The sudden increase in temperature and sunshine has meant an explosion of blossom and noticeable increase in bees going about their work.
There has also been a worrying surge in calls to pest controllers from people confusing bees with wasps and asking for treatment.
Managing Director Paul Bates of Cleankill Pest Control says the mental health implications of having an infestation during lockdown when you can’t leave your home can be quite serious for some.
Cleankill was contacted by the facilities managers of a large block of flats in West London with 176 units after another pest control company failed to solve a serious infestation of Pharaoh ants.
Every flat in the block needed treating to eliminate the problem. Cleankill experts carried out the treatment, mostly on Saturdays at the request of the agent, over an eight-week period. The managing agents were so pleased with the success of the treatment that the tenant association agreed to a regular contract for ant visits and treatments.
The Cleankill team was called in to solve a serious bed bug problem in one of the largest blocks of flats in London.
Thirty out of 600 flats in the block in South London had been infected and it was a case of finding the source of the problem before treatment could start.
Cleankill staff searched the flats and found an extremely serious infestation in the very last one they checked.
Cleankill was proud to be in charge of the pest control at two high-profile sites during London 2012.
At the equestrian site in Greenwich, Cleankill looked after the pest control at all of the food areas, including the concessions, marquees and all the kitchens – including the ones for the athletes.
When Cleankill was called to a bed bug problem in South Kensington, London, technicians found one of the worst infestations they had ever encountered.
The building they were called to was made up of bedsits which all had sitting tenants. One of the bedsits (an area of approximately 14 feet by 16 feet) was occupied by a man in his mid-70s who lived in one room with his bed, wardrobe and armchair – all of which were heavily infested.
Many office blocks in London have restaurants and shops on the ground floor which can present additional challenges to FMs if tenants do not take steps to keep their areas hygienic and pest free.
This was the case with an upmarket Italian restaurant in central London. Cleankill was called to deal with a serious fly infestation which was spreading through a void into the toilets and then into the eating areas. They were identified as filter flies – small flies about the size of fruit flies – commonly found at sewage farms which provide the ideal breeding conditions.
Make sure your building is well maintained and drain pipes are capped off is the warning from Cleankill Pest Control to London premises managers.
The managers of a commercial office building in Holborn, London, called in Cleankill after staff complained of noises coming from behind a wall.
Raised flooring in office buildings - designed to create space for ducting and cables - provides the perfect space for mice. They can move around the building without being seen and then emerge through openings such as risers used to house electrical sockets.
Cleankill responded to a call from a customer with offices near London Bridge after staff saw mice running around on the carpet.
To help establish the extent of the infestation, a motion-sensitive camera was placed under the floor near one of the risers for two and a half days.
