The pests we see most, explained.

Bed bugs

How to avoid bringing bed bugs home from a holiday

Bed bugs are expert hitchhikers, and a suitcase is their favourite ride. A few simple checks when you arrive and when you get home make all the difference.

3 min read→ Ticks

Ticks in summer: how to avoid bites and remove a tick safely

Ticks are most active from spring to autumn and can carry Lyme disease. How to avoid them on walks, check yourself and your pets, and remove one the right way.

4 min read→ Ants

Flying ants: why they swarm, and when they are a problem

Clouds of winged ants on a warm summer afternoon look alarming but are over within hours. What flying ants are, and the one sign that means a nest in the house.

3 min read→ Wasps and hornets

Do wasp traps work? What they can and cannot do

A wasp trap can thin out the wasps around a patio. It will not get rid of a nest, and in the wrong place it draws more wasps in. How to use one sensibly.

3 min read→ Offices

Biting insects in the office: what they are and what to do

Staff reporting bites at work is unsettling for everyone. The insects usually responsible, how they arrive, what else can cause bite-like marks, and how to deal with it.

3 min read→ Bees

Mining bees in the lawn: why the little soil mounds are nothing to worry about

Tiny volcanoes of soil appearing on the lawn in spring are usually the work of mining bees. Why they are harmless, how long they stay, and why we advise leaving them.

3 min read→ Bees

Masonry bees in your walls: what they are and how to protect brickwork

Small bees disappearing into holes in your brickwork each spring are usually masonry bees. Why they pick certain walls, how much harm they do, and how to stop it.

3 min read→ Smells

What's that smell? Pest odours and what they tell you

A smell is often the first sign of a pest problem. What ammonia, musty, oily and sickly-sweet odours usually point to, and what to do about each.

3 min read→ Dead animals

Found a dead animal? What to do, and who to call

A dead fox in the garden, a deer on the road, or a smell from a rodent you cannot see. Who deals with each, how to handle a carcass safely, and when to call us.

3 min read→ Silverfish

Silverfish in the home: what they are and how to get rid of them

Small, silvery, fish-shaped insects that dart away when the bathroom light goes on. What silverfish feed on, the damage they do, and how to get rid of them.

3 min read→ Ants

Brown ants in the house: the invasive garden ant and how to spot it

Some ants that look like ordinary black ants are not. The invasive garden ant forms huge multi-queen colonies and likes electrical fittings. How to tell, and what to do.

3 min read→ Lofts

Noises in the loft? How to tell what is living up there

Mice, rats, squirrels, birds and bats all use lofts, and each needs a different response. How to tell them apart by when you hear them and what they leave behind.

3 min read→ Loft clean-up

Loft clearance and decontamination after birds or rodents

Getting rid of the birds or rodents is the first half of the job. Droppings, nests and fouled insulation left in the loft need clearing safely before it is fit to use again.

3 min read→ Rats and mice

Rodent detection dogs: how they find rats and mice

Trained dogs can pinpoint where rats and mice are living by scent alone. How the method works, where it is most useful, and why finding the source comes first.

3 min read→ Fly screens

Fly screens and insect exclusion: keeping flies out of kitchens

Flies carry bacteria from waste onto food and work surfaces. The simple habits that keep numbers down, and how fly screens and proofing stop them getting in.

3 min read→ Fly control units

LED flying insect control units: how they work and where to put them

Flying insect control units are standard in food businesses. How they work, why many sites are moving to LED, and the placement mistakes that stop them working.

3 min read→ Bees

Can a bumblebee nest be moved? Removal, relocation and prevention

You want to look after bumblebees, just not beside the back door. When a nest can be moved, when it is better to wait it out, and how to stop it happening again.

3 min read→ Badgers

Badgers in the garden: signs, the law and what you can do

Badgers can dig up a lawn overnight, but they and their setts are protected by law. How to recognise badger damage, what you are allowed to do, and what you are not.

3 min read→ House martins

House martins nesting on your house: what you can and cannot do

House martins are declining and protected, and most people are glad to have them. How to cope with the mess, and what to do if a nest is in the wrong place.

4 min read→ Booklice and mites

Booklice and mould mites: what are the tiny moving specks?

Tiny pale specks moving across a shelf, a book or a packet of flour are usually booklice or mould mites. Both live on mould, so the fix is drying things out.

3 min read→ Bird proofing

Anti-roosting measures: which bird deterrent suits your building?

Spikes, sprung wire, netting and mesh each solve a different problem. How each one works, where it fits, and why the building decides which one you need.

3 min read→ Food businesses

Pest control contracts for food businesses: what one should cover

If you prepare or serve food, you are expected to keep pests out and show that you do. What that means in practice, and what a good contract should cover.

3 min read→ Bats

Bat or mouse droppings in the loft? How to tell the difference

Bat and mouse droppings look alike, but the answer decides everything that follows. Bats are protected by law, mice are not. How to tell which you have.

3 min read→ Rats and mice

Rats in the garden: bird feeders, chickens and compost

Spilled bird seed, chicken feed and a warm compost heap can keep rats fed all winter. The signs they have moved in, and how to keep enjoying your garden without them.

4 min read→ Pigeons

Pigeons under solar panels: signs, problems and proofing

The space under a solar array is warm, dry and sheltered, and pigeons find it quickly. The signs to look for, what nesting birds cause, and how the array is proofed.

3 min read→ Ants

Which ant is it? A guide to common UK ants and their nests

Black ants in the kitchen, yellow ant hills on the lawn, red ants that sting. How to tell the common UK ants apart, and which ones are worth worrying about.

3 min read→ Wasps and hornets

Wasp stings: symptoms, treatment and when to call 999

Most wasp stings are painful but harmless and can be treated at home. A few cause a severe allergic reaction. How to tell the difference, and what to do.

3 min read→ Wasps and hornets

Wasps in winter: why you find queen wasps indoors

A big, sluggish wasp on the windowsill in midwinter is not a sign of a nest. It is a hibernating queen woken early by the warmth of the house. What to do about her.

3 min read→ Cockroaches

Cockroaches are not just a summer pest: how to keep them out all year

Cockroaches like warmth, but central heating means they never need to wait for summer. What attracts them, where they hide, and how to make your home hard for them to live in.

3 min read→ Rats and mice

Do ultrasonic mouse repellers work?

Plug-in ultrasonic repellers promise a mouse-free home with no traps and no poison. What the research has found, why mice get used to them, and what to do instead.

3 min read→ Flies

House fly or cluster fly? How to tell the difference

Slow, dark flies at the window in winter are probably not house flies. How to tell house flies from cluster flies, and why the difference changes what you should do.

3 min read→ Rats and mice

Diseases spread by rats: the risks and how to stay safe

Rats can pass on leptospirosis, salmonella and rat-bite fever. How each one spreads, the symptoms to watch for, and the simple precautions that keep the risk low.

4 min read→ Flies

Flies in the house: where they come from and how to stop them

A few flies in summer is normal. A steady stream, or a sudden swarm of bluebottles, means they are breeding somewhere close. How to find the source and keep them out.

3 min read→ Allergies

Which household pests can trigger allergies?

Sneezing, wheezing or itchy skin can have a pest behind it. The common culprits in UK homes, the symptoms they cause, and what to do about each one.

4 min read→