Rats in gardens are a regular call for pest controllers, all to often its the home owner unwittingly providing the harbourage, water and food sources. Decking, plant pots with rain water in and bird feeders, the perfect environment for rats, however this one was slightly different.

The two bird feeders were the only ones the customer had, there was no obvious harbourage points and no water left out. Rat are known to cover large areas in search of food and the customer has been noticing activity for several weeks now but only ever one rat. Normally word would get round and it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to one day see several rodents collecting up the seed spills.

The rat used the same direction on each visit, from under the firs to the feeders then back again, it would then be seen exiting the growth a good 10 meters away next to a old out house and coal bunker then disappear under the wooden door. According to the customer she dared not open the door through fear of what she would see.

The door was a entrance to a old outside WC which has been out of action for years, the space hasn’t been used for over 10 years and housed the WC and a old garden grass cutting bag only. So nowhere for the rats to nest you might think, maybe the rat had got clever and was using the toilet as a latrine, or was it a food cache..?

Neither, this room was a portal to another world, a world of the underground sewer system. As the toilet has not been used for such along time the pan had run dry, there was no water in the ‘U’ bend so effectively it was a open door to the foul drainage system. A place where water, warmth and food are in abundance, but also a entrance to our world. On exploring when arriving surface side the rat had come across yet another food supply, one it had take a fancy to and took advantage of.

Easy fix, simply fill the WC then close the lid and weight it down. It was advised that either the WC pan is kept topped up or if the toilet is no longer in action to remove it and correctly cap of the connecting pipework with a metal bung. As it would cost far more to replace the over head system and with the customer running the risk of forgetting top fill up a toilet she would never use it was decided best to remove and cap off.

No need for traps in stations or rodenticide baits placed. Simply find the source of the problem and correct it. And most importantly according to the customer, she can still feed the birds. Apparently one of life’s few remaining pleasures.

Please feel free to contact us direct for further advise or if you require a quotation for works.

Honey Bees

Information taken from the Code of Practice Relating to the Control of Honey Bees. from the Pest Management Alliance

Bees, both semi-wild (feral) and colonised, are beneficial and important insects and are not normally considered as pests. They live in either colonies, colonies in hives managed by bee keepers or in nests in the wild, in either case they only when provoked will sting people. Because of their beneficial role, every effort should be made to avoid carrying out control treatments against bees. Insecticidal treatments should only ever be considered as a last resort.

If foraging, non-target honey bees find a nest that has been treated, they may come into contact the the treatment carried out and may carry away contaminated honey. This could lead to contamination of honey destined for food use, non-target bee kills and destruction of hives.

Related Legislation

Food and Environment Protection Act 1985

Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002

Biocides Product Regulations 2012

Process. Is treatment required..?

If asked to treat for ‘feral’ Honey Bees‘ nest, the pest control technician should assess the situation carefully.

Have people been stung by honey bees from the nest..? or are people at risk because of its location..?

If the nest is not causing any risk to public health, then you should carefully consider the alternatives before carrying out any treatment.

If the swarm has only recently formed, where possible it should be left undisturbed and allowed to move on. This will usually occur within 48 hours of settlement.

If the swarm is in a sensitive area and is easily accessible, it can probably be collected and re-housed in a suitable hive. You may use a bait hive which is a container containing a pheromone lure to attract the queen. To contact the Bee Keepers Association would bee advised (See what i did there ..?? I’m here all week..!)

If the swam has already invaded a property, it is unlikely it can be collected, if it has only just arrived and taken up residence in a chimney it may be encouraged to move on by the use of non-insecticidal smoke. This is time critical; if a swam has taken up residence in a building or void is it wise to assume that they have been in situ for more than 48 hours. This is enough time for the swam to build comb and for the queen to resume egg laying. This will mean that the swam is now established and will not move on.

It has to be proven that the swam is established and taken up residence before treatment is carried out and often customers will be asked to wait for a 48 hour period before a site inspection is carried out. testimony from the customer will not be taken as proven.

If the swarm has been in residence for some time (more than 6 months) it will not be possible to get it to move on, so it may be necessary to take control action. this is best being done in the winter months, between January and mid-March as the honey cells are capped and stores are at there lowest levels. This is to reduce the amount of pesticides required and will allow for efficient and clean removal of contaminated stores and combs. If the customer can be persuaded to wait until this time for treatment.

Post treatment, it is inevitable that there will be some residual smells from the honey and comb following removal, also the queen pheromone will be lingering. This will make it more likely that another swam may take residence the following year as the smell of the old colony may prove irresistible to scouts looking for a new nest site. It is therefore advised that the smell is masked or destroyed.

Finally, the decision to treat will depend on whether it is possible to close of the entrance(s) to the nest after treatment. It may be possible to use extension lances to get the insecticide into the nest, but it may require access equipment to close of the entrances safely. If the client is not prepared to pay for this, then it is not possible to carry out the treatment legally.

Treatment with non residual insecticide may be possible. Blocking off gaps is still required, because all pesticides have a half life where they are still viable after application, it is therefore possible given the right conditions for foragers from other managed hives to find the unattended honeycomb and call their own hive into robbing mode within 12 to 24 hours.

It is important to speak to your local bee keeping association, local bee keeper individuals before any treatment is considered. Sometimes they can remove the bees without the use of pesticides.

Further Advise regarding removal and control of Honey Bees.

The Bee Keepers Association 01203 696679

National Bee Unit 0300 303 0094

The British Pest Control Association 01332 294288

National Pest Technicians Association 01773 717716

Bumble Bee’s

The humble bumble bee is a social animal, not as well organised as the honey bee and live up to their names sake and generally just bumble around. There are several different species.

Bombus terrestris (White-tailed bumblebee), Bombus lucorum (Tree Bumblebee), Bombus lapidarius (Red tailed Bumblebee) Bombus pratorum (Early Bumblebee) & Bombus Hypnorum (Cuckoo Bumblebee)

They can nest in a variety of locations from underground, tree trunks, holes in wall, loft spaces, loft insulation, compost bins and bird boxes to name only a few. If they can be removed and relocated this is obviously the favoured action. In the grand scheme of life the bees that tend to invade domestic dwellings is relatively short and will become exhausted after several weeks only.

If you can live with them you a encourage to do so. Try not to disturb them, and they often just do their thing. Removal of colonies form bird boxes, loft insulation, old birds nests in facia’s and compost bins is common place and relocation to rural hedgerows and ditches not frequented by the general public is part and parcel and no insecticidal use is required.

Contact Us for more information or to discuss a issue you would like assistance with.