Pest control - Coventry domestic customers

If you have a pest infestation, please see the below information and advice on what to do to help control the infestation and prevent further pests. 

Rats

Rats are classed as a public health risk as they can carry and pass on potentially fatal diseases such as Weil's Disease. They can also carry food poisoning bacteria such as salmonella. Rats invade gardens, sheds, compost heaps and properties in search of food or shelter.

• Download our latest leaflet for advice on how to deal with rats entering your garden and what you can do to help avoid infestations. 
• Household waste may encourage rats as this can provide food and shelter - Avoid build-up of rubbish which could attract and act as shelter for rats. Keep wheelie bin lids closed and bags of waste inside the bin. 
• Where pipework goes through walls of your property, make sure it is well sealed around the edges - any gaps could encourage rats to get into the property.
• Refrain from leaving bird and wildlife feeders in your garden for up to 4 weeks until you have control of an infestation - bird food can attract rats to your garden.
• Make sure doors fit snugly within their frames, avoiding any gaps at the bottom.
• Compost heaps are highly attractive to rats as they are a source of both food and shelter, consider emptying or removing a compost heap to avoid re-infestations of rats. 
• Purchase traps - you can purchase the Council's Self-treatment kit or similar items from hardware shops or online. Always follow the instructions to safely place and set traps. 

Mice

The house mouse is common in a wide range of buildings all over Britain. Although mainly a house dweller, it may live outdoors for part or all of the year. The house mouse will invade sheds, garages, cellars and lofts as well as inside properties in search of food, shelter and warmth.

• Avoid letting household waste build up that could attract, and act as shelter for, mice. Keep wheelie bin lids closed and bags of waste inside the bin. 
• Where pipework goes through walls of your property, make sure it is well sealed around the edges - any gaps could encourage rats to get into the property.
• Air bricks with gaps of more than 6mm could also allow access for mice, fit mesh or rodent screens on top of air bricks which help keep mice from entering properties and can be purchased in hardware shops. 
• Make sure doors fit snugly within their frames, avoiding any gaps at the bottom.
• Do not store food in outbuildings (example, bags of dog food) or, put these items into sealed plastic containers.
• Consider purchasing mouse traps which can be found in hardware shops or on the internet. Always follow the instructions to safely place and set traps. 

Fleas

• Fleas are very common, and often carried by a range of domestic pets at some stage during their lifetimes. Adult fleas are parasites and live off warm-blooded animals. They can enter the household via pets or from your clothing after you have visited another area that has fleas (such as another property or while out on a walk). 
• Cats and dogs should be treated for fleas and with an animal insecticide recommended specifically for that purpose by your local Vet or pet shop regularly. We don't recommend cheap treatments as they simply are not strong enough. 
• Since fleas, at various stages of their development, can be found both on and off the animal, complete flea control should involve treating domestic pets as well as the inside of your property. 
• If you have fleas in your property, all floors and upholstered furniture should be vacuumed daily to remove animal hair, organic debris, flea eggs and pupae. Particular attention should be given to the areas where pets have been allowed to roam and rest, such as under furniture, under chairs and sofa cushions. Also cracks and crevices in floors and along walls. The vacuum bag will contain flea eggs and pupae so should be disposed of immediately in an outside waste bin. Hard floors should be mopped daily. 
• Consider purchasing a flea spray for your carpets and upholstered furniture to also use (following the manufacturer's instructions and recommendations).

Bedbugs

Bedbugs are parasites that feed principally from humans at night, but also from dogs, cats and even rodents. The bugs generally hide by day. The bedbug is not a known carrier of disease, but is associated with unpleasant irritation from their bites.

• Bed bugs have to be introduced to a property and will not just appear in your bedroom.
• Bed bugs are extremely hardy and can go without feeding for many months, making it almost impossible to kill them through starvation. Therefore, moving out of an infested property is not helpful. You need to be around in the property so that the bugs will come out and in contact with pesticides in order to eradicate them.
• Avoid buying second-hand bedroom furniture from an unknown source - especially mattresses. These could introduce bedbugs into your home.
• When travelling, check the areas around the beds where you are staying. 
• Throwing away mattresses WILL NOT remove bedbugs. They will still be in other parts of the bedroom and will infest your new mattress. 
• Consider purchasing a bedbug spray from a hardware shop to use until a pest controller can visit to treat it.