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Bumble Bee

Bumblebees are social insects: they live in a colony with a queen and her daughters (the workers). Bumblebees have an annual lifecycle, with new nests being started each spring by queens. The queen bumblebees are very large, and from February onwards can be seen feeding on flowers such as willow catkins, bluebells and lungwort, or flying low over the ground searching for a nest site.
Some species prefer to nest underground in abandoned burrows of rodents, while others nest just above the ground in dense grass or leaf-litter. The queen stocks her nest with pollen and nectar, and lays her first batch of eggs. She incubates them much as a bird would, sitting on the eggs while shivering her flight muscles to produce warmth.
When the eggs hatch the legless grubs consume pollen and nectar, grow rapidly, and pupate after a few weeks. A few days later the first workers hatch from their pupae and begin helping their mother, expanding the nest and gathering food. By mid-summer nests of some species can contain several hundred workers. At this point the queen starts laying both male and female eggs.
The females are fed extra food and become future queens. Both males and new queens leave the nest to mate, and the new queens burrow into the ground to wait until the following spring. The males, workers, and the old queen die off in the autumn, leaving the nest to decay.
REMEDY: If at all possible always leave a bumble bee nest alone to thrive as they are rarely aggressive and their presence is actually beneficial for gardeners and their crop. But, If a nest is situated in a hazardous location, removal may be possible rather than destruction.
Professionals have the ability and training remove these. Only if the location of a nest is dangerous and removal not possible should an insecticide be used to destroy the nest.
Pest Information from the British Pest Control Association.

Wasps

Wasps are black and yellow and typically 10-15mm long, they have a sweet tooth at one end and a painful sting at the other.
The queen wasp is larger (20mm) and she will hibernate over winter months, making a nest in the spring in which to lay her eggs. She feeds the grubs on insects until they develop into worker wasps, three to four weeks later. Workers, all sterile females, forage for over a mile in search of food. One nest may produce up to 30,000 wasps in a year.
At their peak in summer months, the workers turn to the sweet food they prefer and become a nuisance wherever this is available. If annoyed or threatened, wasps will sting. The best remedy if you have been stung is to remove the sting with a clean finger nail and to apply anti-histamine. Some people react violently to being stung with several dying each year from wasp stings.
REMEDY: Close or screen windows with a fly screen if wasps are a major problem. Individual wasps can be killed with an aerosol designed to combat wasps. The old fashioned jar, one third full of jam and water, covered by a punctured paper lid will trap and drown them.
If you happen to find a wasp’s nest in a wall or bank, you are best to seek professional help for safe removal of nests. Nests in roofs or sheds that are not easy to remove need to be thoroughly sprayed with insecticide. This can be very hazardous and is best performed by professional technicians.
Commercial premises can be protected by insect screening of windows and the installation of electrical devices which attract, kill and catch the bodies.

Ants

Ants are found all over the world wherever you go, there are many different types of ant approximately 11,500 different species worldwide and 47 of these can be found in the UK. The most common type of ant found in the UK is the Black garden ant, the red fire ant and the pharoah’s ant.
Why it is a pest:
Ants are highly organised social insects. The worker ants will invade buildings in search of food. Ants are typically from 3 to 5mm in length and are attracted to sweet foods which they take back to their nest.
Flying ants are the reproductive males (drones), these will develop wings in late summer and future queens will also develop wings in order to mate. Mating happens in the air and the queen will then seek out a suitable nest site where she stays for the winter, laying eggs the following spring in order to start up a new colony. A single queen ant can life for up to 15 years.
What to do about it:
The majority of black or garden ants will only enter your home to search for food and are attracted by sweet and sticky substances. Make sure no food is readily available to become a food source. You can do this by making sure all food is kept in sealed containers, cleaning up any food or liquid spillages straight away and if you have pets clear away your Pet’s food immediately it has finished eating.
Whilst a wide range of DIY Products are available to kill Garden Ants, an established problem may need professional treatment to ensure that it will not reoccur, especially with Pharoah’s Ants as DIY treatments can make the infestation worse.  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Pigeon proofing

Pigeons love to roost on buildings. In cities many pigeons can fall sick with diseases such as influenza which are transmissible to humans. They can spread this by infecting other healthy pigeons and spreading their droppings which can spread disease via pets, gardening or even car surfaces.
Feral pigeons foul buildings, automobiles and other public surfaces creating an unwanted, and unhealthy environment. This is particularly true for small children and the elderly. All sorts of pests may migrate from their nests into buildings and onto our skin and food supply. Originally descended from the Wild Rock Dove, a cliff-face dweller, pigeons find a natural roosting place in cities in blocks of flats, a bit of Victorian Gothic architecture or an office building. In the absence of natural predators, birds which fall sick survive to infect healthy ones with ornithosis, influenza and other diseases, many of which can be transmissible to humans. Their accumulated droppings are also sources of disease and is the infection source into human beings. Local authorities are empowered to deal with them under the Public Health Act, but nowadays many councils will only treat areas under their specific control. Thus private landlords or building tenants/owners usually will have to call a pest control contractor in. Large nets, taut wires or blunt spikes are some of the tools and techniques put on buildings to keep pigeons off. Alternatively, stupefying materials may be used by contractors, under licence, or cage traps be set to catch pest birds, which are then humanely destroyed. Regional Pest Services has specific expertise in dealing with pigeon proofing and control. We are able to deploy particularly effective pigeon proofing netting, wiring and spike systems, which we then maintain and improve to match the altered behaviour of local birds. Contact us to speak about pigeon control and proofing issues you may have.
Please see these links below to have a look at some of the Projects that we have completed:
London:
Bracknell:
Slough (1):
Slough (2):
Uxbridge:
 
      

Bats

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides protection for all species of bat found in the United Kingdom. It is illegal to kill, or even disturb, bats in their roosts.
If bats are present, and there is a possibility of them being disturbed, you should consult
Bat Helpline Tel: 0845 1300 228
Natural England Tel: 0114 241 8920,
Scottish Natural Heritage Tel: 0131 447 4784 or
Countryside Council for Wales Tel: 08451 306229.
They will arrange for a person to visit the site and advise on the best course of action.
Bats may only be handled by those licensed to do so. 
Pest Information from the British Pest Control Association.

Bedbugs

The name “bed bug” comes from the insects preferred habitat within the home, also known as wall louse, mahogany flat, crimson rambler, heavy dragoon, chinches and redcoat.
What are Bed bugs and where do they live?
Bed bugs are parasitic insects, they are a small, flat and oval shaped and of a reddish-brown color. Bed bugs feed on warm blooded animals; they are not strictly nocturnal but are active mainly at night. Bedbugs can measure up to mm in length.
Bed bugs hide in crevices within furniture, not just beds, they are known to also hide behind skirting boards, floor boards, behind lose wall-paper etc. Bedbugs can live for up to a year without feeding.
Bed bugs may be introduced from second-hand beds or furniture, or from personal possessions and clothing. Bed bugs are more commonly found within multi-occupancy buildings with a rapid resident turnover, for example hotels, hostels, holiday camps and blocks of flats, with increased travel bed bugs are on the rise with them moving from country to country.
What problems can bed bugs cause?
Bed bugs feed at night; they are able to detect a host’s body heat and will come out of hiding. Once they have found a host they will inject saliva to cause swelling and irritation, this also works to antiseptic to numb the area leaving the bugs to go unnoticed. They will feed for up to 10 minutes taking in up to seven times their own body weight before returning to their hiding place. Bites will the host with red irritation spots, people react differently to bites and some may end up with severe skin reactions and rashes.
Bed bugs DO NOT spread diseases, if left untreated bed bugs will quickly spread from room to room.
What can I do to reduce the chances of an infestation within my home?
If you are moving into a new home, check for signs of bed bug infestation; avoid second hand bedroom furniture unless you have good knowledge of where it has come from.
If you have stayed in an infested premise upon returning home check your luggage for bugs, there are a few ways to kill bed bugs, first of; machine wash all your clothing that may be infested on high heat (60 °C) or tumble dry them at a ‘hot’ setting for at least 30 minutes. Bed bugs can not survive in temperatures above 50 °C and this will kill them all.
Dry cleaning will also have the same effects, if none of these options are available you can place clothing in a bag in a deep freezer for at least 3 days, bed bugs can not survive in temperatures any lower than -32°C but most freezers do not go this cold.
What are the signs of a bed bug infestation?
If you notice red, irritating bites often in rows typically but not limited to the neck, shoulders and arms.
Small blood-smears on the bed sheets or headboard.
Clusters of dark spots, approximately mm in diameter typically on the bed frame or around the edges of the mattress.
Finding small brownish insects on the mattress, headboard or on nearby bedroom furniture and on walls near the bed.
What should you do if you suspect an infestation of bed bugs in your home?
When dealing with these hardy pests it is important you gain professional help and advice as thorough searching and investigation is required. Failed treatments will occur if the accurate knowledge of the bed bug is absent. Give us a call; all our technicians are specialist trained in fumigation services designed to eradicate bed bugs.
We advise visiting your local pharmacist or GP for advice on medication for bites.

Masonry Bees

They may occasionally cause problems. Unlike honey bees these are solitary insects. They nest in a wide range of cavities some of which they excavate themselves. The nest is constructed of sand grains and other particles glued together with saliva. Masonry bees are normally harmless, their sting seemingly unable to penetrate human skin.
On occasions though they can present a problem due to their ability to build nests by tunnelling through soft brick mortar, generally in older properties. Only rarely do large numbers occur together but due to the fact that vulnerable buildings tend to be repeatedly attacked, quite severe damage can occur over several seasons.
Modern houses are not immune either. Small gaps left in otherwise sound mortar may be colonised. Although this is not a problem from a structural point of view, some householders are distressed by such activity. In the long term, re-pointing with sound mortar is the only answer. This must be thorough however, as bees hunting for a nest site will soon locate areas that have been missed.
Small individual holes are easily filled. Treatment with insecticides is not normally necessary but where damage is serious or great distress is being caused, insecticides can be used. Application of an insecticide to the entry hole will quickly kill the occupants.
Pest Information from the British Pest Control Association.