Pest Control, Newbury, professional pest control in Newbury, Berkshire

Another quality fence project

February 15, 2012 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

Recently, we were called in to offer several fencing options on excluding deer from a garden in Newbury. The house in question has had a persistent issue with deer coming into the gardens and eating all the plants for a number of years, and several attempts have been made to exclude them.

The most cost effective method is a simple deer fence which is made of mesh, but it looks pretty ugly and certainly not in keeping with the house or the area, so we suggested a quality close board fence which would offer much more than simple deer exclusion. Deer Fencing is primarily used to protect wooded areas or as a boundary fence which is pretty much out of sight.

The area in question is a prestigious residential area in Newbury, with lots of footpaths around, so adding more privacy and security to the property was seen as a real benefit in addition to excluding the deer, as well as looking good and in keeping with the surroundings.

Our first task was to clear the area, removing past attempts at fencing and cut back bushes and undergrowth. Then we did the most important thing, laying out the framework for the fence. As this had a dogleg in it, getting this right was essential to make the fence look great. I have seen a lot of jobs which have just been thrown up and they look awful, so spending time getting the fence layout right is time well spent both for us and the client as they get a better job.

Once the frame is laid out and set, the boards can be applied, completing the fence. We did have to tie into the neighbours existing fence so matching the style and getting an exact fit was critical.

Needless to say, thanks to all the careful planning, the fence looked great and the customer was delighted. We also got several comments from people passing on what a nice job, which is great as well, and we also got a few business cards taken as well … It just shows you people do appreciate and notice good work.

If you have a fencing issue, require a new fence or a fence repair in the Newbury, Berkshire or Oxfordshire area, contact Rapid Pest Control for advice and a great price.

Filed Under: fencing Tagged With: Berkshire, Deer Fencing, Fence Erection, fence panels, Fence Replacement, Fences, Newbury, pest control

Rat activity on the increase in Newbury

February 12, 2012 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

The last few weeks have seen a huge increase in calls for rat control in the Newbury area. Several factors are contributing to this increase, but the most common issues are the weather and bird tables.

Like many other people, I enjoy feeding the birds, however there is a right and a wrong way to do this.

Firstly, never throw out bread for the birds on the ground, or for that matter on a bird table. Rats are very clever and soon get to know when you are likely to do this, and basically are sitting in wait for you to appear. Most calls we get are from people who regularly see very bold rats sat on patios or on bird tables during the day…well this is why.

Nuts and seed feeders are also a major problem. The birds peck out the seeds and nuts which fall to the floor uneaten, giving the rats a ready supply of seeds. Birds seldom get a chance to clear up the fallen seeds.

Bird tables are almost useless as a way of keeping rats away from the bird food. They are designed to prevent rats getting on them but rest assured, the rats have worked it out and will almost certainly get on the table with little effort.

The best way to ensure the birds get the food and not the rats is to use fat balls. These can be bought from places like Scats or Homebase etc. it’s no good just hanging them from a tree branch as the rats will get them, so you need to suspend them from a washing line, strong fishing line or similar. Do not use normal rope, and make sure the anchor points are not accessible to rats.

This way, the birds get there much needed food source, and the rats get nothing.

One other common issue is people who have chickens. Rats will always go to chicken houses and runs as food is always available to them. The first precaution to take is to be vigilant and watch for rat activity. If you see signs of any rodent activity, act quickly. It is vital you do not let them get a foothold or you will have an expensive and persistent issue to deal with.

Anybody with chickens in the neighbourhood will be blamed for any rat activity, so you need to be whiter than white in dealing with any issues. Firstly, remove all food hoppers. Feed the chickens by hand, giving them enough so all is cleared up and no food is left behind. Feed them in the morning and stay with them until they have eaten it all. This will stop the rats competing with the chickens for food. If you have a chicken house, make sure there are no holes in and under it. The key to keeping rats away is to remove food sources and remove habitat.

If the problem persists, then call in your local pest control expert, Rapid Pest Control, who will deal with your rat control problem quickly and safely. Whilst you can buy poisons etc off the shelf, it just is not worth it. Chances are you do not know what you are doing and you are putting yourself, your family and your pets at risk – so why take such a chance.

As a note, we have chickens, geese, ducks, guinea fowl and turkeys….and we never have a rat problem just by following the guidelines above … so it’s not the birds that attract rats it’s the people who feed them!

Filed Under: Rat Control Tagged With: Berkshire, Newbury, Rat Control, Rat Poison, Rat Problem, Rats, Reading

Top marks for my trainee today – rabbit control

January 18, 2012 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

Today I was working with Steve Light from Pest Bee Gone over near Goring / Wallingford doing some much needed rabbit control with the ferrets. Ferreting, when done well, is one of the most effective ways of clearing an area of rabbits and is also the most environmentally friendly one too as its all natural. Rabbits are a major agricultural and domestic pest in the Berkshire and Oxfordshire area.

I have been ferreting since is was very small, but I am still surprised when I come across people who have never done it. Well today, Steve was one of those guys.

When it comes to rabbit control using birds and hawks, Steve is one of the best Falconers in this area. Sadly, his best hawk died recently, and getting a good hawk to replace one lost is not an easy thing, so Steve needed to deal with the rabbit problem in another way – by using ferrets to control a growing rabbit problem in one of his customers gardens.

Anyway, I am happy to pass on skills to friends and colleagues and also work with like minded pest control professionals who have their clients interests at heart, so after a short chat to go through what we were going to do today, we set off for the first rabbit burrow to net up.

Ferreting is a skill you learn over many years – every hole is different and every situation is ever changing, so whilst you can show somebody how to do it, it is something that only experience can teach. Steve however took to it like a duck to water and soon was clearing bushes, netting up and getting on well. Then came the crunch moment….handling the ferrets!

It turns out that Steve was not a lover of ferrets, and having read a few of my previous blogs with various people getting bitten, he was very nervous. The thing is, the more you handle the ferrets the easier they get with you, so its something you have to do. The biggest issue is getting the radio collars on them, you are right at the business end and they do get cross if you fiddle about. Today, they were in a good mood, so getting them ready was very easy.

The next thing to overcome is grabbing the rabbits when they are in the net (the ferret will chase the rabbit into a net over the hole, which closes around them and holds them while you get there). I am a great believer in diving on the rabbit, despatching it quickly and humanly, then getting another net on before another one comes out. Sounds simple but when you have 30 holes all netted and two ferrets going nuts in the burrow, it does get a bit crazy – as Steve found out!

Anyway, we had to dig once to get a killed rabbit out (sometimes a ferret will actually kill a rabbit in the burrow and stay with it, trying to eat it) but the radio tracking worked perfectly and I dug down the 3 feet straight onto the rabbit and ferret, saving loads of time.

The day ended nicely with 14 rabbits in the bag, a very happy customer as the rabbits had devastated the garden, and a very happy Steve – who funnily enough now loves ferrets and can’t wait to do it all again soon!

If you live in the Oxford Area and have a rabbit problem, contact Steve at Pest Bee Gone now, and of course if you have a rabbit problem in the Newbury area, contact us now! Also, if you want to try your hand at ferreting, why not give me a call and we can sort something out – I am always looking to pass on these skills and willing students are always welcome – just call me – maybe a birthday present with a difference for a loved one??

Here is a few pictures of the day:

Filed Under: Agricultural pests, Ferrets and Ferreting, pest control, Pest Prevention, Rabbit Control, Vermin control Tagged With: Agricultural pests, Berkshire, Ferrets, Newbury, pest control, Rabbit Control

Strange things happening out there

January 14, 2012 By GrahamChapple 1 Comment

This has got to be one of the strangest winters we have had in a long while.

Nature is all over the place. All indications earlier in the year were pointing to a harsh winter – loads of fruit on the trees and berries on bush – a real bumper crop. Our plum tree was so full this year we just did not know what to do with the fruit and the hawthorn bush down the garden is still plastered in berries (the birds are having a field day at the moment!).

This week, I found daffodils in flower in our local wood and the bluebells are already shooting up, but the most odd thing I saw was yesterday.

I was down in Chichester for the day on a course and during the break, I took a walk around the gardens, only to see the most enormous Bumble Bee going from flower to flower on the Jasmine and Heather! I have never seen one in January, and I do feel a bit sad as I am pretty sure that today’s frost will have killed it.

Of all insects, the Bumble Bee has got to be my favourite and I do look forward to seeing them each year. quite a lot of people are frightened of them but they are pretty harmless – so just leave them alone and they are just fine.

All indications are now pointing towards harsh weather later in the month, especially the number of mice coming into houses at the moment, so I guess winter will hit soon.

If you hear noises in the loft, it most probably is mice and you really need to get them sorted as they do love to chew cables for some reason – the biggest cause of house fires is from chewed cables – so call Rapid Pest Control now so we can sort your mouse in the loft problem.

Filed Under: Bees, Flies in the Loft, Mice Control, Newbury, pest control, Pest Prevention, Rat Control, Rat Problem, Vermin control Tagged With: Berkshire, Mice problem, Newbury, pest control, Rats and Mice in Loft

How avoid attracting rats to your property

January 3, 2012 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

As the weather is getting colder and natural cover is starting die off, rats will look to move to more suitable accommodation. Rapid Pest Control has put together a list of do’s and don’ts to minimise the possibility of your property becoming a rat heaven and their winter residence.

Make sure your dustbin lid fits firmly. Most bins are wheelie bin types these days so make sure you do not over fill them and leave any gaps that a rodent might get in to it. Be selective in what you put inside the bin, making sure all food stuffs are wrapped up in plastic bags if possible to stop the smell attracting unwanted guests.
If you have filled the bin, try not to put additional bin bags out until the morning of collection – especially if there are any food scraps in them.
Most gardens have that corner where all the brick rubble, old bikes and stuff is piled. Try to dispose of this at the local tip etc as this is an ideal habitat for rats. You may not really notice the evidence, but they will be in there.
Clear up any fallen fruit from apple trees etc. Whilst this is not a great job, this is a valuable food source and attracts rats from far and wide to your garden.
Place your mulch heap on top of concrete slabs. Most people now have plastic mulchers and so it is easy to place them on top of slab. Rats love these heaps and will do anything to get inside them, so make sure the trap door fits snugly.
Inspect sheds and outbuilding. Make sure the door fits properly and that there are no holes in the skirting area. If the shed is not placed on concrete or slabs, it will almost certainly be home for a family of rats. If possible, re-site it on a slab of concrete.
Make sure bushes and trees are trimmed so they do not over hang flat roofs of sheds or conservatories, garages etc. Rats will use this as a pathway to your loft if they can.
Do not put loose food out for the birds – especially on the ground. If you have a bird table, rats will easily climb onto them to eat any food left out. If you want to put loose food out, make sure you take it away after a few hours. Better still, use a fat ball and hang from a suitable point so rats cannot get to it.

Finally, if you are in any doubt of what to do or suspect you may have rats, contact your local professional pest control experts, Newbury based Rapid Pest Control. We will be able to offer advice on prevention and deal with any rats you may have.

Filed Under: Rat Control Tagged With: Agricultural pests, Berkshire, Newbury, pest control, Rat Control, Rat Poison, Rat Problem, Reading

Badger Cull finally gets go ahead

December 18, 2011 By GrahamChapple 2 Comments

Badger picture by wikipedia

After many studies and years of waiting, the long debated subject of badger culling is given the green light.

So why do badgers need to be culled? Last year alone, over 25,000 cattle were culled after failing the Bovine Tuberculosis (BTB) test and the bill of £1 Billion over the next ten years will be bourn by the taxpayer. BTB is rampant in the West and South of England with at least 25% of all farms carrying the disease.

This is not just an open licence to go and kill badgers. Badgers are highly protected under the Protection of Badger Act 1992 and Natural England is responsible for enforcing the law under this Act.

There will be two carefully controlled pilot schemes run over a controlled time period. The results will be monitored closely by DEFRA and panels of experts to ensure the cull is effective and humane. This will then be evaluated as to the outcome and if successful a wider plan will be implemented.

It is believed that the pilot schemes will be carried out in secret locations, and after the Olympic Games has happened, due to the possibility of civil unrest and the policing requirements as this is a highly charged and emotional topic.

Other alternative are also being considered like badger vaccination schemes, where badgers are caught in live traps by trained operatives (pest controllers are being asked to get trained in readiness for this) and the government has earmarked £250,000 for a trial scheme for this method. The Government has already spent £35 million on developing badger and cattle vaccines since 1994 and plan to spend another £20 million on the development of practical and usable vaccines over the next five years.

Whatever happens, the badger population will end up being reduced, especially in high BTB areas. I am sure this is not the last we will hear about this and so we will keep you informed as news breaks on this topic.

Ironically, DEFRA has just announced its plan for a National Badger Survey to happen in 2012/2013 to establish the exact number of badger in the UK. The last one was held in 1997 where the results showed a significant increase in the badger population.

Filed Under: Agricultural pests Tagged With: Agricultural pests, Badgers, trapping, Wildlife Management

A turkey is for life not just Christmas

December 11, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

IMG 7888 A turkey is for life not just Christmas

This week we have been very busy, but not too busy to save a few waifs and strays along the way!

As most of you will know, we have collection of weird and wonderful creatures – we are a pretty soft touch for a story and end up with everybody’s left overs.

So this week, we did have an influx of calls from customers who wanted to get rid for some birds….so our collection grew somewhat.

Firstly, I get a call from a gamekeeper friend who needed to get rid of of some guinea fowl – they either went to people who wanted them or they were destined for the pot. I love the sound of guinea fowl in Africa so I thought we would have a few to see how we got on…we ended up with 10!

The next call was from a customer with a small holding who has had terrible problems with rats and foxes, so much so that they were reducing all livestock to a bare minimum. The foxes had killed all the female turkeys and all the female ducks, so this customer just had males now – not a good breeding strategy! The options were to kill them but they are all too old to eat and would just end up being buried, so I thought we could look after them as well!

The poor, ever suffering Karen just shook her head when I appeared with all this lot, on top of the guinea fowl!

Now turkeys are pretty big birds and quite a handful to catch etc. They are really strong and go a bit mental when you grab them, so catching them was interesting to say the least, but even more fun was letting them out back at home. As soon as the cage was opened, they all flew out in all directions! You cannot imagine that anything so big could actually fly. Later on, after they had settled down, I went out to see if everything was OK, only to discover they had made it on top of the very high shed roof!

Our mornings are now filled with the sounds of Africa and the sounds of god knows what as these turkeys kick off too – they don’t half make a racket!

Our menagerie now consists of lots of assorted chickens, geese, guinea fowl, turkeys, ducks, ferrets, tortoises and 3 dogs – Not to mention the kids as well…give me strength! Luckily, we managed not to take the pigs and goats we were offered recently – Karen drew the line at that!

At least they now have a fighting chance to live out the rest of their lives in relative peace, rather than just being killed and buried. Turkeys are just ugly, but already they are quite tame now and come when called for food. They seem to be enjoying it all here!

Filed Under: Bird Control, Newbury Tagged With: Berkshire, Bird Control, Bird Exclusion, Newbury, pest control

Watch out for wasps in Xmas decorations

December 1, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

This year, November has seen a rash of calls for wasp problems. Our unusually mild weather has allowed nests to still continue to thrive as we have had no real frosts to kill off the nests.

Most people never go into the loft, except to get or store Christmas decorations, so as soon as they open the loft up, wasps appear. These wasps are still capable of delivering a nasty sting or too – they are confused and usually quite aggressive as the nest is in total decay now and they really should all be dead, so are defending whats left to the end.

One problem is that they have probably crawled into bags and boxes looking for food and to the unsuspecting house owner are now a danger to the kids.

This week we have attended several wasp nest removal jobs where the nest is highly active. Loft spaces seem to be much warmer than normal. One nest we removed was actually built in and under thick insulation, which proved quite a handful as the wasps attacked without mercy.

So before you get the Christmas decorations out of the loft, check that there are no wasps buzzing about – just switch a light on or leave the hatch open for 5 minutes to see if there is any activity. If so, call Rapid Pest Control now so we can deal with it for you.

Also, when unboxing the decorations, go slowly and carefully, looking for any signs of wasps, especially before the kids start helping you with it.

Filed Under: Wasp Control Tagged With: Berkshire, Newbury, pest control, Wasp Control, Wasp Nest Removal, Wasp Stings, Wasps, Wasps Nest

Using Ferrets for Rabbit Control

November 15, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

With winter moving ever closer, it is an ideal time to deal with rabbit control using ferrets. With the leaves dropping off the trees and the undergrowth suffering it’s first proper frost, rabbits now will move from summer runs (usually in bushes on top of ground) to winter burrows in the ground.

Whilst people often see rabbits running into holes during the summer, they only do this for protection, preferring to spend time above ground – doing what rabbits do best – eating and breeding. In the winter however, they go to ground as the temperatures are stable and conserve energy. That’s when ferreting is at its best.

The process of using ferrets for rabbit control is quite simple:

Clear all the holes of debris
Place Purse nests over the holes
Put 1 or 2 ferrets in the burrow
Stand back and keep quite
Dive on the rabbits when the ferrets “bolt” them out of the holes
Dispatch the rabbit, re-net the hole and repeat until no more rabbits are in the burrow

Some people do not bother with nets and use shotguns or lurchers to catch the rabbits, however we only do this as a last resort if clearing holes cannot be done due to serious obstruction (like walls or fences etc).

The key thing is to understand ferret and rabbit behavior – and keep quite too once the ferret is in the hole. The term bolt means exactly that. A rabbit will come out of a hole at full pelt and if netting will tangle up for just enough time to get it. When shooting or using dogs, the rabbit has a greater chance of getting away – not what we are there to do – we must eliminate the pest problem that rabbits cause and not do it for the pure sport.

Ferreting is still one of the most effective ways of clearing rabbits from an area – both in terms of cost and efficiency. If there is a rabbit in the burrow, it will be caught and killed – simple.

Handling ferrets is also a skill, they get very excited and want to work, so getting hold of one carefully and talking to them all the time is essential so they do not bite you – nothing likes being grabbed at or flinched at – doing this puts them on edge and will result in timid ferrets which bite.

Today, we were working on a country estate in Newbury. We had a new helper for a while, their gardener, so he was not really used to handling ferrets. After giving instruction and a demo of how to do it, he was let loose to do his best. Unfortunately, our young ferrets are a bit of a handful and once they got a bit excited, sure enough Matt got bitten – not once but 3 times…I think he gets it now! Fair play to him, after he stopped squealing like a girl (which excited the ferrets more!), he did settle down and did well.

ferretbite 1024x576 Using Ferrets for Rabbit Control

A ferret bite - note the 4 teeth marks - ouch!

So if you have a horse paddock, filed or garden, or on a large scales are a farmer with a rabbit problem, contact Rapid Pest Control now for a quote for dealig with your rabbit problem and a rabbit clearance.

Filed Under: Agricultural pests, Ferrets and Ferreting, pest control, Rabbit Control, Vermin control Tagged With: Agricultural pests, Berkshire, Ferrets, Newbury, pest control

Inside a Hornets Nest

November 13, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

We don’t very often get a chance to see a hornets nest as they tend to build them in cavities or cracks in the wall, so when I visited a client with a hornet problem last week, I was quite surprised to see a fully formed nest in the middle of the loft space. Again, doing a hornet control treatment as late as November is also pretty rare, but with the position of the nest well into the loft and also so unusually mild weather, the occupants of the nest were still very much alive and kicking!

This short video shows the remains of the hornets nest – unfortunately I never had the video camera with me to show it in situ – and we had to kill all the hornets before we could remove it, so quite a bit of damage occurred in getting it out. Despite this, it shows the amazing structure very clearly and is still in pretty good shape.

Hornets nests are significantly smaller in numbers than wasp nests – the average wasp nest is about 5 to 10 thousand wasps, where as the average hornets nest is about 500 tops. Hornets feed mostly on insects and at night, however if you ever disturb a hornets nest – get out of there quickly. They are very protective and aggressive to any attacks and a sting is not only painful, but potentially very dangerous – nest removal should only be attempted by a professional pest control company like Rapid Pest Control.

As a side line, one night we watched a hornet attack a moth and kill it when it was flying around a lamp on the table outside – it took this moth on the wing like a hawk and simply landed on the table and ate this moth. One of our guests was totally freaked out by it all but he hornet was completely oblivious to us and just went about its business.

Anyway, all wasp and hornets nests are pretty much dead now so its time to service all the wasp control gear, dry clean the not so white wasp suit and put everything back into storage now until next season. Over the season we attended hundreds of wasp problems in the Newbury area, the worst house having 11 nests in and around the house – mainly because they failed to treat the problem of the previous year.

We are now moving towards rat and mouse problems with the weather turning as well as rabbit problems - ferreting is really just kicking off, so summer is now offically over at Rapid Pest Control headquarters!

If you have a pest problem, contact Rapid Pest Control now via the website or call Newbury 01635 247192 anytime for a fast and reliable pest control service in the Berkshire area.

Filed Under: hornets Tagged With: Hornets Nest

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