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Tips for the New Year

January, in the heart of winter, may not seem like the best time to talk about household pests, but one New Year's resolution worth considering is pest-proofing one's home. It protects against threats to health and, importantly, damage to one's greatest investment.

Late autumn and winter is the time when rodent species, looking for a warm harborage, invade homes. Once inside, they will chew on wires and pose a threat of fire. Since rodents urinate and defecate wherever they go, the potential for diseases increases, particularly when they invade food store areas.

Do-it-yourself pest control efforts usually fail – that's when pest management professionals get the call and that's when their expertise and the means to trap and control mice and rats demonstrate why their training is essential to controlling such problems.

Sealing cracks in the home's foundation, storing firewood away from the home, cutting back tree limbs that provide access to the roof, and many other steps will be recommended by a professional pest management technician.

A wide variety of insect pests can over-winter in a home. Wasps and hornets will hibernate in void areas under the roof and emerge when the weather turns warm to begin new colonies and build nests.

Cockroaches are nature's greatest survivors and even a few can swiftly multiply into hundreds once the weather triggers their instinctual behavior.

The UK is home as well to a thriving population of foxes who think that rubbish bins are open-air cafeterias. Taking care to ensure that rubbish containers are tightly sealed can go far in avoiding unwelcome visitors.

Mother Nature never takes a vacation and affords insect and rodents pests, as well as other creatures many opportunities to reproduce in staggeringly high numbers. A home with its warmth, its ample supplies of food and water, and its wood components are magnets for pests of every description.

 Insect Activity on the Rise

When conditions are favorable, cockroaches can infest even the most sanitary and well organised homes and buildings, and as people have been unpacking their Christmas decorations, they have been quite surprised to find cockroach infestations.

There are approximately 3,500 species of cockroaches worldwide, but only four main species that give us problems in the UK.

The German cockroach is arguably the most prevalent in England. It is light brown and around ½ of an inch in length. Adults are winged but rarely fly.

The Brown-Banded cockroach is light gold to glossy brown in colour and about the same size as its cousin, the German cockroach. The Brown-Banded cockroach will fly when disturbed.

The American cockroach is the largest of the common species, growing to a length of 1 ½ to 2 inches. It is reddish-brown in color with well-developed wings. However, it seldom flies. This giant cockroach thrives indoors.

The Oriental cockroach can be found in areas of high temperature such as kitchens, laundries and hospitals up and down the UK. It is said to be the most common cockroach in Britain, and will migrate indoors during the winter months.

Cockroaches enter homes around loose-fitting doors and windows where electrical lines or water pipes pass through walls. They can also enter in infested boxes, cartons, furniture, dried pet food and other items. Once in the home the pests will feed on a variety of plant and animal products, including meat and grease, starchy foods, sweets, baked goods and other unprotected kitchen goods. They also feed on materials such as leather and wallpaper paste. Boxes of stored Christmas decorations provide favourable living conditions as well.

Cockroaches contaminate food with their excrement and salivary secretions. They can also leave an unpleasant odour.

Cockroaches are nocturnal and appear during daylight only when disturbed or where there is heavy infestation. They prefer warm, dark, humid shelters near food. Therefore, the kitchen and bathroom are the mostly likely areas for an infestation to develop. However, when populations become large and food scarce, they will appear in bedrooms, hallways and other areas.

The key to successful cockroach control is the use of preventive measures. Proper sanitation indoors and out is the first step in limiting a population buildup.

Kitchen waste should be kept in cockroach-proof containers and disposed of frequently. Pet food should be stored in tight containers away from the kitchen and all leftover pet foods should be cleaned and removed from feeding dishes daily. Rubbish bins should be cleaned regularly.

Discouraging the pest from entering is another step that is effective in preventing the pest from becoming established. Cracks around windows, door frames, pipes and air conditioner units should be sealed.

Should chemical control be needed, there are numerous products available. However, if the infestation is severe consider securing the services of a professional pest control operator. They have the insecticides, application equipment and training to do a safe and effective control job.