Bay Pest Services owner-operator Chris Brunel. Photo / File
A "mega" wasp nest and ant infestations are just some of the jobs Bay of Plenty pest controllers have been kept busy with this summer.
Local services say the extra hot temperatures have meant some creepy crawlies are more prevalent this year.
Proactive Pest Solutions Ltd co-owner Rhiannon Mitchell said they had been really busy so far this summer, which was great because they had only been in business for 18 months.
Mitchell said they had been inundated with jobs for fleas and especially ants, which were loving the warmth this year.
"Ants have been a really big one this summer; everyone is struggling with ants."
"We've had a customer who has been living in their house for 50 years and never had a problem with ants but has been this year. And this isn't just in Rotorua; we work out of town and it's definitely throughout the Bay of Plenty."
She had also noticed calls regarding problems with wasps were starting to pick up.
Her main advice was not to have a "she'll be right" attitude to start off with.
"People leave the problem and then it's an expensive fix. If you call earlier it's cheaper."
Alpeco managing director Heiko Kaiser said they had been getting many calls about flies and had recently been called to a "mega" wasp nest under a house in Maketu.
Kaiser said bed bugs were also still around, though spiders and ants were the biggest issues.
He said this summer was becoming busier than last year and they had been to some big-scale ant jobs at campgrounds and big properties with mass infestations, including a Rotorua home with an ant nest in its roof.
"I think the problem of ants is bigger than last year. With this dry, hot weather, they go crazy in it."
Kaiser said German cockroaches could be a problem and was an issue that they often put down to hygiene and cleanliness.
"For example, some tenants need to take more responsibility and have more respect for other people's property.
"Don't leave food standing around and clean thoroughly."
He recommended people get proper treatments and professional help early in the season.
"Do something before it's too late. Check around your house about every three months to see if there are any areas pests have been established.
"Let us know early and that helps keep the cost down."
He said issues with birds, including sparrows, swallows and seagulls, were also becoming more common, and Rotorua restaurants were complaining birds were taking food from customers.
"We need to do something about swarms of birds over this season. Some people love the birds and feed them, while some don't like them. There needs to be a compromise of some sort."
Bay Pest Services owner Chris Brunel also said they had been busy so far this summer.
"It's been extremely hot, so that always promotes the activity of insects. We have noticed quite a few more wasps, and we even think some of the wasp nests are wintering over as we are finding that a few of them are really established."
Brunel, who has been in the industry for 31 years, said he had seen a lot of the insects' patterns and he thought some were starting to show unusual patterns, including wasps.
If people did discover a wasp nest, even though it might seem simple, get a professional in and don't attempt to remove it yourself, he said.
"It can develop into a disaster very quickly."
So far he said he hadn't seen much of a fly season, but ants were always a problem in Rotorua.
Rotorua Pest Control owner-operator Neil Olive said so far this summer had been as busy as last year and he had been getting calls for the majority of insects.
Keeping your house cool could help fewer flies come in, he said.