If you have any questions at all regarding all kinds of pests and the treatments we use to eliminate and prevent them, read our extensive FAQ’s. If you don’t see an answer to your question, feel free to contact us.
Ants are the only pest for which we do not offer a warranty. This is because of their colony structure and the fact that they can have multiple exits to their nests. However we do guarantee to greatly reduce the number of ants on your property.
There are many different species of ants and many products target different species. Ants also have multiple nests and the ants you may have killed may be from a different nest. Our ant bait Hymenopthor targets all species in WA and is highly effective.
Black ants will kill termites but the nest or mud tubes need to be open for them to do that. Often ants can be within centimeters of an enclosed termite pathway and neither ant nor termite is aware of each others presence.
It contains attractants which appeal to the protein ants (meat eaters) sweet feeding ants (attracted to sugars) and oil based feeders as well. The ants take the bait back to the colony and feed the poison to the larva. This will rapidly destroy the ant colony.
Learn more about the different types of Ants in Australia.
The most common entry is by those who have been traveling in their clothes or luggage. You may also get them by bringing infected second hand furniture into your house.
They are an international pest and the even the best hotels have them. Some people have been known to bring them home from public places such as picture cinemas.
The spray will be effective immediately. However the spray will not kill the eggs. Some eggs may hatch over the next three weeks and the residual effect of the spray will kill them before they become adults.
We always recommend a follow up treatment and inspection after 21 days to ensure that the procedure is fully effective.
Dry cleaning will kill the adults, the nymphs and the eggs with a 100% success rate.
Often they are small and red and in rows. Many people develop an itchy red welt or localized swelling, which sometimes appears a day or so after the bite. With itching and scratching they can become infected. Often they will bite one person more than another sharing the same bed.
There is no reason why you can not sleep in the room several hours after treatment, but most people prefer to allow one day before spending all night in the room.
The dangers in using an insecticide repellent are twofold. Firstly the active ingredient of such products has been shown to be only partially effective in killing bed bugs and secondly it has a high probability of causing the bugs to move into other rooms thus spreading the infestation.
Vacuuming the room is an excellent way of reducing the number of both adults and eggs in the room. It should only be done with a bag vacuum cleaner (which should be disposed of after use) and should always be done in conjunction with a non-repellent chemical treatment.
Yes, it has been shown that freezing bed bugs contained in clothing for 2 hours will give a 100% kill rate.
Bed bugs may take up to 21 days to hatch in the cooler months.
Yes, the overall incidence of bed bugs worldwide is increasing. In the US the incidence of bed bugs has increased by 500% in hotels since 1999 and the number in Australia is on the rise also.
The chemical we use is Ficam which contains the active ingredient Bendiocarb. We use it as it is a non-repellant; which means the bed bugs do not know they are crawling on the poison until it is too late. The danger of using a repellent chemical which you can buy from the supermarket is that you may make the problem worse by causing the bed bugs to move to another room thus spreading the infestation.
The bed bug primarily attacks humans but can feed on any warm blooded animal such as birds, mice, and pets.
The treatment has severely disturbed the swarm and the ones that are not killed will move on to another location within a few hours.
The most common wasp is the paper wasp which hovers in flight and nest above ground. They often nest in or under eaves and under fence capping.
The European wasp is a notifiable pest to the Agricultural Department. They live in large colonies of up to 5000 wasps in an underground nest. You are much more likely to have paper wasps which nest above ground in colonies of around 30 wasps.
No, the wasps do not return to an old nest. You may simply destroy an old nest.
Yes, we have cat cages that we can set up and then we collect the cats once we have caught them in the cages.
We take them to Cat Haven in Shenton Park and we support the organization so that the cats are always treated humanely.
No, the Gel we use is registered for use in food preparation places such as restaurants and hospitals. In fact we can apply the Gel in a safe manner even when restaurants are open and working.
Cockroaches like warm dark places and of course food scraps. Once you have noticed cockroaches it is essential to be extra careful about cleaning up after meals and removing all food scraps. It is also a good time for a spring clean and removing accumulated grease and oil deposits from around the stove and cooking areas. Try also to fill in any cracks and crevices around the bench top if possible.
It is important to vacuum all the carpets to remove as many adults and eggs as possible and then to rub the carpets with the back of a broom to activate the eggs to hatch just prior to treatment.
Your pet should be treated with fleas and the bedding if possible should be bagged and removed.
The lawns should be mown so that the chemical has a better penetration into the soil. It is also preferable to water the lawn for 10-15 min prior to the application of the chemical. The lawns should not be watered for several days after application.
Flea bites generally result in the formation of a slightly-raised swollen itching spot with a single puncture point at the center. The bites often appear in clusters or lines, and can remain itchy and inflamed for up to several weeks afterwards.
That is a good idea to do prior to our treatment but now that I am here it is best to wait a few weeks so that the residual effect of the chemical is not affected in any way. We recommend Breathe Easy Carpet and Fabric Care.
Although it is possible, the likelihood of secondary poisoning is extremely small. Your dog or cat would need to eat a large number of dead rodents. Fortunately the effect of the poison can be easily reversed by injections of vitamin K1. We have not had any complaints of secondary poison under the present management.
Rats generally live in burrows below ground or in rubbish or wood piles. The baits we use work by prevention of the rodents production of Vitamin K1 which acts to clot their blood. Over a period of 3-7 days the rats will die. It is therefore much more likely that they will die outside your building than inside it. However it is possible and we can come to remove any rats and deodorize as part of another service.
The thing to remember is that the rats that get in your roof will die regardless of whether we come or not. They only live about 12 months but it will be better if we kill the rats you have now than let them reproduce and you face a much worse problem in the future.
No, the baits are attractive to rodents not dogs or cats. It also contains a bittering agent called Bitrex which makes it taste unpleasant to pets and humans. Nevertheless we always place the baits in locations that your pets do not have access to as a precaution. Poisoning can be easily reversed if the animal is quickly injected with vitamin K1.
The baits we use work by prevention of the rodents production of Vitamin K1 (The bait contains an ingredient which fools the rodents body in thinking it has produced enough K1) which acts to clot their blood. After eating the bait the rats will die over a period of 3-7 days. However because rats are cautious by nature it will take several days for them to start to accept the bait, so we say allow 2 weeks for the baits to be most effective.
Rodent baiting is the quickest and most effective way to greatly reduce a rodent population. However rats have lived and around mankind for centuries and are well adapted to both city and country life. Though we may kill all the rats that originate from your property there may be other rats breeding nearby.
So it is always a case of reduce and then maintain low populations.
Rats can eat a wide variety of building materials, stored products, and of course food that you eat. And because of their requirement to be constantly gnawing, they also are responsible for a large number of house fires every year when they chew through electrical wiring.
They also have the potential to spread a wide variety of diseases.
For silverfish we use a product called Pestigas which is 99% carbon dioxide and 1 % Pyrethroid. The carbon dioxide acts to suffocate any flying insects and the Pyrethroid acts as an insecticide.
Yes, so it important to completely seal off the tank with an air proof seal such as Glad Wrap and turn off the filter.
If you have a small tank it may be more convenient to move the tank to an outbuilding.
You will have to remove your bird to a location outside the house. Dogs, cats and aviaries outside will be safe. If you have a dog or cat door entry you will have to prevent your pet from gaining access to the house.
Yes, for the most effective treatment we would ask you to empty your wardrobes and drawers of clothes. These may be put on your bed so we can put a residual spray inside your cupboards. If you could also move furniture away from the walls so we can spray the skirting boards our treatment will be more effective.
We recommend four hours absence from the house and we suggest that you fully ventilate the house upon your return.
Silverfish can be found in moist places such as kitchens and bathrooms, underneath floors, sinks, in cupboards, and along pipes where they hide during the day and feed during the night. They are extremely fast runners and are sometimes you will see them trapped in wash hand basins or baths where they are unable to climb out.
Silverfish are scavengers and can cause damage in the home by eating materials such as wallpaper, books, clothes and other materials that are high in protein, sugar, starch, cereals. They seldom damage fibres of animal origin such as wool. Tell tale sign of silverfish include scales, excrement, or yellowish stains on paper or fabric.
A female will lay less than 100 eggs during her lifetime depositing them in damp and warm places such as cracks and crevices or behind skirting boards. The eggs hatch after two to eight weeks depending upon conditions. The lifecycle being completed within 3 – 4 months in warm humid conditions, or within 2-3 years in cooler dryer conditions. Newly hatched insects are about 2mm long and look like miniature adults. The insects and their eggs can be brought into the home in cardboard boxes, books, papers, starched and rayon fabrics, and other carbohydrate materials.
We ask that you place a tarpaulin completely over your aviary and fish pond as both birds and fish are quite sensitive to the sprays which we use.
Leave the cobwebs for about 10 days as the chemical absorbs into the web and will still be effective against other spiders that move in to claim the old web.
We offer a three month warranty for spiders, which means your spider activity will be greatly reduced for three months. Many of our customers get an annual service done to keep the spider population under control.
The chemicals we use now are much safer than those used in the past. The chemicals we use now have low toxicity levels. We do recommend however that if you have young children that you leave the house during the time the chemical is being applied. The chemicals are all injected underground.
There is no requirement but as a precaution especially if there is a chance you may be pregnant we suggest that you leave prior to chemical application.
We would recommend that you leave the house prior to chemical application.
We have customer service managers who could explain the different treatment options, answer any questions you may have and give an obligation free quote.
Remove stored timber away from house, fix any drainage problems such as defective guttering, lack of down pipes or soak wells, air-conditioning overflow needs to be connected to soak well, Any stored goods next to an external wall should be off the ground with 150 mm inspection gap. And ideally the area around the house should be paved and garden beds adjacent to the house removed. Railway sleepers can make great termite nests as well as old stumps and dead trees, so we recommend their removal.
For a timber floored home we recommend traps cut so that we can access and view every part of the sub floor.
Finally the most important thing to do is have at least yearly inspections and a chemical barrier around the house every 3-5 years which we can work in partnership with you.
What we are doing is like putting a moat around a castle except here your house is the castle and the chemical barrier the moat. If we don’t drill there we are exposing your house to greater risk of termites getting into the building.
So it’s up to you. We don’t recommend it but if you are sure, we will note it on the acceptance form that you requested us not to drill there and that you are prepared to accept the risk of termites getting into your house through that gap in the barrier.
Our company knows of carpenters who will professionally cut traps and even install a brass lifting ring so that it ends up looking extremely neat and smooth. This will cost between $60-$80 a trap normally. However if we cant inspect under this floor we won’t know if the termites are active or not.
Our recommendation is reapplication of a chemical barrier every 3 to 5 years as the chemical starts to lose effectiveness after this time period.
The Australian standard recommends at least every 12 months. Most people have fire and motor vehicle insurance and yet are unaware that termites do more damage than fires, floods, storms and earthquakes combined in Australia.
Are you aware that almost all house insurance policies do not cover termite damage? Having a yearly inspection which usually costs less than a fire policy is actually good value and highly recommended.
The termite treatment is a barrier around the outside of the house, (and internal walls of your sub floor, in the case of a timber floored home) which is highly effective at keeping termites away from your home but there can be problems in the construction of the house; for example there may be cracks in the concrete and plumbing penetrations may also be termite entry points. Also tradesman or even members of your own household may disturb the barrier by doing gardening, repairs to your retic, or hot water service. (Even dogs burying a bone can disturb the barrier.)
We therefore recommend annual inspections. The Australian standard recommends at least every 12 months even after termite treatments because of the factors I have mentioned.
No. It is important to leave the termites undisturbed so that we can bait and destroy the colony if necessary. Remember you might kill a few hundred but there could be millions back in the nest.
Termites have the potential to effectively destroy the structural integrity of a home. In the worst case houses, have been demolished because of the damage termites do. More commonly they may eat out door frames, skirting boards, window frames, kitchen or bathroom cabinets or wooden floors and of course roof timbers. The damage bill may be anything from a few hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars.
Australia as a whole is a country that has high risk but according to CSIRO data, Perth has been identified as very high risk. This is due to the presence of one of the most aggressive species of termite in the world Coptotermes Acinaciformis. This species which is very common in Perth is large in size and large in colony size, with up to 2 million termites in a mature colony. We also have sandy soils which the termites like and the timbers we use in houses are the natural timbers that the local termites eat in the bush.
Each product registered for use is highly effective in its own right. Termidor has the advantage that it may contribute to colony demise over time. The undisputed best product at the moment is Exterra but does cost around $2000-$2500. Contact us for an onsite quote!
Exterra is the only baiting system registered for termites at this time. The bait stations are placed around your home and contain timber and attractants to termites. The termites are drawn to the stations and then eat the bait and return it to the colony. After a period of weeks the colony is destroyed.
It is because they are similar in size to ants, they are white, they are insects, they are highly organized like ants and they live in colonies. However biologically, they are more closely related to cockroaches than ants.
Even with new houses there is a need for termite inspections because of construction problems such as cracks in the concrete and plumbing penetration points. Furthermore the warranty on your chemical treatment under your house is often dependant on regular inspections.
Termites are able to do severe damage to a house over a period of months.
No, the termites send out foragers for food in a random pattern and will not be content with a single food source. Eventually, unless your house is protected, it is highly likely they will find a way into your house and do structural damage.
If your house was built prior to 1995 it was likely that the chemical used was an organochlorine. However they were effectively banned in that year. Since then it is likely that any chemical, which should be identified in your meter box, was a synthetic pyrethroid, such as Bifenthrin, which we use regularly.
We can trap possums in a trap but do strongly recommend possum proofing your house as another one could move in or its mate or young could also.
Yes we have mobile Eftpos, we also accept cash, credit card or cheque.
Payment is within seven days.
This is normally organized before the job starts when discussing it with the guys in the office or the customer service manager on site.
We have EziDebit available as a payment plan option for work over $1000, just ask our team member to organise the forms for you prior to the day of service.
The chemicals we apply are registered to be used in hospitals, schools and public places. They need to be used in conjunction with protective clothing, especially when mixing. During application we recommend staying indoors and if possible, especially if you have young children or could be pregnant, to leave the house while treatment is in progress.
As a precaution we recommend yes, take any asthmatic children away from the house during spraying/injecting.
We normally only spray the skirting boards inside the house, which is not where babies crawl. However as a precaution we ask you keep babies away from areas in which we have sprayed for several hours until the chemical has dried.
Answer will depend on pest. Spiders, rodents, 3 months. Ants: only to largely reduce numbers initially. Termites 12 months after a full treatment, if there was some fault in our application or treatment.
Yes, we spray for Bindi, and the best time for that is from mid June to September before flowering commences.
You can’t buy it a Bunnings; I am not sure about the answer to that question as the company buys it direct from the wholesaler.
The spray we use is water based and does not leave a stain on carpets.
Insurance policies do not cover pest control as part of their standard or optional policies. You would have to have a policy especially written to cover pests such as termites which I imagine would be very expensive.
