Signs Your Home Has Pests
There’s a saying that prevention is better than the cure and it’s certainly true in the pest control world. First thing’s first: what are some of the signs of the most common pests that may be present in your home?
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Pest Removal & Prevention Services
Combat Pest Control
What you should know
Combat and the Pests
Everyone deserves to enjoy a pest free home so no matter which pest has decided to move into yours, you can be sure we will have the right treatment to have them move out again. We listen to what you have to say, can help you diagnose your pest issue, and will provide treatments only when they are necessary.
Speaking of treatments, we provide only those we have 100% confidence in. You can rest assured we will only ever use treatments we would use in our own homes with families and pets.
Free Checks
Treatments
Maintenance
Free Checks
We offer a free inspection for the new home you’re thinking of buying. You get a LIM & Builder’s Report, why not a pest check?
The check includes an on-site inspection for signs of common pest activity, geographical and seasonal information for your area, identification of hazards which lead to higher pest infestations and of course, advice on preventative and treatment actions.
Treatments
We offer treatments for all types of pest issues in the home and these have set prices and discounts for multi-pest treatments.
We will always deliver the right treatment suited to your unique situation and stand by all of our treatments to ensure you can enjoy a pest free life. This means we will happily return should the need arise after we’ve treated your home.
Maintenance
We offer useful, actionable advice on maintaining the result of treatments and preventing further pest infestations.
Even though our treatments are top-notch, it is impossible to keep some pests away forever. For that reason, we offer seasonal plans based on pest cycles and your specific needs.
TYPES OF PESTS WE TREAT
A little about some of the pests we treat
ANTS
They may be interesting but they’re not welcome.
Other than being a pain at home, ants really do get around. There are currently 40 confirmed species from 23 genera in New Zealand.
Of these, only 11 are endemic (found only in New Zealand), which are generally widespread geographically and commonly found in forested habitats.
The other 29 are introduced species, accidentally transported to New Zealand by humans, mostly from Australia.
Source: Landcare Research New Zealand
SPIDERS
Who really needs’ em dangling above the bed?
New Zealand is home to about 2500 kinds of spiders, most of them harmless to people. Only some spiders are capable of biting humans. There are three species of spiders in New Zealand that should be avoided – the Katipo, the Redback and the White-tailed Spider.
The katipo (Latrodectus Katipo) and the redback spider (Latrodectus Hasselti) belong to the same genus as the American Black Widow spider.
Source: HealthEd
RODENTS
It’s the scuttle that makes you crazy
KIORE Rattus Exulans (Polynesian rat, Maori rat, Pack rat) Introduced by early Polynesian settlers.
NORWAY RAT Rattus Norvegicus (brown rat, water rat, sewer rat) Introduced by Europeans in the late 18th century.
SHIP RAT Rattus Rattus (black rat, blue rat, bush rat, roof rat) Introduced into the North Island about the 1860s and spread rapidly.
HOUSE MOUSE Mus Musculus (field mouse) Established in the Bay of Islands about 1830. Now common throughout mainland New Zealand from shoreline to snowline.
COCKROACHES
Some might survive the apocalypse, but not yours
All cockroaches are pests (and unpleasant ones at that).
The biggest cockroach pests in New Zealand are the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) and the German cockroach (Blattella germanica).
Cockroaches thrive in warm and damp conditions and will dehydrate if the environment is too dry. However, they can survive in extreme conditions for short periods of time.
Cockroaches can survive months without food and up to 4 weeks without water. This makes them very difficult to get rid of.
Source: Ministry of Health New Zealand
WASPS
They sting.
New Zealand has several kinds of native wasps which have evolved here and have never become a nuisance, however, five social species of wasps have been accidentally introduced since the 1940s and are classed as pests (German and common wasps, and three species of paper wasp).
Introduced wasps are a significant pest which harm our native birds and insects, and are a threat to human health and recreation.
FLEAS
Cluster of bites!
Fleas are very common in New Zealand, particularly in association with cats and dogs.
Several species are found on a range of warm-blooded hosts, including humans (eg, the cat flea, the dog flea, the bird flea, and the northern rat flea). Adult fleas are found on the hosts themselves, whereas the larvae and pupae live in places like the burrows or nests of hosts.
Source: Ministry of Health New Zealand
FLIES
Not as bad as in Australia, though…
Found throughout New Zealand, house flies are the most common flies in homes. The dark grey house fly can grow to 1/4″ in length and usually lives only 15 to 25 days. Although house flies usually do not travel past one to two miles from where they are born, house flies will occasionally travel up to 30 kilometres to find food.
House flies have taste buds on their feet, which are 10 million times more sensitive to sugar than taste buds on the human tongue.
House flies can carry over 100 different kinds of germs, most of which can cause disease, so it’s important to control house flies.
BEDBUGS
I know this must be hard for you.
Bed bugs are insects from the genus Cimex that feed on human blood, usually at night.
Their bites can result in a number of health impacts including skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptoms.
Bed bug bites may lead to skin changes ranging from small areas of redness to prominent blisters. Symptoms may take between minutes to days to appear and itchiness is generally present.
Bed bugs are notoriously challenging to try to get rid of without a professional.
Source: Wikipedia
CARPET BEETLES
Maybe they’re responsible for that missing sock
Variated carpet beetles are a common species, often considered a pest of domestic houses and, particularly, natural history museums, where the larvae may damage natural fibers and can damage carpets, furniture, clothing, and insect collections.
Adult beetles A. verbasci range in length from 1.7 to 3.5 mm (0.07 to 0.14 in). The body is rounded, almost spherical. Their backs are covered in fine scales of different colours, creating an irregular pattern of white, brownish and yellowish patches on these features.
The larval form are commonly known as ‘woolly bears’ due to being densely covered in large hairs and measure up to 4–5 millimetres in length.
Source: Wikipedia
BORER
Holey moley!
There are up to 7 species of borer in New Zealand. The most common is the Common House Borer. Signs that you may have borer in your home timbers, doors or furniture include small (2-4mm) flight holes on the surface of the timber and piles of fine sawdust.
Common borer females lay up to 100 eggs on the surface of bare timber or in old borer holes. The eggs take 4-5 weeks to hatch and the larvae then bore into the wood, where they stay, chomping away for up to 4 years.
Source: Consumer NZ
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Pest POSTS
Regular Pest Updates for the Wellington Region & Beyond
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