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Grey Squirrel

The grey squirrel is native to the USA and is a very adaptable species. In Britain the grey squirrel has few nature predators. This has lead to its rapid population growth and has caused the species to be classed as a pest. It can cause damage to roof spaces when nesting and to lawns when burying food such as nuts.

The grey squirrel is thought to be main reason in the decline of the red squirrel. This is thought to be because of the grey squirrel’s greater fitness hence a competitive advantage over the red squirrel.

In the UK if a grey squirrel is trapped under the wildlife and countryside act 1981 it is illegal to release it or allow it to escape into the wild. Instead they should be humanely destroyed.

Treatments include:

Proofing (e.g. squirrel accessing loft via roof)

Culling (Shooting)

Live trapping

These are the only treatment methods we use. There are other treatments such spring trapping and warfarin poising but we feel our methods are the most humane and least likely to affect a non-target species.

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Sign up by the 30th of September and get 10% off all pest control contacts.

Already got a pest control contract? We’ll match it and give you an additional 10% off*.
Why not join our growing number of clients already benefitting from our service and call to arrange a meeting. Our services include:

Pigeon proofing and control

Rodent control

All crawling and flying insects

Wasps and bees

24 hour 7 days a week call out service

Call us on: 01494 410880 Don’t delay offer ends 30th December!
Wren house 19-23 exchange road Watford Hertfordshire WD18 0JG
*must have had contract at least 6 months written proof of current contract required

Image of pigeon deterred by "Bird Free Fire Gel"

Pigeons! What’s the problem?

Pigeons are an increasing problem and Regional Pest Services would like to advise you of the chief issues of concern regarding the potential hazards associated with pigeons, their droppings and nesting materials.

PSITTACOSIS (ORNITHOSISIS): This is an infectious disease. The organism is found in droppings, eye and nasal secretions of infected birds, which contaminate feathers and nesting materials. Transmission is usually through inhalation of contaminated airborne particles in which the organism can survive for several months.

The symptoms of human infection range from a flu-like illness with fever, joint, and muscle pains lasting a few days to more serious reactions including pneumonia.

BIRD LUNG (ALLERGIC ALVEOLITIS): This is an allergic condition occurring among bird keepers and people exposed occupationally to airborne particles in dust inhaled from bird corpses.

This can cause symptoms of fever and chest tightness with cough and in chronic form cause shortness of breath on exertion.

PATHOGENIC FUNGI Several pathogenic fungi find bird droppings, particularly if left to accumulate, a particularly good medium to develop. For most people, infection can appear to be little more than a bout of flu, but in susceptible individuals severe infections can occur.

INSECTS, MITES & FLIES: Urban birds have a number of blood-feeding parasites, which live in their nests and can bite humans including mites, fleas, ticks, and lice. Fleas will often infest office building carpets and cause biting insect problems.

Bird nests are also good harborage for other insect pests, which eat feathers, droppings and dead birds, but can live off and damage foods and textiles. These insects include carpet beetles, clothes moths, spider beetles, dermestes beetle and booklice.

Many of these pest outbreaks can occur even if the birds leave but nesting and droppings remain so that the insects forage as this food source breaks down.

When birds die inside or near buildings, the bodies can be a breeding site for flies.

PHYSICAL RISKS: The presence of bird infestations can produce foul odours, can deface and damage buildings and be a serious slip hazard when wet. Accumulations of droppings on pavements and fire escapes can result in injuries and complicated legal actions.

The defacement to building appearance can project a poor image to prospective clients particularly if in a food or professional business. Finally should a member of staff or public be unfortunate enough for birds to drop their faeces on them significant distress may be caused.

REMOVAL OF PIGEON CONTAMINATION: Guidance on this state that the following precautions are recommended:

• Personal protective equipment in the form of a disposable one-piece boiler suit with close-fitting hood or collar should be worn.

• Respiratory protective equipment is advised with filter.

• Good personal hygiene measures are essential and should include adequate washing facilities and separate eating facilities.

• The offending material should be removed in such a way as to minimise the amount of dust generated.

• Removed contaminated waste should be bagged and safely disposed of.

• Cleaned contaminated surfaces should be treated to eradicate residual bacteria & insects.

BIRD DETERRENT SYSTEMS Regional Pest Services are fully experienced in the installation of purpose-designed systems to prevent the re-occurrence of bird infestation by building proofing. This may include netting, sprung steel wires, bird spikes and repellent gel. All systems are fully licensed and are designed to not harm birds but to prevent access to the building from them.

Bird Free Fire Gel

At regional pest services we have been trialing an exciting new pigeon proofing product (although it can be use for any bird) called bird free fire gel. The company that develop the gel claim that it has been used in Korea for the past 4 years and it works because to birds the gel looks like fire, to the human eye it simply looks like orange/yellow jelly but to birds which see in ultra violet (UV) it appears to them as fire. To us this seemed like outlandish claims so we decided to trail it on a couple of sites before we recommended to product to customers. To our surprise it WORKED. A customer of ours had a pigeon problem and because the building which had the problem had won awards for design they did not wont any spiking or netting, so we tried the fire gel to see the results, and six months later still no pigeon problem. we also tried it on a site that had a heavier level of infestation, where pigeons where using it as a roosting site and it has worked there too. The Gel is perfect for places where netting or spiking is not possible. It can also used in trees. Its not toxic and can used in all weather conditions, it lasts up to 2 years but other case studies have shown it to still be effective up to 4 years. We would recommend servicing the gel every 2 years it can still be more cost effective than expensive netting. For more information call us on: 01494 410880 or email us at: info@regionalpest.co.uk.
Check out the video link below:

Rise in rodents as weekly rubbish collections drop

Picking are slim for many during the economic downturn but not it seems for rodents. As an increasing number of cash-strapped councils have been forced to cut back on weekly bin collections in the past five years, more than a quarter of households say they have noticed a rise in vermin. One in five homes has been damaged by rodents, such as rats or mice, and pests causing £500million of damage.
The most common was vermin chewing through cables. “The dangers of ignoring a pest problem can be devastating,” said LV home insurance, which commissioned the research.
METRO Friday February 24 2012

Bed bugs treatment

Bed bugs can live anywhere as long as it is cloth, wood and paper. They are usually found on bedrooms for them to feed themselves at night. They are found in cracks and crevices of bed frames. Preparation What you need to do before treatment begins: Remove all bed lining and clothes and wash all at a temperature of at least 60c and place in a sealed plastic bag. Non-clothing items such as shoes, papers, books, suitcases, wooden hangers, DVD’s and CD’s must also be removed and placed in clear plastic bags. Any stuffed toys must be tumbled dried at a high heat. Empty all draws and cupboards to make inspection and treatment easier. The better the preparation the more effective the treatment!! TREATMENT We start by doing thorough inspections of all rooms; this begins with the bedroom and bed. We did a detailed search looking for the signs of bed bugs in all areas. The treatment begins with a water based chemical spray, all cracks and crevices will be treated. Areas where it is not possible to use a water based spray other methods will be used such as aerosols, steam and powders will be used. We recommend any heavily infested beds or mattresses are throw out and burnt if possible. After treatment has taken place do not enter room(s) for at least 1 hour and do not enter rooms that are being treated as the technicians are using chemicals that could be harmful to your health. We recommend a follow up treatment in 2-4 weeks after treatment has taken place. All our technicians are professionally trained and BPCA qualified. For a quote please call us on: 01494 410880 or 01923 205756

Photos of huge rats immune to normal rat poisons in the Milton Keynes area

Rats immune to poison

Two Berkshire towns plagued by rats which have become immune to poison Two towns in Berkshire are suffering a rise in the rat population because vermin have developed near-immunity to standard poisons, pest control experts have warned. Almost all animals used in laboratories either die in testing or are killed at the end of the experiment Photo: GETTY 2:27PM BST 03 May 2009 The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) is calling on the Government to allow the use of more powerful pesticides to contain Britain’s growing rodent population. It is estimated that their numbers have swelled by 13 per cent in the past year to more than 50 million, one for every person living in England. Infestations in some towns and cities have reportedly doubled in the past 12 months. Exeter council has seen a 66 per cent rise in vermin call-outs in 2008, while there was a 40 per cent rise in Salford. The BPCA says the situation has also escalated in two Berkshire towns, which it has not named, because the local rat population is now almost completely resistant to the standard poisons. Oliver Madge, chief executive of the BPCA, said: “We are very concerned about this from a public health point of view.” A Freedom of Information request found Reading Borough Council tackled 428 rodent infestations in homes between April 2008 and January 2009, and 646 between April 2005 and April 2006. Local newspapers there have reported that the town’s ratcatchers are so busy they are facing a three-week backlog. The association will hold talks with the Department of Health this week about what can be done to control the vermin. Pest control experts want the law changed so that two powerful rodenticides, brodifacoum and flocoumafen, can be applied outdoors. Currently their use is only allowed inside properties. Other EU countries allow the use of the powerful poisons outside, but there is concern this endangers birds and pets. Rats and mice are capable of spreading more than 35 diseases, including a fever inducing nausea and muscle aches passed to humans either via a bite or the rodent’s urine. Years of mild winters and wet summers have helped to their population to multiply, as well as the increase in recycling. Mr Madge said: “We are encouraged to recycle, but the rats tunnel under compost and they find it’s nice and warm and they have food.” From the: The Telegraph on wednesday 10 october 2012

Super rats

Plague of mutant ‘super rats’ infests Britain

An increasing number of Britain’s rats are mutating to become immune to commonly sold poisons, scientists have warned.
Yahoo! News – 17/10/2012

Yahoo! News UK – A plague of mutant rats resistant to most poisons have been found in areas of the UK (Image: Rex)An increasing number of Britain’s rats are mutating to become immune to commonly sold poisons, scientists have warned.
Research from Huddersfield University found 75 per cent of rats in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, had built up a resistance to the poisons. The most serious mutations have affected rats in Bath and Wiltshire. Experts say the rise is down to an incorrect use of poisons, where people have used dosages that are too low. Rats which are resistant to the poison are fattened up by the bait, with survivors going on to mate with other resistant rodents.

This allows a generation of rats that are resistant to existing poisons to build up. Dr Dougie Clarke, head of biological sciences at Huddersfield University, said: “Some pest control companies are still using the same rodenticides -Bromadiolone and Difenacoum – in areas where there are resistant rats and things need to change.
“We’re wiping out the normal susceptible rats and we’re going to be left with resistant rats only in this area so alternatives have to be found so we’re not using these poisons.”
Wildlife experts are also concerned about the risk to other animals -especially cats – which may hunt the rats.
Andy Beddows, a rat catcher from Gloucester, said poison inside the rat could be passed on to animals, including birds of prey, which eat the rodents.
He said: “If you’re putting poison down and it’s one of the mutant strain, if it takes a belly full of rodenticide you may as well be giving it sugar puffs.”
The study aims to survey 25 councils across the country and test samples from 600 rats. So far researchers have tested around 300 rats.
Dr Clarke said that all rats in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bath could be resistant to poisons within 10 years.

Best of Yahoo! News

Giant rats seen in Britain are actually Coypus

Giant rats seen and found across the British Isles are actually coypus, a rodent native to South America. I’ve heard a lot of nonsense about rats growing to the size of cats, the so called super rat, often when on a call the customer will out stretch their arms “my friend’s uncle said he has seen one this big” but recent pictures would seem to back up this outlandish claim. Well afraid not, what people are most likely seeing is the coypu a rodent native to South America. Adults are typically 5–9 kg (11–20 lb) in weight, and 40–60 cm (16–24 in) in body length, with a 30–45 cm (12–18 in) tail. They have a coarse, darkish brown outer fur with a soft under-fur. Two distinguishing marks are the presence of a white patch on the muzzle, and webbed hind feet. They are brought over to this country for their fur. Farmer killed “giant rat” in county Durham The other possibility is the muskrat which is native to North America and were introduced to Europe in the early part of the 20thcentury. There are much better at surviving the cold temperatures than the coypu. They can grow 0.6–2 kg (1.3–4.4 lb.)That is about four times the weight of the brown rat. They are generally dark brown in colour with some variations ranging from lighter, blond colour to almost black and have a long tail that is flattened. So if you do see one of these rodents it is best to call us for advice or the RSPCA. Muskrat Coypu By Graham B Farmer

Rat attacks baby girl in Camden

A mother described how her baby daughter was attacked in her cot by a foot-long rat. Lindsey Molyneux went to check on 16-month-old Lolly, who had woken up crying, and found her covered in blood with deep bite marks on a hand. She and husband Michael, 41, then saw the rat scurrying around their one-bedroom flat in Camden. Mrs Molyneux, 30, said it also chewed through Lolly’s pyjama bottoms. She said: “Lolly began crying through the monitor and I went in because I didn’t want her to wake her twin Lily. “She was shaking and I thought she was just having a nightmare. “Then she was sick and as I took her clothes off I saw all the blood. It was gushing out of her hand. We couldn’t figure out what had happened as we have no pets and there is nothing around her bed that could do that. “I called NHS Direct to find out the cause and was on the phone to the nurse when I saw the rat scurry past me. It was massive, about a foot long. I started screaming, ‘There’s a rat’, and my husband filmed it on his phone. “Then he grabbed the broom and I opened the front door. As soon as I did that the rat legged it.” Mrs Molyneux said her GP did not believe the story until she showed him the footage. The couple have since had their flat disinfected and cleaned, while pest control experts from Camden council have laid traps and checked nearby sewers. Lolly received treatment and is recovering well. Pest controllers were unsure how the rat got in but Mrs Molyneux said her front door had been left open for half an hour earlier in the night to ventilate the flat while her husband, an engineer, cooked dinner. She said: “The fact that it bit Lolly is bad enough but there’s also the thought that it was crawling on her. It has got in once and I’m still afraid it can again.” EVENING STANDARD Friday 16th November 2012

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