Home sweet home
Pest control companies are reporting a 50% rise in call-outs, here are some of the housemates you could be sharing your home with…
Vermin
Often found in attics (causing fire hazards by chewing electric cables) and kitchens (where they’ll eat virtually anything that’s on offer, but are especially fond of cereal), telltale signs include droppings, scratching noises and sometimes a pee smell. Look out for holes and gaps where they can squeeze their way into your home (both mice and rats can get through any hole the size of a pencil). Brown rats can measure up to 25cm – not including the tail – and the last thing you want to encounter is one of those well maybe a bear!
Dust mite
Transparent and less than half a millimetre long, dust mite and his 1.5 million mates are feeding on a diet of dry and dead skin. Coming out at night and causing allergic reactions in about 20% of the population, dust mites are known to cause eczema and asthma.
Bed bugs bite
About the size of an apple seed, the bed bug is reddish-brown and flattened, and feasts on blood while you sleep. Using a barbed spike, they dig a hole before gorging himself on blood for 10-15 minutes. He’ll then crawl away to a hiding place to digest the blood meal.
Silverfish slither
This silvery bug can be found in dark, damp places, such as the basement, loft or bathroom, and they like to feed on shampoo, linen, paper, glue and dead insects. Wet towels are a favourite and they enjoy hiding in the cracks in walls, skirting boards and grouting.
Wasps
Wasps build their nests in lofts, garages and wall cavities. Call in the pest control experts to have the nest removed to avoid being stung.
