Pesky pests: Tauranga pest controllers working hard to keep bugs at bay

Paul Corkin, owner of pest control company Resolvit, dusting for ants and cockroaches. Photo / File

Creepy crawlies are never a fun thing to have pop out of the woodwork or scuttle around the home, and local pest controllers have been kept busy so far this summer.

Pestworks Tauranga owner Patrick Allen said he thought this summer so far had been busier than the previous one.

He said when they took a break over Christmas they were already booked for the first two weeks back in January.

"Covid, I would say, definitely had an impact because there were more people at home noticing their environment a lot more.

"We have noticed a lot of new clients on top of our regulars."

He said there had been many calls about cockroaches and spiders, and they were now starting to get calls for ants and fleas.

"The fleas are starting to become a nuisance. I've spoken with other pest controllers and it seems to be across the board.

"One thing we have noticed is a lot of calls from Airbnbs because they are all so busy with people only able to holiday in New Zealand."

He said there had also been incidents of people trying to tackle big wasp nests themselves.

"If it's a big one, call someone in rather than tackle it yourself."

Pestworks Tauranga owner Patrick Allen. Photo / File

Flick Anticimex Bugs or Us manager Duncan Kerr also said it had been a busy summer so far.

"It was an early summer for us I think. This season feels like it's running about three weeks ahead of schedule.

"There are lots of calls for cockroach control and ants, especially at the moment.

"The fly season has kicked off and will be driving people up the wall."

He said as people came back from their holidays they were expecting the call volume to increase even more.

Kerr said 90 per cent of calls and jobs were for seasonal control for the likes of white tails, spiders, ants, cockroaches and wasps.

"Wasps actually got busy quite early, then went quiet and are picking up again."

He said some of his tips were to keep the house ventilated and cool and have good hygiene standards around the home.

"Be proactive. Don't let the problem get away on you."

Bugs R Us owner Duncan Kerr holding some rat bait. Photo / File

Resolvit owner Paul Corkin said they had been flat out this summer so far and were busier than last year.

"We worked right through Christmas and keep running out of hours in the day to get things done.

"We've been seeing a lot of ant issues and problems ... a lot of people who haven't seen them before are getting them in large numbers."

He said cockroaches were starting to come in with the change of weather, and they had seen a few incidents of stink roaches which was a bit unusual.

Corkin said there had been some very heavy infestations of rats and mice in winter, and they were still getting more calls than normal for this time of year about them.

Bugs @ Bay owner Stuart Marshall said so far they were having a normal busy season which was pretty similar to the last one.

He said they had probably been a bit quieter in terms of flies compared to normal with cool evenings up till now, and that jobs were mostly around mosquitoes, cockroaches and whitetails - "We just had a huge call about whitetails".

He said most people were familiar with the fact that disposing of rubbish and keeping pets clean helped with pest control at home.

How to keep flies away
• Keep windows and doors closed.
• Fit flyscreens
• Cover food and clear it away if spilled.
• Ensure all waste containers have tightly sealed lids.
• Clean up after pets
• Ensure drains are kept clean and free of debris to reduce fly breeding sites.

How to keep cockroaches away
• Eliminate food sources and clean up food preparation areas. Empty the rubbish daily,
• Rinse cans, bottles and plastics - before putting them in recycling bins.
• De-clutter the floor or bottom of cupboards.
• Varnish or paint wood shelves - to seal them, and wipe them clean regularly.
• Seal entry points.

Source: Rentokil