Pest horror stories - The worst infestations and how to manage them

Whether it’s ants, rats, bedbugs, wasps, cockroaches or something else altogether, little invaders are unwelcome in our homes. But which areas of the country are worst for particular intruders? And how do you deal with an infestation of pests once they’ve found a way inside your home? Well, read on to find out…

Rats
Many urban areas (and rural areas too) struggle with rodent infestations. Mice and rats are easy to spot among the bins early in the morning, and you might have noticed a scurry in an alleyway late at night. However, in the worst cases you’ll see rats in broad daylight, and they’ve even been reported to be the size of cats! In fact, Birmingham has such a problem with rats in particular that the city council deals with residential infestations of rats free of charge.

Over a twelve-month period, nearly 15,000 call outs were made to deal with infestations of rats in Birmingham. If you’re taking matters into your own hands, you can lay down rat traps. There are lots of different kinds of rat traps to choose from, but among the most effective are electronic rat traps, available online from retailers such as Victor Pest. It’s also a good idea to keep food in tightly sealed containers so that rats don’t follow the smell of food into your home, and be sure to tidy up the garden so that there’s less clutter for rats to build nests in.

Bedbugs
What about smaller pests? Bedbugs have been making the news recently as rates of infestations have rocketed by 20% in the past six years. But, if this wasn’t bad enough already, some areas of the country such as North London and Greater London are reporting five times that amount. These little pests cause itching all over your body, coming out from inside furniture and soft furnishings to bite exposed skin and feed on blood.

As well as being so itchy that you’ll have trouble sleeping, the bites are a problem if you scratch to the extent that you create a wound – one that risks becoming infected. The best way to deal with an infestation of bed bugs is to call in the professional pest controllers so that all fabrics can be removed and the affected areas can be treated with powerful insecticides. Be careful when buying vintage furniture or fabrics, as old items may be more likely to harbour bed bugs than newly-made items.

Ants
Have you ever spotted an army of ants parading in a line from your garden, through your kitchen and into your kitchen cupboard? Well, ant infestations are something that many of us suffer with in the UK, and this summer saw swarms of giant flying ants invading Britain. Ant infestations aren’t generally dangerous as the kind of ants we see in the UK aren’t poisonous or capable of stinging, and nor do they carry diseases.

However, they might carry harmful bacteria – which is why it’s particularly unappetising to see a swarm of ants enveloping a loaf of bread you’ve left out on the side! You can buy sprays and powders to deal with ant infestations, and take preventative measures such as storing food in sealed containers, not leaving dog and cat food out in the open and always wiping crumbs off surfaces.