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Rats are a member of the rodent family and are a common problem these days and carry diseases including Weils Disease (leptospirosis), which can be fatal for human beings. Quite often a rat problem can be traced back to issues with drains or a building defect (e.g. broken air bricks). In the garden, rats will seek a place to live (compost heap, decking, pile of rubble, outhouse...), something to eat (bird feeder, pet or livestock food source) and something to drink (pond). I will give you expert proofing and housekeeping advice to help prevent reinfestations.
Before the treatment starts, we carry out a thorough inspection of the premises and gardens/grounds to ensure that we only carry out children, pets, non-target species and domestic animals will not be effected. before anyvery similar to that for mice, only on a larger scale. We carry out three separate visits, with a two-week space between each visit. Bait is placed in tamper proof bait boxes, to ensure that no children or non-target species can come into contact with the bait. If no obvious defects to the outside of the building can be found, then it may be advisable to contact a reputable drain company to have a CCTV scan of the drains. Alternately, if the infestation is small (i.e. only one rat) then we place rat traps and only two visits are usually required.
A member of the rodent family, mice are a common pest problem and can spread harmful disease. One of the first signs of an infestation are their droppings, which look very similar to 'black grains of rice'. Another sign is damage caused to food packaging. Mice are mostly found in and around the kitchen, cupboards under the stairs and around boiler cupboards. It can be very difficult to exclude mice from a property, as there are so many possible points of entry. A rough guide for a opening large enough to allow a mouse to fit through, is a ball-point pen (6mm in diameter).
What we do
To control a mouse infestation, we carry out a minimum of two treatments, usually two weeks apart. After a thorough inspection, baits are placed in areas where the mice are most likely to be found, but inaccessible to children and pets. We also give advice on proofing issues on each visit, and sometimes it is necessary to give some housekeeping tips (e.g. the storage of food, refuse, etc.). In most situations, three visits are sufficient to control a mouse infestation. However, as we are dealing with unknown quantities, it is sometimes necessary to carry out additional visits. Alternately, if the infestation is small (i.e. only one or two mice) then we place mouse traps and only two visits are usually required.
Squirrels may look cute hopping around the park ....BUT they are in fact destructive and even potentially dangerous. In the loft, they can cause carnage; they gnaw at electric wires and cabling, causing potential fire hazards. They can rake up insulation for nesting, damage stored goods, clothes, those cherished books and children’s toys, eat those Christmas decorations, especially loving the pine cones! Yummy. Nesting means families and babies - uh oh...
If you've not already done so, now's the time to call in the experts to give advice, deal with these destructive pests and get your good night’s sleep back! You could of course buy a sonic device; good luck, they don't work that well - you'll need a professional one day to get a proper job done. Kapow Pest Control will endeavour to give you the best advice and, if agreed, carry out a professional treatment using the best techniques available. We will also make proofing recommendations that will help prevent any reinfestations.
On average, moles live for four years and can create havoc to agricultural lands, equestrian centres, golf courses, cemeteries, public spaces and gardens to name a few. The methods of control include: the use of phosphine gas; trapping; and, deterrents. Kapow Pest Control believes the most efficient, effective and humane method for controlling moles is through trapping. We use the best traps and are highly experience at effective total eradication of moles. Use of gas is an option if the environmental conditions allow. If you have a problem with moles be it one or one hundred, we at Kapow Pest Control are here to help. Please get in touch with us and we will arrange to inspect, carry out an assessment and give you a quotation. With all mole jobs the treatment is not an instant fix and may require a number of visits for total control. We charge for the work done and not ‘per mole’, but offer a very competitive rate. We also offer contracts that can suit businesses and properties that are plagued with reoccurring moles.
The wasp is the most dangerous British stinging insect. Unlike the bee, which dies after stinging once, the wasp stings multiple times. To those who carry an allergy to wasps the consequences of a sting can be life threatening.
A wasp nest left untreated can grow to house upwards of 15,000 wasps so early treatment is always advised. If the next is left untreated, a queen wasp will produce up to 6 more queens, which will hibernate nearby and produce a nest each the following spring.
Wasps normally nest in eaves of houses or in attics, lofts, trees, hedges and even underground. If there are a large number of wasps coming in and out of any of these places, then you have a wasp problem!
Call Kapow and we'll sort it out.
There are roughly 15,000 different kinds of ant around the world, around forty of these being found in the UK. Only two of these – the black ant and the Pharaoh ant – typically constitute a pest problem, with the black ant being by far the most commonly encountered by pest control workers in the British Isles. Although having your food cupboards invaded by hungry ants is not pleasant, generally they are more of a nuisance than a serious problem – and fairly easy to control.
One of the most effective ways of dealing with an ant invasion is to stop them getting what they came for in the first place – something to eat! Ants have Houdini-like abilities to defy apparently impenetrable jars, so you require truly sealable vessels and the constant diligence to make sure they are fully sealed up again after every use.
If that doesn't work, then here at Kapow we have a good few more tricks up our sleeves!
Fleas are parasites, feeding directly on humans or other warm blooded animals. Usually you or your pet serve as these hosts. A flea can jump 7 to 8 inches vertically and 14 to 16 inches horizontally. A skin reaction to a flea bite appears as a slightly raised and red itchy spot. Sometimes these sores bleed. Fleas usually require warm and humid conditions to develop. Due to the flea cycle and weather conditions, many people don't realize they have a flea problem until they return home from vacation or after a move to new premises and are confronted by hungry fleas. There are several types of fleas, but the most common is the cat flea, even on dogs. Fleas are attracted to body heat, movement, and exhaled carbon dioxide.
We can visit your premises and advise you on the best way of dealing with fleas, including professional removal of fleas’ nests.
The common bed bug is the best adapted to human environments. It is found in temperate climates throughout the world and has been known since ancient times. Small, nocturnal insects, bedbugs feed on the blood of humans, occasionally causing skin infections and scars when the bites are scratched.
Adult bed bugs are 4-5mm long and reddish-brown in colour. They appear flattened, oval, and are wingless. Newly hatched nymphs are translucent and lighter in colour than the adults.
Bedbugs are very difficult to eradicate and DIY attempts to control this pest usually have limited success, so this is one critter where it really is advisable to get us in to advise and perform treatment as necessary.
Apart from spoiling food stores, cockroaches can carry harmful human pathogens such as Salmonella. Signs of infestation are eggs, droppings and, of course, cockroache bodies (dead or alive).
A systematic, integrated approach to cockroach control is essential. Firstly we discover the extent of the infestation using sticky traps and identify the exact species. We then start the treatment at the periphery of the infested area , working inwards to the sources of infestation. Any treatment undertaken requires scrupulous attention to cleanliness and the removal of any food residues.
Feral pigeons are descended from wild rock doves that have interbred with different strains of escaped ornamental, domestic and racing pigeons over the centuries. They now thrive in our towns and cities having fully adapted to the urban environment.
A pigeon's natural food source is grain and seeds but they survive in towns and cities by scavenging processed food matter, such as the remains of takeaways and food waste from dustbins. Given an adequate food supply pigeons can breed throughout the year, although the peak breeding season is between March and July.
Pigeon droppings (or pigeon poop) and pigeon debris are not only an aesthetic issue but can directly damage the structure of a building. Pigeons are also carriers of a number of serious diseases such as salmonella and psittacosis (commonly known as pigeon fancier's lung). Their droppings provide the ideal environment for organisms causing diseases such as listeriosis, cryptococcis and aspergillosis to thrive. Pigeons are also hosts to fleas and other parasites such as pigeon ticks and bird mites. These pests can be spread to other hosts including people.
One of the most successful long term measures for controlling pigeons is to remove their food sources, however this is not always possible.
At Kapow, we have a range of measures we can implement to keep those pigeons at bay.
The only acceptable reasons for removal of eggs / nestling / nests, is that the gull/s present a public health or public safety risk - in fact it's illegal to do so for any other reason and such activity has to be carried out by a licensed professional.
The commonest need for gull control revolves around either roof nesting gulls or gulls acting aggressively towards people. Usually these two reasons can be linked together, i.e gulls will try to protect their eggs / nestlings against a perceived threat and if you’ve been struck by a gull you will already know the damage they can inflict, in fact two people in Britain have been recorded as dying as a result of Gull attacks!
Bird droppings carry many diseases transmissible to humans, including thrush, E. coli and salmonella poisoning, not things you would want in or around schools, hospitals, food handling areas etc. Seagulls also carry a range of ecto-parasites (including bed-bugs, fleas and ticks) and these are also known to affect humans.
Gulls tend to be relatively quiet whilst sitting on eggs, but can become very raucous once the eggs have hatched and at this stage they become far more aggressive towards people.
To remove a health and safety risks once birds have started nesting, it's necessary to prevent the eggs from hatching. This could be achieved by simply taking or breaking the eggs, but then the gull will usually lay more eggs. For this reason, we substitute plastic eggs - by the time they realise the eggs are not going to hatch, its too late to lay a new clutch.
We can deal with any pest - please call if not on list.