What is pest control?

If you suspect there may be pests in your home or place of work, you may be curious to find out what is pest control and how it may help you. Read on to find out more about what pest control is…

What is pest control?

Put simply, pest control is managing or eradicating any organism that causes problems for you.
There are lots of animals and insects that can be seen as pests, however, the defining factor is that
the creature causes harm to humans or human endeavours.
Most commonly, pests are removed due to the damage and disruption they cause to buildings,
human health, livestock, crops and woodland. Domestic pest removal is most commonly required
when pests encroach on your home or cause physical pain or injury. Some creatures which fall into
the latter category include snakes, ants, wasps and fleas since they can bite or sting, causing
discomfort and pain. Some pests that cause havoc by encroaching into your home or office include
beetles that can tunnel inside materials, houseflies that contaminate food when they come into
contact with it and cockroaches since they indicate unsanitary conditions.

What counts as a pest?

When it comes to animals and insects, many consider them to be friendly, harmless, or even perfect
as pets. It can be hard to draw the line under which animals are great companions and which are
not. Often, the distinction is made from person to person, but it also largely depends on the
situation. For example, a typical family pet or first pet for a child is a mouse, however, these can be
classified as pests since they can carry bacteria and viruses. For this reason, if you run a food
business, for example, a mouse is definitely a pest.
While it depends on your viewpoint, there are some creatures that most commonly fall under the
term of pest and require control. This includes cockroaches, mice, spiders, rats, fleas, ants, moths,
flies, bedbugs, silverfish, ladybirds and woodworm. If any of these are concerning you, then you are
within your right to have them removed or exterminated.

How are pests eliminated?

There are a lot of ways pests can be controlled and there are a lot of factors that contribute to this. It
can depend on the creature and the size of the infestation as well as the area they are in. While
there are lots of types of pest control, these methods can largely be grouped into six categories:

Hygienic

Hygienic pest control involves making sure all your surfaces and any areas of your home are free of
crumbs and any other scraps that might attract or feed pests. This can be preventative but also
means pests should die off once they are without a food source.

Biological

This approach involves introducing another animal that can regulate the pest. Using natural
predators is a benefit as it means no use of chemicals is required. It can sometimes backfire,
however, if the newly introduced species gets out of hand.

Physical

Physical methods include removing the area the pests use to breed, setting traps for larger animals,
using poisoned bait or field burning which is more commonly used by farmers, but is less favourable
as it can also kill useful creatures.

Chemical

Chemical solutions like insecticides and rodenticides are very popular for insects and rodent
removal respectively as they are highly efficient. When it comes to using chemicals, however, it is
important that extreme care is exercised since these substances are highly toxic.

Fogging

This treatment is commonly used for flying insects and involves spraying a small amount of
insecticide. It is a good option since it is fairly friendly to the environment and is also odourless and
doesn’t leave any residue behind which means it isn’t as messy and time-consuming as other
methods.

Heat treatment

One chemical-free option you might want to consider is heat treatment. This involves increasing the
temperature slowly in order to eliminate the insects no matter what stage of development they are
at. This can be a good choice if you have pets or young children around and don’t want to rely on
chemicals which are potentially harmful.

Where to get help

If your home, office or business is suffering due to pests, the best thing you can do is immediately
turn to a professional. When it comes to animals and infestations, it can be extremely difficult to
track down the pest, find the root of the problem and make sure the infestation doesn’t come back.
For this reason, going to a professional is essential to solving your problem quickly and easily.
Here at CCS Environmental, we offer an outstanding pest control service and have helped
thousands of homes and more than 500 businesses across 14 years of experience. This makes us
one of London’s most experienced commercial and domestic pest and rodent control companies.
When you come to us, you can rest assured that we use only the latest products and pest control
methods to ensure that your home or business is returned to you free of intruders. As well as this,
you can expect this pest control to be enacted by our expert team so that you don’t have to lose out
on any more revenue due to damaged crops or disgruntled customers. Put an end to sleepless
nights worrying about creepy crawlies in your home today by contacting CCS Environmental.