When you think of pest control many people think they will never need the services of a pest control service. After all - don't pests only appear in and around grim, dirty, messy properties? Actually - even a clean tidy home or business can attract flying, scurrying, slithering pests.
Sometimes you can sort the issue yourself but often for a quick, safe clean solution it's best to call in the experts, whether that's your local council pesters or a private company.
Before we look into when and how to call pest control, here's a little anecdote which hopefully will make you smile. It will also probably lead you to ensuring your toilet seat lid is down at all times unless you are using the facilities!
So, it was the middle of the night but something had woken me up. Blinking I realised that our (late) pet cat was making a peculiar yowling noise- one she only made when she was stalking prey or made a kill. She was a good hunter - quite the murderess.
I lay for a while hoping she would tire of her new, possibly dead toy but the yowling continued with the addition of scratching noises. I headed downstairs to find her desperately trying to get into our downstairs toilet. Odd as there really is nowhere for any mice, birds, bats and other mammals she likes to hunt to get into this tiled room.
I crept towards the door and over the yowling I thought I could hear splishy splashy noises. Odder and odder. I opened the door to be confronted by what looked like a huge rat enjoying a toilet jacuzzi. The cat took one look and decided this was one battle she was likely to use so I bravely reached forward and knocked the toilet seat down and slammed the door shut while shouting for my husband to come and help.
As he blundered down the stairs, half asleep and stark naked as is his custom I was hurriedly googling how to get rid of a rat in a toilet. Turns out I am not the only one to have asked this question.
First step apparently is to degrease your rat using washing up liquid, then flush it back to where presumably it had come from, despite the U-bed which is designed to stop sewer odours and rats reaching your home.
My husband grabbed the washing up liquid and a broom to use to slam the lid shut again in case the rodent took offence to being soaped up and advanced towards the toilet.
"STOP!" I shrieked. "You can't go in there with bare feet!"
So my husband slipped on the plastic clogs he wears for bathroom visits when we are camping and naked apart from these shoes gingerly opened the door only to find just a few droplets of water to prove I had not been hallucinating.
The rat never returned as far as we know and we have no real idea why or how it appeared in the bowl.
So no professional pest control required on this occasion but my friend who noticed rats appearing in her garden called out a pest control company who informed her that her neighbour was leaving food out for birds but the bacon rinds and other tasty treats were being snaffled by the rats who were accessing the neighbours garden via my friend's garden! Some traps and a word with the neighbour fixed the issue.
Wasps are a common problem and although you can buy DIY products on the whole you are better to call in the experts to avoid a potentially dangerous or even fatal encounter with these stripy chaps.
Local authorities will sometimes assist in getting rid of pests like rats, mice, bedbugs, cockroaches, fleas and wasps but each council varies on their policies on who they can help. Often this is only council tenants or vulnerable people.
The thing with infestations is that they rarely, if ever, solve themselves. The sooner you call for help, the sooner the issue can be dealt with.
Thankfully with the internet at our fingertips it is easy to find help when you need it with a simple search. Living in or around Brighton? Just type "Brighton Pest Control" into your favourite browser and you'll soon find someone who can come round the same day or even in the middle of the night if you too discover a rodent in your toilet bowl!
Did you know that Pest Control professionals can do more than just emergency removals/treatments? You can get your property pest proofed and disinfected too. And don't worry if you hear scurrying or see creepy crawlies but have no idea what is infesting your environment - Pest controllers are trained to identify creatures so they can employ the best methods of getting rid of them if it's legally permitted.
Don't delay, even if you suspect the origin of the pest issue is not your property. Call the experts and get on top of the problem before it becomes a massive (and more costly) issue.