PEST CONTROL
with mice for over 14 months. The elderly female tenant was becoming increasingly frustrated as the rodents continued to return following attempts to manage the issue.
Upon initial inspection by the SCS team, the property was found to have several possible entry points, particularly across a wall where there were certain areas of damaged brickwork. The brickwork was designed in such a way that the mice were able to climb vertically up the wall using the damaged ledges as a ladder in effect and making their way to a window where they squeezed in through small crevices and cracks.
Nathan Brennan at SCS said: “The initial inspection had to focus on the wider picture in this instance and look at possible entry points across the property, and in particular around the window. Mice can be incredibly clever and will find pretty innovative ways to get into a property if they are looking for food and shelter.”
The SCS team of two spent a full day at the property, proofing internally whilst repairing the brickwork and window externally. In the final stages, areas of problem such as the loft, under kitchen units etc were baited to kill off any mice that remained inside, ensuring they could not leave the property. Once the bait was checked and untouched, SCS were able to confirm that the property was pest free.
Nathan added: “This has certainly seemed to do the trick. We’ve returned for two visits since the work was carried out and I’m really pleased to say that the tenant hasn’t had any more visits.”
The firm’s work with major housing associations sees the team visiting properties across the North West, managing infestations that range from pigeons to cockroaches, rats, beetles and more, the intensity of the issues tending to vary according to how long the issue has been left unmanaged. Many of the pests that the firm deals with are naturally fast breeders and therefore once an insect or rodent finds its place within a property, the home can quickly become overrun. The following project exemplifies how an infestation can escalate:
68 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning
“Many pests are
naturally fast breeders and therefore once an
insect or rodent finds its place within a property, the home can quickly become overrun.”
THE INSECTS
ARE TAKING OVER A major infestation of cockroaches at a property owned by housing association Places for People took several visits by the SCS to manage the problem, before finally resulting in a pest-free home.
The second floor flat at a property in Longsight, Manchester, had suffered from a major infestation for some time, but had only been reported to the social landlord recently. As such, the infestation had grown to considerable proportions and the property was found to be swarming with the insects.
On initial inspection, the SCS team found cockroaches in all rooms, as well as in household furniture, door frames, architraves, cracks and crevices, and dark areas – which they are naturally attracted to. Cockroaches are incredibly fast breeders and the team found thousands throughout the property.
Nathan continued: “This was a particularly bad infestation, simply because the issue had been allowed to escalate for some time. The approach to cockroach infestation remains the same, however, and will become more labour intensive as volume increases.”
The cockroaches in the flat were found to be German and therefore a specific plan for removal was needed.
In this instance a pheromone trap offered the best solution, containing an alluring scent that traps and kills German roaches.
The trap also has three entry points, a silicone surface to prevent escapes, and a low profile to fit into small, tight corners. These features help make the trap one of the best for roaches and offer a good solution in sensitive areas where other control methods are prohibited.
The cockroach traps allowed SCS to get an initial feel for quantity of the roaches and what areas were most affected. This turned out to be the entire property, and so the team moved on to using Goliath Gel Cockroach Bait, a fast-acting solution that begins to work within minutes, killing all roaches in hours. SCS frequently checked the bait and changed monitoring traps to ensure they were decreasing in numbers. Finally, the flat was sprayed with an insecticide with one final visit to ensure all traps were roach free.
Nathan added: “It really is a case of finding the right solution to deal with the individual infestation and persevering until the property is clear of roaches. This was an extreme case but one that is now complete, signed off and cockroach free.”
www.specialisedcleaningservices.co.uk twitter.com/TomoCleaning
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88