Westminster Pest Control News:
Trouble for Westminster rats by paulg on 09/05/2012 |
Could the number of rats in Westminster start to fall because of the drought? With the apparent lack of rain over the last eighteen months bringing in hosepipe bans for many counties across the country, this could have an effect on the rat population in cities like Westminster. Like all mammals, rats need water to survive. With hardly any rainfall filling up the reservoirs and the ground continuing to further dry up, there is less water for everyone including rats. That is until the last six weeks or so! But will this really affect the rats, probably not. The amount of rainfall we have unfortunately has no impact on the rat population. Rats are versatile mammals that will find water and food in any which way they can. Whether it is from reservoirs, rivers, streams or the sewers, or even the good old burst water pipes there is water for rats everywhere. No. Rats will survive a drought despite what you might read in papers or hear on the news. Still the only way to keep their numbers down and get rid of problem pests like the rat is good old human detection and eradication. Even this, though, will only help to keep numbers down. Rats have been around for thousands of years and will always be around until the end of the earth. No matter how clean we try to keep things, there is always food for them. Putting our rubbish out early for the bin men, because they collect in the ridiculously early hours of the morning, is just supplying food for them to scavenge through. Although rats are primarily a night time pest, food waste that is put out by restaurants during the day is also a source of survival. This and all the council cutbacks caused by the recession, meaning fewer rubbish collections and fewer street cleaners in many towns and cities means thee is always a way for the rats to feed and drink and survive. |
Cockroaches in Westminster by paulg on 16/03/2012 |
Cockroaches in Westminster. Do you know what they look like? Would you know what to look for? Surprisingly many people wouldn’t. Because they are primarily a nocturnal insect, most people are asleep when they are out scavenging and breeding. Truth is, when we turn the lights out, the cockroaches start to party. There are two main types of cockroach that pester Westminster and other parts of London, the German cockroach and the Oriental cockroach. There is also an American cockroach but this isn’t as prominent yet. The German cockroach is light tan to brown in colour with two dark stripes just behind the head. They are between 1 and 2cm in length and just 5-10mm wide. They have 6 legs and 2 large antennae. They are probably the most successful cockroach on the planet populating all continents and most countries. The most favourable places for them to dwell in urban towns and cities like Westminster are in food establishments, hotels and other premises with kitchens, which unfortunately mean our homes as well. Blocks of flats often find themselves with cockroach problems because of the ability to travel from flat to flat with ease. They are an omnivorous insect eating almost anything including other insects, grease and any food waste they can find. They leave what is known as spotting in areas of habitat. This is their excrement and is usually found in the corners of kitchen units and cupboards and around the motor housings of fridges and freezers. Oriental cockroaches have a different look about them. They are larger than the German cockroach, with an average size of about 2.5cm at adulthood. They are dark brown to black in colour with a rounder flatter body. Around 1-1.5cm in width they are also wider. Their preferred habitat is cooler, darker and damper sites like basements and cellars. Just like the German cockroach they are also omnivorous eating almost anything. The spotting that the German cockroach leaves is also left by the Oriental cockroach, but because of their living environment, it is a lot harder to find and see. In both cases, hygiene plays an important role as to whether you might get an infestation or not. As with all animals and insects they need food and water. If an environment is kept clean and tidy, there should be no invite for cockroaches to bother you. But if your neighbours or an establishment near you is not kept as clean as it possibly should, then there could be a problem in the making. If you have a problem that you’re finding to hard to deal with, call a pest control company that will help you. |