Terminex

Ants

Garden Ants

Features/Biology
Garden ants (Lasius niger) are one of two main species of ants that commonly cause problems in London. The worker garden ants are black in colour and 3-4 mm long, whilst the queen is much larger, at about 10mm. Male and queen ants are only produced with wings during the mating season in summer, when the weather is warm and humid (usually during thundery weather). At this time, you can see them flying and mating in the air. After the mating ritual, the males die, whilst the queen returns to the nest and loses her wings.
Problems/Risks
Garden ants make their way into homes and commercial premises causing a nuisance as they forage for food , particularly sweet foods.
Recommended Treatment
To control garden ants requires a minimum of 2 treatments, as after the first treatment, young ants can hatch out of eggs, and so the 2nd treatment is essential to destroy the remaining young ants before they reproduce.

Pharoah's Ants

Features/Biology
Pharaoh's ants (Monomorium pharaonis) are tiny ants, only 2mm long and yellow in colour, which are of tropical origin. They live primarily indoors as they prefer a warm habitat.
History
It is believed they arrived into the UK from North Africa during the war, when the soldiers returned wounded, with pharaohs ants in their clothing and bandages. This may explain why several hospitals suffer from persistent infestations.
Problems/Risks
Pharaoh's ants are notoriously difficult to eradicate, as spraying with conventional insecticides actually exacerbates the problem, as pharaohs ants will split up and create several new colonies if their nest is sprayed. i.e. In contrast to garden ants, pharaohs worker ants have the ability to create a new queen if they cannot return to their original nest.
Recommended Treatment
To control pharaohs ants requires a minimum of 3 treatments, as baiting with an insect growth regulator is necessary to prevent the ants from reproducing.

Bedbugs

Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius)

Features/Biology
Bedbugs can grow to 5mm as adults, and their colour can vary from almost clear to mahogany brown in colour. It is soon after feeding, when they are engorged, that they appear at their darkest colour - mahogany brown . The female bedbug is constantly laying eggs, usually 2 to 3 per day. These eggs are white /yellow in colour and about 1mm long.
Bedbugs are parasites that feed primarily on the blood of humans, approximately every one to two weeks, depending on their size. The younger ones may feed slightly more frequently. After feeding, bedbugs return to their resting site, usually cracks and crevices in beds/furniture, to digest their food.

History
Over the past 10-20 years, as global travel has continued to grow, the bedbug population has also grown in numbers. London, as a major global city has been seriously affected , with many hostels and hotels affected as travellers inadvertently bring in bedbugs with their luggage. The fallout of this global increase in bedbugs is that domestic households are also seeing themselves hit, either by picking up bedbugs in their luggage from locations that they have travelled to abroad or in the UK, or from visitors to their home, who have inadvertently carried these insects into the home.

Problems/Risks
Bedbugs feed on humans while they are sleeping. Other mammals, such as bats, chickens, cats and dogs can also be attacked. Humans, as the favoured hosts of bedbugs, can suffer nasty bites which can be very painful, itchy and unsightly. Secondary infections from the bites can be more serious.

Hostels and Hotels can be badly affected, especially if a customer claims damages and sues the hotel for damages due to the affects of being bitten.
Bedbugs can also seriously damage the reputation of hotels and hostels, as they have a bad public image of soridness and uncleanliness .

A bedbug infestation will not always be immediately obvious, as due to their long feeding gaps (avg 10 days), it will not be until the population has grown and the biting frequency becomes nightly, that a problem is detected. Unfortunately, by this stage, dozens of bed bugs are likely to be present, and usually they will have spread to other rooms in the house, particularly if bags, bedding, or clothing items are moved between rooms.
Bedbugs usually hide in cracks and crevices during the day (e.g. bedframes, mattresses, skirting boards, behind wallpaper), and come out at night to feed.
Remember that other insects, like fleas and mosquitoes, can cause similar bite marks, and so it is necessary to consider all possible sources of bites.

Recommended Treatment
In order to successfully treat for bedbugs, all potential harbourages need to be inspected carefully, and dismantled if possible. In some cases infested furniture may need to be removed/replaced. Note: to avoid re-infesting a property, do not replace furniture until the property has been fully treated and confirmed as clear.
Due to the difficulty in eradicating bedbugs, a minimum course of 3 treatments is recommended, and to ensure success, the whole property needs to be treated

Cockroaches

Features/Biology
The main two types of coachroach are:

1) Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis)

which is black and large (25mm long); and

2) German cockroach (Blatella germanica)

which is brown and small (13mm - 17mm long)

In the case of the German cockroach, the female is darker than the male and has a broader abdomen, and when the female is carrying her egg case, it can be seen protruding from the rear of her body (see photo). Both male and female are fully winged.

History
German cockroaches are more widespread across in London, and so an infestation can pop up anywhere.
The Oriental cockroach, however, populates only certain areas of London, and so if you are not in that area, you are unlikely to be affected by them. The Oriental cockroach moves through sewer systems, and so once an area has been affected by them, an endemic problem exists, which makes complete eradication virtually impossible. Regular treatments throughout the year is therefore necessary to keep their numbers down.

Problems/Risks
Cockroaches hide away during the day in cracks and crevices and come out at night. They spread disease such as Dysentery, Gastroenteritis, Salmonella and Typhoid by contaminating food, food preparation surfaces and plates and cutlery etc.
As all oothecae (egg cases) are impenetrable to pesticides; it is difficult to eradicate the cockroach, as live young can hatch out weeks or months after the adults have been treated and killed.
For the German cockroach, their young tend to hatch out within weeks of being laid, and so regular sprays are usually successful.
The Oriental cockroach however is extremely resilient , as it lays ootheca which can lay dormant for months and so a more extensive programme of treatment is necessary to halt their life cycle.

Recommended Treatment
German Cockroaches
For most localised infestations, German cockroaches can be successfully treated with a course of 3 treatments using a species specific gel, approximately 2 weeks apart. For larger and more established infestations , a more extended course of treatments may be required over several months.

Oriental Cockroaches
Whilst complete eradication is extremely difficult, it is possible to greatly reduce the numbers of Oriental cockroach, but in order to do so, regular treatment, using an insecticide, (usually 4 times a year as a minimum) is the most effective way of keeping their numbers down. For domestic customers, we can offer an initial course of three treatments over a six week period to greatly reduce the numbers of cockroaches. But, depending on the numbers present at the outset and their feeding sources, it is may be necessary to retreat at a later date.

Fleas

Most animals have a flea associated with them. Fortunately, however, the human flea is very rare in the UK, and any human flea problems are normally associated with infestations brought in from abroad.
Most flea problems is the UK are associated with fleas of other hosts, feeding on humans as an alternative food source. The main ones encountered are dog, cat and pigeon fleas.

Cat and Dog Fleas (Ctenocephalides felis/canis)

Features/Biology
Fleas are very small at about 2mm long. They are reddish brown in colour and their shape is flattened laterally to enable it to move amongst the hairs of their host animal.
After mating and feeding, the female flea lays hundreds of eggs in batches. These eggs can be laid in the fur of the host, as well as in any bedding, or location where the animal rests. E.g carpet or sofa. These eggs are white and extremely small (0.5mm) and hatch to produce small larvae which feed on organic debris. Once these larvae are mature (about 5mm long) they spin a cocoon, from which emerges the adult flea.

Problems/Risks
Fleas can be a real nuisance in a home or business, especially if their host (usually a pet, or other mammal) no-longer resides in the premises, as the fleas quickly find a new source of food - usually the humans occupants. Their presence and bites can be very distressing for all concerned, and medical attention may be required if the bites become infected.

Recommended Treatment
To treat for fleas, a minimum of 2 treatments using an insecticide, approximately 2 weeks apart, is required to ensure that both the adults and any young fleas, hatching from eggs after the 1st treatment, are destroyed.

Flies

The two most common type of flies in London are:
1) Common house flies; and
2) Fruit flies
There are, however, numerous other types of flies, such as the "lesser house fly", "cluster flies" and "phorid flies".

Features/Biology

Common House Flies (Musca domestica)

House flies are 6-8mm long, with a wing span of 13-15mm. The female fly can begin mating within 2 days of emergence from her larvae. In summer the average life cycle from egg to adult is 2 weeks, but this can vary depending upon available food and temperatures. Flies like to lay eggs in moist fermenting or rotting matter, and especially something with a high protein content e.g. Meat or fish. Larvae (maggots) can hatch out of these eggs in 2-7 days.
Interestingly, the diet of the adult fly is mainly carbohydrate in liquid form, found in regurgitated digestive juices.

Fruit Flies (Drosophila spp.)

Fruit Flies are very small and only 2-3mm long. They can complete a life cycle in as little as 7 days (in 28ºC), but in cooler weather (12ºC) they can take up to 7 weeks to complete their life cycle. Female fruit flies lay their eggs on the surface of rotting fruits and vegetables, and each female can lay up to 500 eggs in a batch. These eggs hatch into larvae which feed on yeast organisms and fungi growing in infested material. .

Problems/Risks
Flies are notorious for spreading disease by contaminating food and food preparation surfaces. Infestations can develop very quickly, as they are able to lay eggs and multiply extremely quickly. Flies can contaminate food, hereby causing food poisoning such as salmonella and e-coli, but even milder forms of gastroenteritis.

Recommended Treatment
Preventative techniques work best to control flies. E.g. Ensuring high levels of hygiene at all times, and make sure that all food is covered to prevent flies from laying their eggs.
When flies are present, Fly screens and Fly catching equipment, can help to control the fly population.
Where there is a major outbreak of flies has developed, the source of the infestation (where accessible) will need to be removed, and the area sprayed with an insecticide.

Mites

There are a whole range of different mites, including pigeon mites, cheese mites, flour mites and poultry mites .

Poultry Mite (Dermanyssus gallinae)

Features/biology
Poultry mites are a big challenge, as they can survive a long period of time without eating; and being extremely small (at less an 1mm) also makes them extremely difficult to see.

Problems/Risks
In London, the pigeon mite is the most common mite affecting domestic premises, and, as the name implies, it is associated with pigeon nests and dead pigeons. However, these mites can also affect other nesting birds e.g. Other birds nests that are in a loft area. Pigeon mites can migrate to alternative food sources (e.g. Humans) if their original host (food source) is no-longer present. e.g. If the bird(s) have flown away, or a decaying dead bird has turned to dust.
Other mites, such as flour mites, can cause problems when their numbers become very large, especially in commercial situations; as a heavily infested food product may have to be thrown away.

Recommended treatment
Initially the source of the infestation needs to be identified and removed. In the case of the pigeon mite, this is usually a pigeon nest or dead bird. The nest and associated fouling needs to be removed and the area thoroughly cleaned and sprayed with an insecticide.
The main form of treatment is to remove the source of the mites (usually a pigeon nest or dead pigeon) and thoroughly spray and clean the infected area.

Pigeons

Feral Pigeons (Columba livia)

Features/biology
Several species of birds can become pests but the bird species of most economic concern in the London area is the feral pigeon. The feral pigeon is a medium size bird about 30 cm long. Their colour varies greatly but they are normally fawn-grey in colour.

Problems/risks
Pigeons can be a real nuisance, as their fouling can damage and deface buildings making them look dirty and shabby. The close association of birds such as pigeons with man gives rise to the possibility of disease transmission. Their fouling carries diseases such as Ornithosis (a viral disease similar to "flu") and Salmonella bacteria. Their nests harbour insects and mites and these insects can often migrate from the nest to other parts of the building. Birds nests can be the initial source of many of the insect problems mentioned in this website. These include obvious insect pests such as pigeon fleas and mites, but also includes carpet beetles, case bearing clothes moth, biscuit beetles and flies.

Recommended treatment
There are a wide variety of different control methods available for pigeons, but in order to assess the scale of your problem and the possible methods available to treat your problem, we carry out a FREE survey. Usually prevention, via the use of netting and/or fine metal spikes, or sprung wires, is often the most reliable means of deterring pigeons from your buildings.
Terminex can also offer a complete cleaning and removal service of any pigeon fowling that has defaced your premises. However, under health and safety guidelines, before commencing any cleaning work, the contaminated area must be sprayed with a joint biocide/insecticide, to destroy any disease organisms and/or insect pests that are present. This spray therefore protects both you and our staff from possible contamination.

Rodents (mice and rats)

Features/Biology

The Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

The Brown rat, also known as the common rat, breeds rapidly producing up to five litters a year. Females give birth to about eight young, after a gestation of 22-24 days. Fur colour can vary, but generally it is dull grey, but can be various shades of brown. The brown rat needs to drink water daily, and so explains why they love to live near water sources, including sewers. Rats are mainly active during dusk and at night. Rats can be differentiated from mice by their front paws, which only have four digits/claws versus the mouse which has five digits/claws.

House Mouse (Mus domesticus)

House mice are light brown to black in colour. Whilst mice also need water daily, they can survive on food which has a moisture content of only 15%. Although mice are omnivorous, they primarily feed on plant matter. Their droppings are blackish and about 3mm long, and also have a musty smell.
Mice are good jumpers, runners and swimmers and are mostly active during dusk or night.

History
Brown Rat
Sometimes the brown rat's colour can appear black, causing some people to think that they have seen a "Ship rat", also known as the Black rat (responsible for helping to spread the Black Death plague in the mid 14th century). But the black rat is very rare, having been replaced during the 18th century, across most of the UK, by the brown rat, which is bigger and more adaptable.

Problems/Risks
Rodents are a major pest throughout the UK. They spread disease and cause damage wherever they inhabit. Both rats and mice need to gnaw constantly, in order to keep their teeth filed, and so the damage they can cause to woodwork, wiring and furniture can be very expensive.

Recommended Treatment
As many houses and business premises are not well sealed against rodents, we perform a four-part treatment process as follows:

1) Thoroughly investigate the source of the mice/rats, examination of holes, droppings, runs, smear marks, damage, tracks, nests and dead/live rodent sightings; and
2) Seal all visible small gaps and holes and provide advice of any large holes that may require more extensive repairs to prevent access by rodents; and
3) Provide 3-4 regular treatments with tamper resistent baits over a 4 - 6 week period.
4) Remove bait stations at the end of treatment.

Stored Product Insects

Stored Product Insects (SPI's) refers to moths and beetles that attack dry stored food products, including nuts, pulses, rice, grains and flour.
There are a wide range of different moths and beetles, although in principle the treatment is similar , as detailed below:

Problems/Risks
SPIs can easily cross contaminate across different food sources, and sometimes in places that you would not immediately recognise as being a food source. E.g. A moth flying out of a contaminated food source in a kitchen, can easily fly into a lounge area and contaminate a dried flower arrangement that contains seeds. Equally, some children's nursery artwork can contain natural pulses , which also provide a tasty food source to SPI's.
All contaminated food will need to be thrown away, to prevent cross contamination of other food products; which can be very costly where large amounts of food are destroyed.

Recommended Treatment
For Domestic environments where a problem has already developed:
Find the source of the problem.
Remove the source and clean the area.
Treat with two treatments of insecticide spaced approximately 2 weeks apart.

For Commercial environments, with no previous problems:
1) Use monitoring (via non-toxic pheromone, ultraviolet light and food attractant traps) to identify the species.
2) Once the species is identified, treat with the appropriate insecticides for that species. Like the treatment for Domestic environments, the two main spray treatments should be spaced approximately 2 weeks apart, depending on the species being treated.
3) The frequency of monitoring depends on the potential risks of a site and can be adapted as the situation changes, once infestations have been identified traps can be used to isolate the source of infestation and target treatment.

The more common Stored Product Insects (SPI's) that are found in London are the Indian Meal Moth, the Biscuit Beetle and the Confused Flour Beetle. Information about each of these pests is detailed below:

Indian Meal Moth (Plodia Interpunctella)

Features/Biology
This moth has distinctive dual coloured wings that are light at the front and dark at the rear. They are often found in domestic kitchens (where dried foods are stored), and also in commercial premises that store and /or use dried food products.

Recommended Treatment
1) Check all dried food packets to find the source of the infestation. i.e. Check for visible damage to packets and webbing throughout the food.
2) Destroy all contaminated food to prevent the infestation from spreading to other foods.
3) Wherever possible place all dried foods in sealed containers.
4) Where an extended infestation has developed with numerous webbing/nests found throughout shelving and ceilings, thorough cleaning is required to remove these nests. It is often difficult to remove all the eggs (if there are in cracks and crevices) and so it may be necessary to spray with an insecticide to fully destroy their lifecycle.

Biscuit Beetle (Stegobium Paniceum)

Features/Biology
Biscuit Beetle live indoors, normally very close to their food source.

Problems/Risks
These beetle attack primarily cereal/grain/seed based food supplies.
Often a new infestation of biscuit beetle has occurred because the food source has been contaminated prior to arriving in your home or commercial premises. i.e. The food source contained eggs which later hatched out to create a new infestation. Cross contamination from another affected food source can be another reason for an infestation developing. In both cases the spray treatment is the same. However, it is necessary to treat and/or destroy all contaminated food sources.

Confused Flour Beetle (Tribolium Confusum)

Features/Biology
These beetle are reddish brown in colour and attack milled grain products such as flour and cereals. An infestation is often caused from contaminated flour products arriving into your premises i.e. Where either the eggs or the beetles themselves are already living in products when they arrive. As the life cycle is between 2 - 4 months, a considerable population may have built up before an infestation is discovered, especially as due to their small size, they can hide away in cracks and crevices in furniture without being spotted. Adult females can survive up to 2 years, which further increases the population problem.

Recommended Treatment
To control an infestation requires that all contaminated food is destroyed, and the infested area is thoroughly cleaned. Finally , two treatments with an insecticide spaced two weeks apart, is necessary to bring the infestation under control.

Textile Pests

The main textile pests in London are the case bearing and common clothes moth(Tinea pellionella and Tineola bisselliella), and the carpet beetle (Anthrenus Verbasci) . However other species such as the brown house moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella) are also found. All these pests can cause extensive and costly damage to a wide range of natural fibres in your home and/or business.

Common Clothes Moth (Tineola Bisselliella)

Features/Biology
Adult clothes moth are approximately 5mm long and buff/yellowish brown in colour. They rarely fly as they prefer dark and undisturbed places. In fact the females tend to travel by running or hopping, and most insects that you may see flying around are males looking for mates. This mating behaviour is used to help trap the males on pheromone traps.

Problems/Risks
They can be very troublesome, as unfortunately, they tend to eat the most expensive fine woollen/silk garments - so your most expensive suits and cashmere sweaters, are usually the first to be attacked. Carpets, woollen jumpers, blankets, feathered items, furs and silk can all be severely damaged/destroyed.

Recommended treatment
Due to the nature of moths and their ability to hide in clothing and furniture, it is not always possible to completely eradicate a moth infestation , as it can be difficult and extremely time consuming to remove and wash/dry-clean all clothing and soft furnishings. We therefore visit your property to ascertain the level of infestation, and discuss what can realistically be moved/cleaned to help us to treat with a high level of success.
A minimum course of at least 2 treatments is usually required to kill off the majority of the moths, and their young. Although, in the case of a severe infestation, a 3rd treatment may be required to control any residual moths. To help monitor the level of an infestation, pheromone monitor traps (as shown on the left) can be used to catch stray moths, or detect for new infestations.

Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus Verbasci)

Features/Biology
Adult carpet beetles live predominantly outdoors and fly inside (via open windows/doors) to lay eggs that hatch into larvae. These larvae are known as "the woolly bear" because of their woolly/hairy appearance.

Problems/Risks
Carpet beetle attacks a range of natural textiles/products, including wool, silk, animal products and cereal based food products. They are particularly destructive to homes and museums if an infestation is left untreated. The larvae and the beetle can cause extensive damage to carpets , fabrics etc. It can be difficult to identify the food source, as carpet beetle have such a varied diet.

Recommended treatment
Similar to textile moth, it is necessary to clean the affected area as much as possible, while also carrying out a minimum course of 2 sprays with an insecticide.
Note: In contrast to the common clothes moth, there are currently no pheromone traps available to attract and capture the carpet beetle.

Wasps

German Wasps (vespula germanica)

Features/Biology
Wasps build a new nest each year at the start of summer. Each wasps' nest contains a queen, a king and hundreds of worker wasps, who work throughout the summer to make the nest bigger and bigger.

Problems/Risks
German wasps are a major problem in the summer months when they are looking for material to build their nest, and well as for food to feed the nest. You may find wasps chewing at the wooden surface of some garden furniture. They are not eating it, but instead they are using the small wood particles to help build their nest. As well as a nuisance, this can cause expensive damage to furniture.

Recommended Treatment
It is important to destroy the nest as early as possible to prevent it getting too big, so that a major wasp problem does not develop.
Our technicians are able to quickly kill the nest, and where necessary, they can use long extension poles to treat the nest without the need of ladders. In a small number of cases, a ladder or other access equipment may be required to get close to inaccessible nests; but we will discuss possible access problems with you at the time of your order.