Rapid Pest Control

Did you catch the show?

March 13, 2011 By GrahamChapple 6 Comments

At 8:30 on Wednesday, all was revealed as to what happened when Chris Wright of Newbury Sound joined me for the morning as my apprentice.

It was a bit of a challenge to arrange several different things for Chris to try, but I decided that we would go to a local farm where we have several different issues we deal with on a regular basis. Firstly, we had a go at mole control. We use 4 or 5 different types of mole trap depending on the ground and depth of runs, but the pro’s trap of choice is a very powerful scissor type mole trap called a Talpex trap.

These are pretty tricky to set until you get the knack, so I showed Chris what to do, including finding an appropriate mole run. After about 5 minutes, he did manage to set one and position it successfully, but it did take him about 10 attempts! The spring in this particular trap is very strong, and we like them as the gate is wide allowing the mole to be right in the trap before it triggers, assuring us that it is a very quick kill.

Next we did a rat inspection of a barn. This was Chris’s worst nightmare as he is very frightened of rats. I did not expect to see one (which is why I chose this particular farm, knowing Chris was terrified – not a nice thing to actually have to confront your fears) but I did want to see his reaction if he thought there was one…hence the little spook I did on him!

For all his fears, Chris actually did a good job of identifying the runs, setting rat traps, loading bait stations and positioning them in the right places, but you could see he did not enjoy this much!

Then we had to gas some rabbit burrows. This all sounds a bit strange but we have ferreted these burrows several times over the last few months, always catching some, but as this particular burrow is close to a small wood, the rabbits keep going back and re-populating the holes. This burrow is in the middle of a paddock which has some valuable horses in, so it was a danger to the horses – if they dropped a leg in one of these holes it would surely be broken.

The gas we use is extremely dangerous and so I kept Chris well away whilst I administered the treatment. To finish the process, the open holes need to be sealed to make them air tight, so I got Chris to collapse the earth around the holes and seal them…well that was the plan, but Chris is not a natural with a spade to say the least! I showed him exactly what to do, however I do not think he is built for this type of manual work…enough said! Needless to say, I was not over impressed with his efforts!

So back to the office to de-brief and pass judgement on Chris’s performance. Whilst he does learn very quickly and would be superb in dealing with clients, his physical strength and technique failed him on both setting mole traps and hole filling. Also he is terrified of rats … so unfortunately Chris, You are Fired!

It was all a bit of good fun, I hope Chris had a good in sight into what Pest Controllers do on a daily basis and some of the issues we face. I really enjoyed the whole experience and Chris and Paul made me feel very comfortable – again it is as much a challenge for me to do this as it was for Chris to do my job!

Check out the Newbury Sound website where there are a bunch of pictures and an audio link to the highlights of the show. Chris very neatly over-laid UB40′s hit “Rat in my kitchen” soundtrack in background as he asked me for a theme tune…very clever!

If you have a pest problem you want dealt with, contact us now for a fast efficient service..and an autograph!

Filed Under: In the life of a pest controller Tagged With: Agricultural pests, Mole Control, Mole Traps, pest control, Rabbit Control, Rat Control

Newbury Sound Presenter Chris tries out Pest Control as The Apprentice

February 24, 2011 By GrahamChapple 1 Comment

Graham Showing Chris how to set a mole trap

Today, I was joined by breakfast radio presenter Chris Wright from Newbury Sound, to take on the role as my Apprentice.

Chris arrived late, so not a good start, armed with microphone and trusty companion Paul who was armed with a camera. I was a little apprehensive as to what the day would bring, but Chris talked me through the process and basically he just wanted to do the job and he wanted to get stuck in – so we did!

Firstly, I introduced the guys to the ferrets. Chris was very confident handling them as he had done so before at the RSPCA a few months ago. With time against us, we did not get chance to use them today, but they have been flat out working over the last few months and so did worry too much.

So we loaded up the truck and set off to our first appointment, a small horse breeding stable just down the road. Today we were here to treat some moles in the garden, check some rat activity around the stable block and deal with a persistent rabbit burrow.

So first off, I got Chris to find a suitable mole run and then set a trap correctly. After a few attempts, he did set it perfectly, but needs to work on his hand and arm strength a bit – so a few sessions in the Gym would be required.

Then we inspected the barns for rat activity. Now Chris has a real fear of rats, so this would test him to the limit. We found some activity straight away, so I got Chris to move a few things to see the runs more clearly… that’s when I took the chance to shout “Watch out there’s a rat” to test his reaction. Confirmed – he is afraid of rats – I only hope Paul got this on camera!

After we managed to get Chris down off the roof , ( I havent seen anybody jump that high before!), I got him to set some traps and load some bait staions, then place them. No problem here, good job.

The final job was to gas a very persistent rabbit warren which was posing a danger to the horses. We have successfully ferreted this burrow on a few occasions this year, but with a large wood at the end of the paddock, rabbits keep opening up the holes. As the gassing element of this exercise is dangerous, I did the gassing, but got Chris to fill in and seal the holes. I don’t think digging is a skill he has used much, listen to the interview to find out why….

So tasks over and back to the office for the de-brief. So was Chris Hired or Fired….you will just have to tune in and see!

A big thanks to Chris and Paul for breaking up a very long week – it was great fun and we all had a good laugh – a fairly new experience for me, but it was great to show somebody what we do all day – I don’t think I have ever been asked so many questions..reminds my of the Uncle Buck film! I can imaging Chris as that annoying kid asking all the questions in quick fire succession.

If you don’t listen to Newbury Sound – then do! Tune in to 105.6FM to pick up all the local happenings – its constantly on in our truck and in the office – great for news, travel and weather in Newbury and West Berkshire. Of course if you have a pest problem – call us at Rapid Pest Control!

Filed Under: In the life of a pest controller Tagged With: Ferrets and Ferreting, Mole Control, Mole Traps, pest control, Rabbit Control, Rat Control, Rat Poison, Rat Problem

Over Run with Moles?

October 24, 2010 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

Don’t worry, you are not alone. I have had more calls over the last 2 weeks than I care to remember!

So why is this happening? Well actually we know very little about our little fury fiends – pest controllers know more than scientists in most cases as no real study has ever been made of moles.

In basic terms, It’s the same for all pest species – they need food, shelter and of course sex.

At this time of the year, the worms seem to come to the surface and there are many worm casts appearing on lawns. This is the main reason for the moles to follow them – its the food source they are looking for. Over the summer, they have been foraging deep underground where the soil is damp – the long hot summer has pushed the worms deep down.

Now, with the rain and dews appearing pretty much each day, the moles and filling up in readiness for the winter – mammals know the seasons very well. They will also be looking to find a territory for breeding in the spring at this time of year. The main thing is not to let them get too established.

I visited a customer over in Alton last week – it seems a long way off patch but he was desperate to get rid of the problem and I will always do what I can to help. Basically, the client had been trying to catch them himself, which is fair enough, but one thing you do need to have is experience to catch moles. My Granddad taught me many years ago, and to this day I remember just about every word. I also still have a few of his traps and they work so well to this day.

This particular job was big. I laid 22 traps on the first visit just on the lawn area, plus gassed the field area extensively as well. On my first return visit, I had a few false positive trips – very annoying, but always expected when the moles have been “educated” by the customer (moles are not stupid and they know danger when it appears. They use smell and touch to determine that there is something suspicious in their run, then they force dirt into the hole to block it – pretty clever eh?).

So after re-setting, laying a few more traps in the new workings and a bit of gassing, I left the traps until the next visit.

The next visit was very different. I had 3 moles and no new working. The client was completely amazed by this as he had not caught a single mole in a year of trying! I just used a few little tricks taught to me by Granddad, and hey presto, problem sorted.

So, rather than letting things get out of hand and wasting loads of money on “mole scarers” (I still don’t know if they work or not…but I have my doubts!), just call in the mole catcher experts from Rapid Pest Control.

By the way, If you’re up there watching down Granddad, I did listen to you and what you said still works today!

Filed Under: Mole Control Tagged With: Mole Control, pest control

I did have to laugh…..

September 27, 2009 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

One of my customers has a real pet hate about moles.

We first met about a year ago – I had a call saying I had been refered to him as the mole catcher, and so he called me in to take a look at the problem he had.

On arrival, I could see why he hated them. His nice lawn area looked like a herd of wildebeests had crossed!

I asked him why he had not called me out sooner, and he told me that he had used another pest controller to do the job, paid him and enormous amount of money in advance and then promptly dropped a few gas tablets and vanished. After a week, the moles were worse and the outfit wanted to re-charge for a further visit – shame there are so called “professionals” like this in the trade as they do nobody any good.

He also tried to DIY the problem, buying a several traps and having a go – to no success (this takes years to learn to be effective).

I work in a different way, I give a great price and work with the client to sort the problem, taking whatever measures it takes to rid them of the issue and keep costs to a minimum. People appreciate this approach, afterall it is pretty impossible to guarantee you will never get moles back, but the answer is to keep the pressure on them and act quickly when one does appear.

Anyway, this client called me last week, a new mole had arrived after a year, so could I come and sort it for him. I was round the same day and applied the appropriate treatment to rid him of the problem.

On the way out, I noticed a new “mole” had appeared in the border….see the picture below!

His wife or friends had ribbed him so much about the moles before, they obviously had decided to give him a permanent reminder of the problem…!

Moles in the garden

Filed Under: Mole Control, pest control Tagged With: Mole Control, Mole Traps, Moles, pest control

Lots of Mole Activity….

August 20, 2009 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

Moles need to be controlled

Its been a funny few weeks, I suppose its pretty much down to the odd weather, but I am also getting lots of calls on moles – pretty unusual for this time of year.

I do like the furry little blighters and every time I get called out to deal with them, I do get a little sad. Shame they do so much damage really.

I did a very large job over in Hungerford a few weeks ago – absolutely lovely family – who had a wedding on the front lawn, but the little men in black had been at work to attempt to spoil the day.

With a combination of gassing and trapping, I soon got the area cleared and then moved on to the orchard – well this was even worse! I don’t think I have ever set so many traps in one session. But with care and patience, we soon sorted out that problem too.

The real joke was the other morning. I was sat in the office dealing with the dreaded paperwork, when I noticed a small mound appear in the middle of my lawn! I could not believe it, so I jumped up, tore outside only to see the mound now stop moving and Moley disappear.

Well out with the traps! Luckily, a delivery arrived that morning of a new type of trap I had not used before, so I thought what a great place to test them.

After wrestling with these new traps for a few minutes, catching fingers etc as you do with new things, I deployed several in the runs and went back indoors. After only a few hours, I looked up to see that a trap had sprung, and in it a nice plump mole. I re-set the trap to see if any further activity might happen, only to catch a second one the next day.

No more trouble now – Just shows even Pest Controllers get pests!

Filed Under: Mole Control, pest control Tagged With: Mole Control, Mole Traps, Moles, pest control