Case Studies

Bed Bug Infestation

A family in Gloucester had been bitten by bed bugs for months, thinking nothing could be done about them. They tried burning beds and carpets and bringing in new beds but these were soon infested as well. The bed bugs were behind skirtings, in bedside furniture and by the time we were called in they were in the fabric of the matress and in the joints of the bed frame. We even saw them crawling over the floorboards. A thorough treatment, taking almost 3 hours, got rid of them but a few weeks later some bed bugs were seen on the bed linen. The family had brought bed linen back into the room and onto the bed from out of bin liners without first washing it and treatment had to be carried out again but to a more limited degree. No bed bugs have been seen since.

Cockroach infestation

A couple had returned from a foreign holiday and put some luggage in a bedroom and the rest in the loft. Within 3 weeks they started to see cockroaches in several places in the house although they were not sure what they were at that stage. On contacting us they described the insects and we asked for a picture of them to be sent. On seenig the picture we knew immediately that these were cockroaches.One visit to treat the whole house, including the loft, with a residual acting insecticide was all it took to eradicate them.

Foxes in Garden

A couple having a very nice secluded garden were dismayed when plants in the borders were trampled and then holes started to appear in the lawn. Hours spent at the rear windows were rewarded when they eventually saw two foxes and realised that these were causing the trouble. They tried various methods to deter them without succes and called us.Town foxes are not able to survive in the countryside as they don’t know how to hunt. It is cruel to trap them and release them in the country, they often die of starvation. One visit was all it took. Both were cleanly shot and disposed of in a licenced animal waste facility. The couple were surprised with the speed that this was done and very pleased at seeing the job done very professionally with no suffering caused to the foxes.

Pigeons defacing buildings, Cheltenham Town Centre.

Businesses in Rodney Road had problems with a flock of feral pigeons roosting on and within areas of  buildings causing a mess and health hazard. By the end of 3 visits 87 of these birds had been shot and the mess has reduced to the stage that it could be cleaned up and disinfected. Visits will be continued over the next few months to keep birds from re colonising this area on which to roost and to reduce overall the pigeon population in this area of the Town.

Pigeons in loft.

A family in the Tivoli area  of Cheltenham suspected that they  had pigeons in the loft of their house because of the noises they heard. An inspection revealed that this was indeed a group of 6 pigeons and they had caused a terrible mess with their droppings. These were feral pigeons and there was evidence of a nest in a corner of the loft. These birds had probably been born in the loft and considered it their home. They were all shot except for one that escaped and now the roof has been proofed against re entry,  the noises have stopped and the mess won’t get any worse.

Wasp Nest in Roof Space

A local Cheltenham man called the Council as he had a wasp nest at the top of the gable end of his roof. The cement had cracked leaving several gaps.  He called the Council,  who could not or would not deal with it, he said. We attended and with the right equipment dealt with the problem in about 15 minutes.He later had the cement closing off the gap in the ridge tiles replaced and he has had no further problem. He was obviously very pleased with the job as later, when he had a rodent problem at another property, we were the only company called to deal with it.

Moles in the garden – Charlton Kings

Over recent weeks moles have had to go deep to find worms on which they feed, due to the length of dry weather we have had.  A couple in Charlton Kings had a mole digging over their lawn and making a real mess of it. We detected runs at about a foot down and several traps were set. On returning several days later, there were signs that the mole had moved further down the lawn so a couple more traps were deployed covering the new runs. A few days later the mole was caught and all activity ceased. The couple were very pleased to have the lawn to themselves. This job was gained due the quality of the testimonials on the web site.

Grey Squirrels in residential home – Gloucester

A young couple of a house in Gloucester were being kept awake by suspected squirrels running through the loft. An examination confirmed their suspicions that grey squirrels were causing the problem. A trap was set but nothing happened until it was moved slightly. One juvenile squirrel was caught every two or three days. After 3 had been caught things went quiet for a while but we wanted the female adult caught. A few weeks later she was caught, the problem ceased and the couple can now sleep to a reasonable time again.

Fleas in council flat – Gloucester

A young family in Gloucester were housed by the council into a flat previously occupied by a tenant that kept animals. The couple and their children were being bitten by fleas so they arranged for someone to carry out a treatment. Sadly this was not done to the required standard. The original adult fleas had been killed but more had hatched out and the problem was now worse than before. We applied a potent insecticidal spray to the whole floor and furnishings, then the flat was fumigated. A week later a residual insecticide was applied. 3 months on and no further problems have occurred.

Squirrel and Deer problem – Woodland off A40

The owners of an area of woodland off the A40 were shocked to find damaged trees. We were asked to go and assess the problem with a view to dealing with it.  A visit revealed that the upper area of the trees were being damaged by squirrels and a successful squirrel trapping programme was carried out. As the lower areas had been damaged by deer we advised the client that we would have to wait until the winter when the cover decreases adequately enough for deer to be seen.

Carpet Moth problem – Cheltenham

A couple had something eating away at the lounge and dining room carpets, eventually realising that it was the larvae of carpet moths. They tried treating this themselves but were having no success. We were called in and were given the job to eradicate the offending insects. The occupants had to leave the house for 4 hours during which time the carpets were sprayed with a residual acting insecticide. We even  sprayed the carpet of the hall, stairs and landing as it was the same as on the ground floor and leading off it, all for the original price quoted. Needless to say, the moths, larvae and any hatching eggs were killed and the damage had been stopped, leaving relieved and very happy customers.