All businesses should have a strategy for pest prevention that is developed and implemented in collaboration with a professional BPCA pest control company such as Harvey Environmental.
Sometimes, however, no matter how many precautions you take, pests find their way inside your property, and it is essential to your reputation and business operations that they are dealt with as soon as possible.
By contacting your local pest professional the instant that you spot the first signs of pest activity, you will dramatically increase the chances of being able to resolve the matter before any serious harm is done.
This is only helpful, however, if you know exactly what to look out for, as the signs of pest activity often appear before the pests themselves appear.
This is where we come in, with this guide to some of the biggest indications that it’s time to call a professional pest control company today.
Droppings
Besides seeing a pest in the flesh, droppings are perhaps the most obvious indication of a pest infestation.
Take a look around the floor of your home, paying particular attention to the back of cupboards, near skirting boards, and other dark secluded areas of your business.
Pest droppings are usually small and dark in colour, ranging from the elongated brown pellets of rodents to the tiny black specks
If you do spot what you believe to be pest droppings, get in touch with a pest control company immediately. With any luck, these droppings will be the work of a single pest or a small population, and a professional will be able to snuff out the issue before a serious infestation can grow.
Time is absolutely critical at this stage as pests can breed extremely quickly once they have found a suitable location and the situation can quickly grow out of control is action isn’t taken.
Strange odours
Have you noticed a strange smell wafting around your property that you just don’t seem to be able to place? If so, there is a chance that it may be coming from a pest infestation.
Urine and droppings building up is not only a danger to public health but also a threat to the nostrils of you and your customers.
Pests are also more than happy to eat the rotten food that human leave behind and will often hoard such food away, leaving nothing more than a putrid stench behind.
The worst smells will usually come as a result of a rodent or bird dying somewhere within the property. This is not only a concern as it indicates the presence of more pests of the same species, but also because the carcasses of dead animals attract a whole host of other pests looking for a free meal and what was once a single pest infestation can quickly become multiple.
Odd sounds
If you hear scratching, scuttling, or other strange noises coming from the walls, ceiling, or floor of your business premises, it is time to call the experts at Harvey Environmental as soon as you can.
Noises such as these, along with whining and squeaking, are pretty clear indications that you are not alone and there are rodents or insects currently living in your commercial site, staying out of sight, but doing untold damage to your property behind the scenes.
These noises are often easier to spot for businesses who operate at night, rather than normal working hours as this is when many pests are most active.
Grease marks
Take a look along the skirting board of your business premises for any streaks of dirt or grease. Rodents have pretty terrible eyesight, especially during the day and will often rub themselves along a nearby surface in order to navigate throughout your property.
Given the habitat that they live in and where they come from, the most common rat in the UK is called the sewer rat after all, their coats are caked with grime, some of which will be dislodged when they move about in this manner.
Gnaw marks
Rodents do a tremendous amount of gnawing to keep their ever growing teeth in check and are not particularly considerate house guests.
They will happily chew their way through wooden beams, furniture, walls, and more to explore new areas and create nesting materials.
Torn fabrics, stained upholstery, and gnaw/scratch marks visible on your walls or floors are all indications of pest activity.
Should you see any of the above, you need to call an expert pest controller as soon as possible not only to limit the damage done but also to guard against the significant risk of fire that arises as a result of rodents chewing on electrical wiring.
If you have spotted any of the common signs of pest activity mentioned in this article, contact your local pest control professional immediately.