Pest control

• Secure food - store food in sealed containers to prevent rodents from accessing it, and to minimise any smells that may attract them. Also, ensure that any outdoor bins have secure lids and that food waste is kept to a minimum, with compost bins fastened tightly. Rodents can easily gain access to food placed within refuse bags.
  
  
• Seal any holes larger than a quarter of an inch, which is the width of a biro pen, as rodents can quickly chew through all sorts of materials to create larger openings. Gaps around pipes can easily be proofed using stainless steel pan scourers. Place a scourer into the hole and ensure it is secured, the outside can then be filled with cement or filler. Do NOT use expanding foam as rats/mice can easily gnaw through. If the gap is bigger than a scourer, any fine metal mesh can be effective. If there is a gap at the base of a door, fixing brush strips to the base can act as a deterrent.
  
  
• Cleanliness is key - regularly clean under stoves, fridges, cupboards as well as any other hard-to-reach areas.
  
  
• Check your drains regularly - rodents can enter buildings through damaged drains, check these are well maintained. 

If rats have been sighted outside of the living space (attic, cavity wall, garages and gardens) please attempt these preventative measures before using traps and poison.

• Cut off outside food sources - do not feed any animals outdoors such as birds, stray cats, or squirrels. Ensure any animal droppings from domestic pets are cleared as these can all feed rats.
  
  

• Remove cover for rats - ensure there is no overgrown grass or plants. Remove places they can hide such as old furniture, building materials or timber stacked against walls. This removes shelter for rats.
  
  

• Protect food waste containers - ensure all food waste containers are sealed and shut away so no animal can access them. Rodents can easily gain access to food through refuse bags left outside.
  
  
• It must be a consistent problemrather than just seeing one rat in passing which isn’t seen again. If a rat can’t find food or shelter, it has no reason to return to a garden.
  
  
• If using your own bait or traps - as per the label on rat poison, it is the responsibility of the person who placed the bait to check it and collect any carcasses. Do not place traps outside without protecting it from pets, hedgehogs etc. Peanut butter is a good attractant to use on traps as it has a strong smell and also is a preferred food to most rodents. Any caught rodents can simply be placed in the general refuse for disposal. Our pest control contractor will not attend to check your own bait or pick up carcasses from your own rat poison.

• Check and wash pets - Regularly check and wash your pets for fleas with a flea comb. This will catch a potential problem early and prevent fleas from settling in carpets and bedding.
  
  
• Frequent bedding wash - Wash pet bedding weekly, ideally at temperatures above 50 degrees to kill any dormant fleas and eggs.
  
  
• Vacuum floors - Vacuum floors and furniture regularly. Ensure you cover hard to reach places as fleas like to hide in cracks in floorboards and crevices.
  
  
• Shake rugs and bedding - Shake or beat rugs and pet bedding outdoors so that fleas and eggs fall off.
  
  
• Consider beds’ locations - Consider placing pet beds in areas without carpets. This may include wooden floors, but only if they’re well sealed. If there are gaps between the boards, it may make the pest much harder to treat.
  
  
• Inspect any new property - When moving into a new home inspect carpets and flooring carefully for signs of eggs or ‘flea dirt’. If the previous owners had pets, the flea larvae might be waiting for you.

Signs of a cockroach problem include:

1. Unusual smell - An established cockroach infestation produces a lingering and unpleasant odour that taints items the cockroaches touch.
   
   
2. Cockroach droppings - If little water is available, cockroaches will produce brown/black cylindrical droppings which are about 2mm long.
   
   
3. Smear marks - If water is abundant, cockroaches will produce brown and irregular shaped smears. Check for marks on horizontal surfaces and at wall-floor junctions where cockroaches scuttle along.
   
   
4. Shed skins - Cockroaches shed five to eight skins as they mature into adults. These shed skins are usually found close to where the cockroaches are sheltering.

Prevent a cockroach infestation

Secure food - The most effective way to deter cockroaches is to deny them food, water and shelter by:

• not leaving liquids in sinks or buckets
• not leaving food sitting out on counters
• storing dry foods in tightly sealed containers
• rinsing cans, bottles and plastics before putting them in recycling bins
• emptying your rubbish every day

Clean - Clear all waste food and liquid spillage. That includes cleaning up food debris from food preparation areas, under sinks and appliances. Remove pet food, drink and litter trays before nightfall.

De-clutter - Cockroaches release an aggregation pheromone in their droppings telling others they have found a safe place. Remove old stacks of newspapers and magazines, unused cardboard boxes and other clutter from the floor or bottom of cupboards where cockroaches have easy access.

Take preventive measures

These include:

• varnishing or painting wood shelves to seal them, and wiping them clean regularly
• checking key risk areas where cockroaches may gain entry into the home such as cracks, crevices, vents, sewers and drainpipes
• reducing potential hiding areas by sealing areas such as cracks in walls, around skirting boards, behind electrical sockets, under kitchen sinks and bathroom cabinets

Before you travel, check sites like Trip Advisor for reviews

If the hotel has had a problem with bed bugs previously, it’s likely customers will have shared their experience of it in online review sites.

In hotels, bed bugs are usually found on and around the bed and will hide in mattress seams, headboards and crevices in bedside furniture. They can even be found in skirting boards. Because of this, ensure you thoroughly search before you settle into your room. Check your luggage too in case you have picked up any bugs in the aircraft hold.

Many people put their luggage on their bed when they arrive in their room. However, it’s recommended that you place your case in a bath or shower so that you can check the bed for bugs first. This helps to reduce the risk of bugs crawling from the bedding to your clothing and vice versa.

Ask to change rooms - If you do suspect bed bugs are present, ask to change hotel rooms. Also, ask for a room on a different floor which isn’t directly above or below the suspected room, as bed bugs can travel between rooms.

Search and wash your belongings as soon as you get home - Put your case in a bath and check for signs of the insects before you start unpacking your belongings. Wash any clothing you took on a 60 degree wash, which will help kill any live bed bugs or eggs.