Tackle summer pests 101

14 January 2016

Tackle summer pests 101

With summer upon us, there are likely to be a few unwelcome visitors around the office. Ants, cockroaches, rats and flies are just some of the pests that thrive in the summer heat, but fortunately, with a brief understand of pests and how to prevent them, you can ensure you are prepared to tackle them.

OCS pest control manager Robert Gattsche says summer is peak time for pests, but there are precautions you can take to prevent pests from having a summer party at your workplace.

If your office is dealing with a large infestation, professionals such as OCS can be called on to help, using knowledge on insect and animal species and their behavioural patterns to get rid of the problem.

Here are some tips to keep your workplace pest free:

• Ants – What you can do: Ants send out a scout to look for food and when food is identified (for example, sugar on the bench) the whole group of ants will come for it. Make sure you wipe down all residues on tables and benches with a hot cloth.

What professionals will do: Find the trail and nest of ants. Bait is applied where the nest is and takes effect almost instantly.

• Wasp – What you can do: From November to May, wasps can be troublesome, particularly if you have a wasp nest near your premises. Wasps can be dangerous if you are allergic to the stings as anaphylactic shock from a sting can result in serious and potentially fatal swelling. If you are noticing high numbers of wasps in the area it is likely that there is a wasps nest nearby which should be destroyed. It is best to call a professional for this.

What professionals will do: You should call a professional like OCS pest control at the start of summer as wasps are known to become more aggressive towards the end of summer. A professional will inspect the premises to find the wasps nest which can be located inside or outside the building. The nest is sprayed with chemicals to destroy it.

• Cockroaches – If found inside, use insect spray to get rid of visible insects. An auto spray can also be used, but remember to use minimally because of toxicity. Cockroaches like to have their stomach and back against something, which is why you’ll find them in random places such as the mailbox and against appliances like the fridge. A female cockroach can lay 12 to 40 eggs at a time with some eggs taking months to hatch.

Professionals: After a full inspection of the property, cracks and crevices are inspected and bait is laid which gets rid of cockroaches in two - three days. Because cockroaches are cannibals, the bait is effective as when eating each other, they will eat the bait too.

Spray is only used if there is a large infestation. Glue boards are used to catch females, then, when their eggs are dropped on the board, they are destroyed too. The glue boards stay down for weeks and capture several waves of pests.

• Rats - Rats are attracted to offices in summer as they like to feast on food scraps left out with the rubbish. To stop them, use snap traps or bait. However, there is a downside to bait which is that the rat can die in a hole or in the wall which can leave a bad smell.

Professionals: After an inspection to see where the rats are coming from, snap traps and bait are applied and any holes found are plugged up.

• Flies - Flies are very persistent and annoying in the summer - the colder your house or office, the less flies you’ll have, so if you can, use the air conditioning to keep your home cool, rather than opening the windows and door.

Professionals: It’s best to do an inspection and spray. The concentration of the spray will be adjusted to the number of flies to ensure safety. The walls are sprayed to effectively rid the flies that perch there.

• Mosquitoes - are also attracted to heat, so utilising the air conditioning is a good idea. It’s important to find the source of mosquitoes around your office – look for drains and culverts and get rid of any still pools of water around the area. Gutters are the most likely places mosquitoes will be.

Professionals: Conduct a spray of the office, and inspect drains and culverts and get the water flowing.

• Spiders - Look for any spider webs and remove them. Spiders are attracted to food left out too, so make sure you put it away.

Professionals: Glue boards are applied and monitored and the area is sprayed.

• Birds - Use a ladder to remove nests in the guttering and other high places. Spikes and netting are useful purchases for prevention.

Professionals: Bait and poison is the best way to get rid of birds. A full inspection will be conducted to measure the extent of the problem.

• Bed Bugs – Bed bugs peak in summer and there’s little individuals can do to prevent them as people are carriers. More appear as a result of the peak travel season.

Professionals: An inspection is carried out and bed bugs and eggs are physically taken from the bed. Non toxic chemicals are used as a last resort if there’s a large infestation. A fumigator can be used to get the bugs out of cracks and crevices and a re-inspection is conducted to make sure there are no more germinated eggs.

• Fleas - Fleas are found in carpet so vacuum frequently and use a hot wash on the carpet. Chemical spray can work, but be careful of eggs left in the carpet and a second cycle of fleas.

Professionals: Glue boards are used to monitor the fleas and check the extent of the problem. The carpet will be treated with chemicals and then cleaners will do a deep clean and hot wash.

So, if you are noticing these issues, try some DIY or get a professional in so you can enjoy summer without any intruding guests.

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