Flies can transmit bacteria and fungal pathogens. These pathogens live on and in the bodies of the flies amongst the numerous body hairs, in the gut and blood system. Bacterial pathogens include Klebsiella spp, Campylobacter spp, Streptococcus spp, Chlamydia spp. Funal pathogens include Candida spp, Mucor spp and Aspergillus spp. Flies live on dead or decaying matter and therefore transmit these pathogens when landing on surfaces such as food as their contaminated body parts come into contact with the food.  

Flies need their food to be a certain liquidy consistency before ingesting it and in order for them to do this, they salivate from their glands and vomit some of their gut contents onto the food. This rich concoction of digestive enzymes, bacteria, viruses and protozoa from their gut breaks down their food into a consistency which they can then feed from. The process of regurgitation and ingestion is repeated during feeding. Additionally, flies also defecate on their food while feeding to reduce their overall body mass before flying off. These undesirable characteristics cause contamination of food from their saliva, vomit and defecation deposits. Blocked drainage channels and abundant organic matter (vegetable/animal waste) offer ideal breading opportunities.  

If you are suffering from a fly problem, flies can cause distress as well as being a source of infection so talk to one of our experts today. Abating the infestation will start with a site assessment to identify the source of the problem and removal (where possible) of the food source responsible for perpetuating the infestation and a treatment plan to eradicate the flies.  

Cockroaches are omnivorous and possess mouthparts which have adapted to chewing, thereby facilitating a consumption of a vast number and types of food sources. They prefer starchy and sugary foods but will also feed on dead and decaying matter, blood and faeces. In order to feed, they exhibit the same feeding pattern as flies, regurgitating partially digested food and defecating on their food during feeding. Cockroaches are involved in disease transmission because of their indiscriminate contact between clean areas/foods and bacteria-laden surfaces. The bacteria is transferred onto the hairs of the cockroach during contact with harmful bacteria and then deposited during contact with clean surfaces and foods.  

Cockroach allergens are known to be responsible for allergic and atopic reactions. Their faeces and skin casts (from shedding) can cause an allergic response and asthma to those living within the same proximity. Females are responsible for leaving larger quantities than the males. They are extremely mobile creatures, thereby responsible for spreading their faeces and skin casks over wide areas spreading bacteria and increasing the likelihood of their faeces and skin casks coming into contact with humans. They prefer warm, humid, dark areas and therefore, the presence of cockroaches in the daytime is usually indicative of the size of the infestation. In the UK, there are four main species of cockroach: Oriental, German, American, and Brown-Banded Cockroach.  

An infestation of cockroaches in your home or business can be damaging to your health, professional reputation and stressful to deal with so talk to an expert today about eradicating them. Abating the infestation will start with a site assessment to identify the source of the problem and removal of their food source and a treatment plan to eradicate them.  

Adult fleas live between 6-12 months and during that time, the female will lay around 300-1000 eggs in small batches of 3-18 per day and 4-8 eggs laid after each blood meal. Therefore, fleas have the potential to multiply and infest an area rapidly. The 15 day lifecycle of the flea comprises:  

Egg -> larvae -> pupae -> adult flea (blood meals taken from the host such as a cat/person)

Approximately 95% of the population of an infestation will live in the environment and not on the host, eg, carpets, between floorboards, etc. The flea larvae feed on virtually any organic debris including the host’s skin cells, faeces and partly digested blood from the adult flea. They are most hardy in the pupae stage and can live in pupae form almost indefinitely if there are no hosts available upon which to feed (eg, a vacant property).  

Fortunately, following the demise of the black rat in the UK, the tropical flea which lives on this rat and is responsible for the bubonic plague (the black death), is rarely found. These days, the most common flea in the home is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis), followed by the bird flea (Ceratophyllus gallinae). Fleas can cause significant discomfort to people because their biting can cause considerable itching which may then lead onto a secondary infection from numerous bites and intense itching.  

Currently, there is minimal evidence that cat fleas vector disease, however, they are capable of transmitting Bartonela henselae which is unlikely to cause symptoms in people or cats unless they have low immunity.  

Abating your flea infestation will start with a site assessment to identify the source of the problem, the species involved and an appropriate treatment plan to eradicate them and prevent reinfestation.  

There are numerous species of beetle, weevil, moths and spiders and an effective treatment strategy will follow a comprehensive site assessment, identification of the species and the food source.  

There are several species of wasp but the most common you will find is the European wasp. Contrary to popular belief, not all wasps sting – only female wasps sting. Their sting is painful and can cause an anaphylactic shock in some individuals and in some extreme cases, death. However, a person can develop an anaphylactoid reaction to stings at any point in their life. Stings can also be fatal in high numbers – therefore, anywhere between 1-30+ simultaneous stings can be fatal. Their risk to a single individual will depend on the number of simultaneous stings, the location of the sting, the person’s physiology and sensitivity to the sting. The sting also introduces bacteria into the site of the sting as wasps carry bacteria on their bodies from their indiscriminate contact with different food sources including decaying matter and manure, etc. However, wasps also bite and can introduce bacteria into the wound, causing a reaction.  

Wasps have a complicated life cycle. The queen will hibernate over winter in the lofts of homes. They may be aroused over the winter months when you enter your loft and allow warm air to enter the loft space. However, queen wasps will only fully awaken and start nest building in Spring, around May. Each queen will start a new nest every year – the combs are horizontal in appearance. The young grub wasps are fed protein foods by the queen and in return, produce sugars which the queen feeds on. As the nest grows, grubs mature into adult wasps. The adult females feed protein foods to the next generation of young grubs and the cycle continues. However, as the nest grows, the grubs are eventually outnumbered by the adult wasps which result in many hungry adult female wasps. Consequently, the hungry, aggressive adults go in search of food and it is at this point in the year that they frequently come into contact with people. In early autumn, the new queens have hatched out, mated and go into hibernation to re-emerge the following spring.  

Wasps also emit a pheromone when they are under attack or dying which attracts other wasps to the area. Wasps are also attracted to light, so you may unknowingly disturb a nest in your loft by using a light or torch.   

Badgers are the only natural predator to wasps, feeding on the grubs. Their thick skins help reduce their susceptibility to stings. However, as they cannot climb trees, they can only eat the grubs from wasp nests in the ground or earth banks. If you have a wasp nest on your property, talk to one of our expert technicians about eradicating it and proofing your property to prevent further nests in the future.  

A hornet’s sting is three times worse than a wasp sting!! We recommend you speak to one of our expert technicians about eradicating a hornet nest and proofing your property against further nests in the future.  

As a company, we work with local beekeeping organisations to relocate bees wherever possible as they play a crucial role as pollinators in our environment.