This fly gets its name from its habit of clustering like a swarm of bees. It is larger than the Common House Fly and can be easily identified as it folds its wings over its back.
The Cluster Fly enters a house during autumn to hibernate and leaves again in spring, often causing a nuisance at these times. In the autumn, the flies tend to collect on the outside of buildings on warm elevations and later find their way inside to cluster – sometimes in their thousands – in roof spaces, under tiles and in sash windows.
One building in a row, no different from the rest, may be heavily infested and its neighbour completely unaffected. The Cluster Fly is a parasite of earthworms, which are usually readily available in any domestic garden.

The Autumn Fly is similar in appearance to the House Fly. Its name originates from the fact that it only appears in houses during the autumn months. This fly breeds in cowpats, in rural areas, where they are in plentiful supply.

A worker ant is 3-4mm long, brown and black, with antennae and biting mouthparts (Queens are 15mm long). There is no point in killing the odd ant, as you need to source the nest. Black ants are normally under stones, slabs and near to houses, and find their way into homes to feed on foods. One ant sources the food and returns to the nest, and within an hour scores can follow. Once the nest is traced it can be treated with an insect powder labelled for that use, and applying a residual insecticide spray outside the building, paying special attention to entry points i.e., door frames, air-bricks and waste pipes.

Wasps have the ability to sting repeatedly, although the drones (male wasp) do not have a sting, and the drones only appear towards the autumn. Wasps never use the same nest twice and all female and male wasps die as winter sets in, with only the new queens hibernating over winter to emerge in the spring. The queen lays the first eggs in the nest and after 3-5 weeks the first workers emerge, taking over the responsibility of the nest and the queen devotes her time to egg laying.

Cockroaches are thought to have been in the UK for around 200 years. They are gregarious and nocturnal creatures who need warm conditions to thrive. A pest in their own right domestically but much more of a concern commercially due to the spread of disease, they can usually be found in the greatest numbers in the warmer areas of a property. By day they seek harborage in cracks and crevices and always require thorough treatment in order to achieve full control. Associated with the spread of numerous diseases such as dysentery, gastroenteritis and typhoid, the cockroaches’ diet includes food for human consumption. This can be easily contaminated by the transfer of disease from the insect’s body or transmission in their faeces.

Bed bugs feed on our blood and can leave itchy spots. They are 4-5mm long and reddish brown in colour, becoming a duller red after feeding. They prefer human hosts but they will feed on any warm-blooded animal. They do not fly but either crawl or are transported by clothes, furniture luggage etc. They can withstand many months even a year without feeding increasing their chances of survival. Hiding places are furniture fittings electrical plug switches, wallpaper and beds. Once located, they can be treated with residual insecticide in all cracks and crevices, and ULV insecticide for the rest of the room. All bedding should be hot washed. Secondary treatment may be necessary.

Clothes Moths are just under half an inch, and a golden yellow/buff colour with a silky sheen. Their eggs are ivory-coloured, about the size of a pin-head, and the larvae are a creamy colour,
Moths and their larvae do not pose a health risk but if they are allowed to run wild clothes, curtains, carpets and rugs can be damaged.
While moths flying towards a light are a common sight, this isn’t where you will find Clothes Moths. They prefer to stay in darkness. The inside of a wardrobe or chest of drawers is the perfect home for them and they can find a way in through very narrow cracks in furniture or boards.
Once hatched,the larvae feed on natural fibres including clothes made from wool, which is where most of us notice a problem, but they can also attack carpets, rugs,feathers and fur.

The adult beetle feeds only on pollen and the nectar of garden flowers. The larva feeds on a range of household fabrics including carpets, woollen and cotton goods. They will also eat fur and feathers and infestations can be associated with the presence of dead animals and birds, and sometimes wasp’s nests, which can also be attacked. The mature larva are 4-5mm long and have a series of dense tufts of bristles and hair located on each side of the rear end of the body. These bristles give rise to the common name for the larva: “woolly bears”
The female beetle lays about 40 eggs, which take just over 2 weeks to hatch. The larva will live and feed for about 7-10 months. The larva then turns into a pupa and an adult beetle emerges after about a month. The adults only live for 2-6 weeks.

Silverfish are slender, wingless insects, shiny silver in appearance, approximately 10mm long with three, long bristletails at the end of their body.
They 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 seen 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, or books and other materials that are high in protein, sugar, starch, cereals. They seldom damage fibres of animal origin such as wool or hair.

The adult beetle is 2-3 mm in length, oval in shape, reddish brown in colour, with a dense covering of yellowish hairs. The young (larvae) of this insect look like a whitish maggot. If you find these insects in your home, it is likely that you have brought them in with an infested dry product. This could be any of the following: cereals and cereal products, pasta, spices, nuts, chocolate, dried beans, flour, rice, biscuits (including dog or cat biscuits).
These insects will breed very quickly in the right conditions.

Indian Meal Moths are very common pests of plant-based foods, including corn meal, flour, and other milled grain products.

They also will infest other dried plant products including potpourri, dried flowers, etc. Adult Indian Meal Moths are about half an inch in length and are grey, black, and brown in colour. The larvae are cream-coloured and can be found in and around the foods that they are feeding upon.

Rice weevils and granary weevils bore through the outer shells of whole grains during their larval stages, and eat the grain from the inside out, often leaving little but the shell by the time they’re done. They commonly infest whole-grain, seed foods such as rice, wheat, bird seed, oats, rye, barley, nuts, and so forth. If necessary they can also survive on milled grain products, processed cereals, or other non-seed, plant-based food.

The common or brown rat live anywhere there is a food source and shelter. They can live in lofts, cellars, under garden sheds, compost heaps, and also burrow underground. Rats are very adaptable, intelligent, and agile and have an omnivorous diet. Rats in right conditions can live for 2-3 years, and a female can produce 4-6 litters a year and the young reach sexual maturity between 2-3 months, and produce 6-8 young per litter. Rats are mainly nocturnal and neophobic (very wary of new objects) in their surroundings. They will travel 60-80 metres in search of food. It is essential to avoid re-infestation of rats to make sure there is no food about as rats will eat and drink anything they find, even gnawing and ripping open packets, and then they foul food with urine and droppings. Good advice is to securely store rubbish. Rats will make nests under huts, amongst wood piles, bricks etc. Rats are very mobile, breed rapidly, and so rat control is a difficult task, unless you are experienced in the best way to treat the infestation.

There are house mice and long tailed field mice. The house mouse is small dark and grey with a longish tail. The field mouse is much prettier and is yellow and brown with white underside and a long tail, and is more common in rural areas. It is believed that 95% of rodent infestations in homes are mice not rats. They can be heard in wall cavities and lofts, and can do considerable damage even chewing through insulation, pipes and cables.

Mice are mainly active at night, are inquisitive and agile and rely on humans for most of their existence. Mice do not have bladders and urinate anywhere at any time, but do not drink much water. They have 5-10 litters a year, average litter is 6-8 and the young are sexually mature at 6-8 weeks. Mice live for approximately one year. The droppings are rice grain size and black. The airing cupboard is a favourite nesting place as is the loft or attic. They can be successfully controlled using either baits or traps. Good hygiene can help prevent mice and proofing against entry.

Grey squirrels are “rats with better PR”, these pest cause a wide range of damage and often carry disease. The grey Squirrel can nest in your wall cavities, between false walls and in the loft, The squirrel may use roof insulation for nesting materials and may chew boxes and other items stored in the roof space, in some instances they have been known to chew electric cables and roof joists causing a potentially hazardous condition, at the same time causing the problem of noise.