Posts by admin | Rapid Pest Control

Rapid Pest Control launches Online Shop

November 21, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

Online Store now open

We are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new online shopping facility – please do check it out.

During the course of our job, we are constantly asked for the right products to deal with this pest problem or that pest problem, but the mechanisms to let customers have products has always been difficult to manage – so we decided to launch our online store to make it simple to buy the products that work – yes these are the ones we use on sites – at a sensible price.

We cannot allow you certain products of course – these are for professional use only and must not be used by untrained or in-experienced people, but we use all the products on the shop ourselves to solve customer pest problems.

We will be adding to the store all the time, but this gives customers a good selection to get started – we are always available to answer your questions and advise on the correct course of treatments required and all the safety precautions you need to take as well of course!

Please feel free to browse, if you cannot find what you are looking for, please drop us an email or call 01635 247192 and we will help you out.

Filed Under: pest control, Pest Prevention

Things that go bump in the night

November 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Mice or rats in the loft need to be dealt with quickly

This week has seen a rapid increase in the number of rodent problems we have been called out to deal with.

The first indication most people have is the scratching and noise in the loft – usually above their beds at about 3 am! Whilst they always sound really load, it is fairly difficult to diagnose the cause of the problem without going into the loft to gather evidence of which rodent is the culprit. In some cases, its really easy to spot – large rat poos, runs and urine spots – others take a little bit longer.

I was in a loft earlier this week and the owners had not long moved in. People are generally pretty scared of going into the loft in case they come “face to face” with a rat – but meetings like this are pretty rare. When I got in the loft, I could not smell any evidence of rodents (normally a pretty good indication of the issue is the unmistakable smell of rats).

As I went further down the loft, it was obvious that the previous owner had issues – it was like a minefield of old mouse bait stations, rat bait stations, mouse traps, rat traps and even a live catch cage. Also, they had plastered florescent tracer powder everywhere. We use this powder to establish route, espcially entry and exit points. Basically, it is a harmless florescent powder which you lightly dust a target area with. The rodent then walks across the dust, covering its feet and tail in tracer powder and goes about its business. By using a black light torch, we can then trace the routes used – a small amount goes a long way. This also shows the best place to put baits, traps and glue boards as they like to follow the same routes.

When I switched the black light torch on, it looked like a crazy 70′s disco! A so much powder had been scattered about, everything was covered, making this technique totally useless.

I did find some new evidence of mouse activity, and duly provided a suitable treatment to deal with the problem. In most cases, the problem will be mice, however

It is important to deal with problems of mice and rats in the loft as most house fires are caused by rodents chewing through electrical cables – which they love doing.

So if you hear those things that go bump in the night, contact us now or call 01636 247192 for a fast and discrete service to deal with your rodent problems.

Filed Under: Mice Control, Rat Control, Rat Problem

Problems with Cluster Flies?

November 4, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Cluster Flies are a nuisance that must be controlled

About this time every year, house owners are experiencing the dreaded cluster fly invasion.

The good news is that cluster Flies do not carry disease, so pose no health risk.
The bad news is they are disgusting, very buzzy and just make a huge mess, so need to be controlled.

Rapid Pest Control have been offering a high quality service in destroying cluster fly problems for years. We have now added some new products and services in the constant war against this recurring nightmare.

Rapid Pest Control now offer ULV treatments (meaning Ultra Low Volume) creating a highly effective treatment for a variety of applications. Insecticides are passed through a specially designed computerised application unit, ensuring droplets of insecticide are of uniform size, creating a fog. The main advantage is that the treatment will work as an airborne treatment as well as a surface treatment as the fog slowly settles, making it highly effective.

By using ULV treatments, the application dose can be reduced to the most effective levels making it environmentally friendly and cost effective to use.

The other product we are recommending for a more long-term solution is the Titan Cluster Fly Unit, which is an electric fly catcher designed for free standing, suspension or wall mounting. This will work away 24×7 giving protection from all flying insects in your loft space. These units are high quality units specifically designed for easy maintenance and long service.

cluster fly Problems with Cluster Flies?

Titan Cluster Fly Trap

For more information on the Titan Cluster Fly Unit, contact Rapid Pest Control Now, or to book a cluster fly treatment call 01635 247192

Filed Under: Cluster Flies, pest control

Your worst nightmare

November 4, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Rat damage in the loft space needs to be dealt with

Having rats in the loft is bad enough, but when they have been established in there for so long that they have taken over, its time to introduce radical action.

I first saw this rat problem about a month ago, which from the evidence presented to me, looked pretty routine. However, once I started my site survey, the true extent of the problem started to unfold.

The original call was regarding a rat being seen in the kitchen, however how was it getting in? The inspection revealed a large hole under the kick board, which lead to a void in the roof space. When I opened the loft hatch, I was completely amazed.

The stench was incredible – rats have an unmistakeable smell – and the mess they had made was just catastrophic. This roof space has not been entered for some years and had become a playground for rats, doing what they do best – breed.

First job, stop the entry points which were outside under the kitchen window. Second job, apply bait to kill all the rats. Third job, remove all the loft insulation ( including a number of nests and dead bodies), de-odourise and disinfect.

I have to say, this is one of the most horrid jobs I have ever done. Even with full chemical barrier suits, full faced respirator and heavy gauge gauntlets, it was hideous. Needless to say, on arrival home after the job, I was in the bath scrubbing for about an hour!

Why did it get so bad? Well the loft is not used and the owners are slightly deaf and did not hear anything. The first they know was when they saw one. The loft hatch was very well sealed, so the smell did not penetrate downwards. If this had been left much longer, patches would have appeared through the plaster board where the urine was soaking into the fibre glass.

I did take a few pictures, but its hard to do this when you are literally gagging from the smell!

So if you have a loft covered in rat or mouse faeces, our advice is to remove it and replace – rats carry a significant health risk like Weils Disease and toxoplasmosis. If you have a problem like this, contact Rapid Pest Control now to solve the problem and provide you advice.

Filed Under: Rat Control, Rat Problem

One Picture I could not resist

October 25, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

I don’t think there can be many people who could say they have a complete set of labradors – but we have one of each!

Today, it was such a nice day I thought that I would just sit in the garden for a bit, so the dogs all joined me, as did the wife, Karen.

Karen made the dogs all sit nicely (except the old girl who does struggle a bit with this) and I grabbed the camera for what I think is a pretty unique shot.

The line-up is as follows left to right:

Amy – the Black one – aged 15 years! Still going strong and loves her one walk a day. Eats like a horse and still holds her own

Jasmine – the Red one – Aged 3.5 years. She is the brightest and most willing dog I have ever had, will do anything you ask and loves to carry anything about.

Grace – the Yellow one – Aged 2 Years. Readers will have read about our Grace already – she did her first “Picking Up” on Saturday, so did Karen and they both did very well.

Holly – the White one – Aged 8 Years. She is one of Amy’s puppies, but sadly has been injured and now retired early. She will always be my baby as she was the first born.

With time and age pressing on, I do not think we will ever get another chance of a picture like this again, so it is now immortalised in the ether for ever!

All our dogs have a great life, all work and earn their keep and all love it so much. When I just take Jasmine out now for certain days and on some jobs with me, the others just sit and howl, waiting eagerly for my return. It’s a shame you only have them for such a short time. We love them to bits and enjoy working them and the companionship they give.

Yes they are a nuisance sometime and they do make one hell of a mess – the house always looks like a tip, but we would not have it any other way.

Filed Under: gun dogs, working dogs

First day shooting for Grace

October 17, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

As regular readers will know, back in February, Karen the wife was desperate to get her own dog for the shooting season and so we got a rescue Labrador at the end of last season to train ready for this season. Poor little Grace was a sorry and pathetic little thing when we got her – 5 homes in her short life and God only knows what had happened to her during that time.

Its not been easy as she was so screwed up, but Karen has put hours into this dog, giving her a puppy-hood (which she has never had) and training her to become a part of our gun dog team - all in 6 months.

Anyway, the day came on Friday. Grace was blissfully unaware of the significance of this big day, but Karen certainly was! Not much sleep was had as the pressure was on for the new dog to perform and most of all just to behave as not to ruin the day for the Guns, and to handle her dog in front of peers and her mentors.

Karen Before blog First day shooting for Grace

Before the first drive. Karen with Jasmine (left) and Grace (right)

I was working Jasmine “picking up” so behind the Guns, whist Karen was “beating” driving the pheasants over the Guns working the dog to flush birds from the undergrowth. At the first drive, all eyes were on the new dog….but she behaved perfectly with only a few small errors, but even the best trained and most experienced dogs play up on the first few days, so all in all a great success.

hours of training First day shooting for Grace

All the hours of training have paid off - no short cuts

There is nothing better than working a dog. You get a huge amount of satisfaction out of getting it right, but when it goes wrong it is the most frustrating and soul destroying thing ever. Hours of training, patience and above all respect from you to the dog and visa versa – the dog must respect and love you as well. We train our dogs with lots of praise, cuddles and love and they respond accordingly – my Jasmine will do anything I ask her to do and Grace will do the same for Karen as their relationship grows.

We had a great day, the weather was brilliant, the dogs had great fun and smiles all round. It is totally exhausting though and after a full day in the brambles, you need to just curl up on the sofa and sleep – Grace was dreaming about chasing pheasants all night and was twitching and running in her sleep….what a change from her life before.

the day is done First day shooting for Grace

A well deserved cuddle at the end of the day

Lets see how Grace improves over the coming weeks – we are literally working every Saturday now until February, so at the end of the season she should be mustard! Karen’s dog training skills are also improving and now the first day is over, she can relax and enjoy working her dog.

Filed Under: gun dogs

Rapid Pest Control is accepted for the Buy With Confidence Scheme

October 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Rapid Pest Control is delighted to be accepted into the West Berkshire Buy With Confidence Scheme.

The scheme is designed by Trading Standards as a way of giving confidence to buyers that the people they are dealing with are “proper” companies, with process and procedures in place to deal fairly and timely with customers, including a complaints resolution procedure in the unlikely event of an issue.

The Scheme was first put together in response to concerns about ‘rogue traders’ which are often highlighted in the media. A partnership of Local Authority Trading Standards Services have taken a ground-breaking step by putting together the Buy With Confidence Scheme. The scheme provides consumers with a list of local businesses which have given their commitment to trading fairly. Every business listed has undergone a series of detailed checks before being approved as a member of the scheme.

Membership does not come easy. Each business is vetted and checked by the Trading Standards Officer. Each applicant will have their complaints history reviewed and must submit at least 10 customers for the Trading Standards Officer to approach. Applicant businesses must agree to abide by the scheme’s code of conduct, which requires them to follow the letter and spirit of the law. Criminal records disclosure is also required where the business needs to enter a customer’s home.

The scheme does not end there. Members conduct will continue to be monitored thereafter and constant dialogue will be held with the member to ensure ongoing compliance and conformance to the principles of the scheme.

At Rapid Pest Control, we only get involved in schemes that promote good practices and give assurance and benefits to our clients, and becoming a member of the Buy With Confidence Scheme underpins our commitment to customer satisfaction and fair and reasonable trading with our ever-growing customer base.We would like to thank our reference clients who took the time to provide such excellent feedback to the Trading Standards Office and look forward to serving you in the future.

For more information on the Buy With Confidence Scheme, click here, or of course to find other trades in the scheme that you may need to use.

Filed Under: pest control

So how do you know if you have bed bugs?

September 23, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

With all the media attention placed on bed bugs lately, how do you actually know if you have bed bugs?

There are a few obvious signs, but also some other things which you need to be aware of.

Firstly, the first time most people think they might have bed bugs is if they see bites. Bites can be caused by a number of different things life fleas & mosquitoes, so don’t jump to conclusions straight away. Bed Bugs feed about every seven days and generally you will not see any effect of a bite for a few days afterwards. They inject an anaesthetic into you before they feed, and it is the after effect of infection rather than the bite that reacts.

bedbug bite 1 e1285248723199 So how do you know if you have bed bugs?

Clusters of bed bug bites

Bed Bugs also tend to feed on the upper body, arms and neck (as its is normally close to their harbourage – the headboard). They normally leave a “track” of bites between 4 – 7 piercings in a line or block as they are trying to find the best blood supply. Other bites like fleas tend to have a red spot in the centre and itch, and mosquitoes generally swell and itch almost immediately.

bedbug bite 2 e1285248801715 So how do you know if you have bed bugs?

Upper Body is the normal bite zone

Other signs to look for are small reddish brown dots on sheets and pillow cases. You may only see one or two, but this is bed bug faeces and a sure sign they are feeding.
You are more likely to see adults than eggs or juveniles to start with, so pull off the top sheet from the mattress and look on the mattress seams with a strong light source and magnifying glass. You are looking for the small brown bugs, old cast skins or smaller almost clear young which will hide very tightly in these creases.

Another place to look is behind the head board or around and under the buttons of the head board – these will show tell tale signs of faeces, casts or even eggs (small white cylinders about 1 -2 mm long).

eggs and faeces e1285249032817 So how do you know if you have bed bugs?

Eggs, Cast Skins and Faeces found behind a head board

If you see these signs, don’t panic, just call Rapid Pest Control and we will talk you through a series of steps to take to ensure the infestation is contained. We always recommend getting in a professional pest control company who will be experienced in dealing with bed bugs – its not easy for Pest Controllers who have all the chemicals, so its almost hopeless to do it yourself. Be warned, it is a long and expensive treatment, but if left will only get worse.

The other thing to think of is when you are travelling and staying in hotels, B&B’s and the like, do a quick check before you unpack – if you see signs, get out of that room and complain to the management – I think you will be amazed how quickly you get looked after….!

So if you think you may have a problem, contact Rapid Pest Control now to get advice and a quotation to deal with the problem.

Filed Under: Bed Bugs, pest control, Pest Prevention Tagged With: Bed Bugs, pest control

Farmers do the funniest things….

September 11, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

I do a lot of work with local farmers and you always here some really great stories from them.

For instance, I was chatting to one yesterday as I was doing my monthly rat inspection and he just happened to mention that he got the combine harvester tangled up in the over head power lines and took the whole village out last week, then set fire to the field at the same time….now I know why we had a power cut…!!

Having said that, I have never seen anything like this video before – its so mental I just wanted to share it with you – ENJOY!

Farmer Bales Himself In Hay – Watch more Funny Videos

Filed Under: Agricultural pests Tagged With: Agricultural pests, Rat Control

Website Upgrade Completed

August 26, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

What a few days its been!

With July and August being our busiest months ever, we still have managed to upgrade our website, integrate the Blog and still manage all the customer call outs same day.

What we wanted to achieve was a crisper, brighter feel, easy to navigate so customers can find out information and advise, integrate the blog, twitter and Facebook interfaces, again just making things easier for customers really.

I am very pleased with the results – I am looking at this as the starting point and have loads of ideas on what more we can give clients – things like the Pest Clinic – giving advise to pest questions, adding more videos…and a few others still in secret mode at the moment…so watch this space!

Please feel free to pass comment – if there is something you would like to see, let us know .

I would like to say a huge thank you to Karen of IRUN Business Intelligence of Newbury for her patience and amazing talent in getting this working – she is a saint!

Filed Under: pest control