find yourself with an infestation remain calm and call in the professionals. They will be able to establish the issue present and recommend appropriate treatment options. For further advice on any of the above pests, consult a professional pest controller.

One of the great things about the internet is that you are no longer restricted to buying from your home country, you can literally buy from almost any country on earth, giving us far more power in our choice as we can really seek out the lowest prices. This is great, as long as you take care when buying from a foreign site.

Firstly, there may well be a language issue and unless you are reasonably confident in the other language, or unless the site is in English, you should think twice. Ordering a Deratisation instead of a vetement could be a costly and quite embarrassing mistake!

Secondly, check out how much the postage will be in advance as it can be quite costly in some countries and make sure that they give you an approx delivery period or you could be waiting for weeks.

You also have to check the duty and VAT situation as you could be importing illegally until the duty is paid.

Make sure that the company is a reputable one, as you may have little comeback legally if they do not send the product or if the product is faulty and even if you have a legal case you are unlikely to take them to court in a foreign country for such a small amount.

Pests are everywhere. Pests including rodents, flies, bed bugs, ants, spiders, cockroaches and fleas are often hard to avoid. However, we all make the assumption that high profile sites, with exceptional health and safety standards are doing all they can to avoid even a single pest entering their premises. Apparently, this isn’t always the case.

I have come across an article regarding Australian hospitals that was written as a result of data obtained from ‘Freedom of Information’, covering the period from 2007-2009.

The article specifies a number of hospitals, the particular department and the pest problem they are experiencing. The problems identified include rats in the maternity ward, mice in the bone marrow transplant area and ants in the radiology department. I think this is absolutely appalling. Hospitals of all places should have exceptional health and safety regulations in place, strictly stipulating that the presence of pests is not acceptable.

While all of the hospitals in question did have a regular pest control contract, it was evident that when a problem was identified, the necessary action had not always been taken. The hospitals are confident in saying that there was no evidence of transmission of infection due to the pests; however, I believe this is difficult to prove. Pests carry a range of diseases that can harm humans and have the potential to damage properties, food stuffs etc. When dealing with areas such as hospitals where high levels of sterilisation are absolutely essential, I struggle to come to terms with the fact that pests were left to roam free.

Pest control companies offer a range of treatment options for a variety of pests. These treatments can be in the form of sprays, powders, gels or bait pallets. A professional pest control company will only ever offer a treatment option appropriate to the environment and level of infestation; they should also be able to carry out treatments with very minimal disruption to daily routines.

The danger of an infestation can be severe, especially when dealing with pests such as rodents and cockroaches. The health and safety implications of an infestation can be significant and the damage they are capable of causing can be costly. It is essential that at the first sign of a problem with pests, a treatment programme is implemented. There are a range of DIY and professional treatments available, however, DIY pest control should only ever be considered for a very minor problem. For advice on the best treatment option for your pest problem, contact a pest control professional.

Cockroaches are an unpopular pest. They are unhygienic, unsightly and can cause significant damage to your property and food stuffs. However, it turns out that not all horrible cockroach myths are accurate. I want to use this article as a means of busting some common cockroach assumptions.

1. The German cockroach does not exist.

This is inaccurate. Despite the fact that even zoologists claimed this was true, studies have located the German cockroach in various locations, particularly in hot and humid conditions.

1. Cockroaches don’t hibernate.

This has been proven to be false. There are a variety of cockroach species that will hibernate.

1. Cockroaches do not bite.

Unfortunately this is also inaccurate. Under particular conditions, cockroaches can and will bite. Large cockroaches are even capable of biting humans.

1. A cockroach problem is a sign of a dirty home.

Once again this is wrong. Cockroaches will live in clean homes, however larger colonies are often found in unclean homes due to the increased food source available.

1. All cockroaches lay several egg sacs a month.

Inaccurate. The German cockroach will normally only lay one sac per month, however each sac can hold approximately 40 babies.

1. There are albino cockroaches.

This is false, the reality is that cockroaches shed their skin and for a few hours, while the new skin dries, they are white in colour.

1. Cockroaches are active all night.

Once again not entirely true. Cockroaches are actually very lazy and in general will only stay active for approximately 4 hours during the night.

Despite the fact that a variety of assumptions made about the cockroach are actually inaccurate, we must not forget the fact that they are unhygienic pests with the potential to spread disease and cause damage within your home. Cockroaches have the potential to breed very quickly so it is important to consider treatment at the first sign of a problem.

There are a variety of both DIY and professional solutions available for the treatment of a cockroach infestation. DIY treatment can be a cost effective option for a minor problem, however for an infestation professional treatment must be considered. Most pest control companies offer a free survey where they will visit your property, establish the problem, explain treatment options and provide you with an obligation free quote. Particularly when dealing with a pest like cockroaches the cost of eradication is often minimal in comparison to the physical damage they may cause. For advice on the best cockroach treatment for your premise, contact a pest control professional.

Bed bugs are a hot media topic, and the fear of every traveller and just about every American. We have heard a variety of horror infestation stories, and to be fair these little critters haven’t got themselves a very good reputation. While I hate bed bugs as much as the next person, I just want to set a few things straight. Not everything you hear is true; in this article I am going to attempt to bust common bed bug myths.

1. You can’t see bed bugs.

This is inaccurate. Bed bugs can be seen. Bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, but will expand to bigger than this after feeding. Newly hatched babies are harder to see at only 1 – 2mm; however the trained eye will be able to identify them.

1. I haven’t been travelling, I won’t get bed bugs.

Unfortunately this is also inaccurate. Bed bugs can be picked up from anywhere. Commonly they are spread via public transport, the workplace or adjoining properties. People spread bed bugs, and unfortunately many people don’t realise they have them until it is too late.

3. If I get rid of my bed, I will get rid of the problem.

Also false. Despite the name ‘bed bugs’ they will live in a variety of places. Bed bugs can be found in carpets, furniture, linen, bed frames, cracked plaster etc. To get rid of bed bugs the only true cure is a professional treatment.

1. We must not have bed bugs because no one else is getting bitten.

Even when sleeping in the same bed, one person may seem to be bitten, when another is not. The reality is that you are both probably being bitten, but people react differently to the bites.

Bed bugs can be picked up from a variety of places and it is essential to act fast if you believe you may have an issue. If you believe you may have picked them up travelling it is essential to isolate all luggage etc that was taken on the trip and wash it in hot water. This should kill off any bugs or eggs you may have brought home. If you aren’t lucky enough to stop the problem in its tracks, then it is essential to call in the professionals. Bed bugs are hard to get rid of, however pest control companies have developed treatments especially for this purpose. The longer you leave the problem the worse it will become. It is important to act fast!