Common Pests | Vrc Pest Control

most common infestations. See at the bottom of this page for a more detailed article about all pests.

1. Cockroaches

As professional licensed and certificated pest controllers, one of the most common insect infestations we regularly deal with in homes, food outlets, companies and even hospitals is cockroaches. We eliminate cockroaches using an integrated approach, primarily with highly effective gel baits that roaches carry back to the nest, causing a chain reaction of deaths, combined with residual sprays in hidden areas, and sometimes dusts (like boric acid) for inaccessible spots, all while emphasising thorough hygiene to remove food/water and sealing entry points.

Key Methods Used by Professionals:

• Gel Baits: Small dots of poison are placed in cracks, crevices, and appliances where roaches hide.
• Residual Sprays: Insecticide liquids applied to surfaces leave a killing residue.
• Insecticide Dusts: Applied to voids and hard-to-reach areas.
• Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs): Chemicals that stop roaches from maturing.
• Fumigation/Fogging: Powerful smoke or mist for severe infestations.
• Monitoring: Sticky traps to assess levels.

Integrated Approach (The "IPM" Strategy):

• Inspection: Finding harbourages and food/water sources.
• Sanitation: Intense cleaning is crucial.
• Exclusion: Sealing entry points.
• Treatment: Strategic applying of baits or sprays.

Fleas:

We treat flea infestations using professional-grade residual insecticides sprayed on floors and carpets, often combined with fogging/fumigation, and advanced methods like heat treatments. Pets must be treated simultaneously.

The Process:

1. Inspection & Preparation: Vacuuming and clearing floors are required.
2. Chemical Application: Odourless, long-lasting insecticide is applied.
3. Fumigation/Fogging: For severe cases.
4. Heat Treatment: Premium option to kill fleas in a single day.

Fleas

We treat a flea infestation to get rid of fleas using professional-grade residual insecticides sprayed on floors and carpets, often combined with fogging/fumigation, and sometimes advanced methods like heat treatments, plus require thorough home preparation (vacuuming, removing items) and treating pets to eliminate all life stages. The chemicals kill adult fleas and then the hatched eggs/larvae over several weeks, requiring homeowners to avoid cleaning treated areas for 10-14 days.

The Process

Inspection & Preparation: A technician first assesses the infestation and instructs you to thoroughly vacuum carpets, clear floors, remove soft furnishings, and often vacate the property for several hours (e.g., 4 hours).
Chemical Application: An invisible, odourless, long-lasting insecticide is applied to all floors, carpets, and sometimes skirting boards to kill adult fleas and prevent eggs from hatching.
Fumigation/Fogging (Optional): For severe cases, a fogger might be used to disperse insecticide into the air and hard-to-reach areas.
Heat Treatment (Premium Option): Sometimes, we offer heat treatments that raise the temperature in the home to kill fleas in a single day

What to Expect After Treatment

Patience is Key: You might see fleas reappear for a few weeks as pupae hatch; this is normal.
Avoid Cleaning: Do not vacuum, sweep, or wash treated floors for 10-14 days to let the insecticide work.
Pet Treatment is Crucial: Your pets must be treated with vet-approved products simultaneously, or they will re-infest the house.

Why Professionals Are Needed
Professionals use stronger, strictly controlled, longer-lasting chemicals and follow-up protocols (like monitoring traps) that aren't available to the public, ensuring they target all life stages (eggs, larvae, adults).

Bed Bugs:

We eliminate bed bugs combining heat treatments (50°C+) with professional insecticides, steam cleaning, and residual treatments. Multiple visits are usually needed for complete eradication. Professionals target hidden spots like mattress seams and bed frames to ensure no life stages survive.

We eliminate bed bugs using a multi-pronged approach, combining heat treatments (raising temperatures to 50°C+) to kill all life stages with targeted application of professional-grade insecticides, insecticidal dusts (like diatomaceous earth), and steam cleaning, followed by thorough vacuuming and residual treatments that remain active for weeks to catch newly hatched bugs. They meticulously inspect and treat hidden spots like mattress seams, bed frames, and furniture, often requiring multiple visits for complete eradication.

Key Techniques Used by Professionals:

Heat Treatment:
- Raises room or building temperature to lethal levels (around 45-50°C/113°F+) for several hours.
- Kills eggs, nymphs, and adults by drying out their bodies.
- A highly effective, chemical-free method, but requires specialised equipment.
Insecticides:
- Residual Sprays: Applied to surfaces, these chemicals kill bugs on contact and remain active for weeks, eliminating newly hatched nymphs.
- Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs): Prevent immature bugs from developing into adults.
- Contact Sprays: Kill on contact, like Steri-Fab.
Steam Cleaning:
- Pressurised steam penetrates cracks and crevices where bed bugs hide.
- Kills bugs and eggs on contact in furniture, mattresses, and along baseboards.
Vacuuming & Deep Cleaning:
- Professionals thoroughly vacuum entire rooms, furniture, and mattress seams.
- High heat washing and drying of fabrics is also crucial.
Insecticidal Dusts:
- Powders like diatomaceous earth (DE) or Cimexa are applied to cracks and voids.
- They work by damaging the bugs' outer layer, causing dehydration.
Bed Bug Detection Dogs: Sometimes we use trained dogs to locate infestations in difficult-to-treat areas.

Why Professionals Are Necessary:

Bed bugs hide in tiny, hard-to-reach places.
They are resistant to many common chemicals.
A combination of methods is usually needed, requiring expert knowledge.

What to Expect:

Multiple Visits: Eradication usually takes 2-3 visits to catch bugs as they hatch.
Preparation: You'll need to prepare the area by decluttering and washing items.
Post-Treatment Care: Avoid cleaning treated areas for a period to let insecticides work.

For any other help and advice please contact us.

Ants:

Ants are common household and garden pests, primarily invading buildings for food, water, or shelter, particularly during dry or warm periods. They form large, organized foraging trails attracted to sweets, fats, and oils. While they rarely cause structural damage, some species like carpenter ants can exploit, and worsen, pre-existing rot in wood.

Black Garden Ant (Garden Ants): Most common invader; creates nests under paving or in walls.
Carpenter Ants: Nest in wood, potentially accelerating damage, especially in moist conditions.
Pharaoh’s Ants: Tiny ants often found in heated buildings, hospitals, and high-rise apartments.
Thief Ants: Tiny ants that feed on greasy food and other pests' nests.
Fire Ants: Known for painful bites/stings, acting as an aggressive outdoor nuisance.
Problems Caused by Ants
Contamination: They march through food cupboards, transferring bacteria from filthy environments.
Garden Damage: Ants protect honeydew-producing aphids, which damage plants, and can create nests that cause roots to dry out.
Infestation: They form large colonies of tens of thousands, often with multiple queens for certain species.
Structural Nuisance: While rare, some species may damage electrical wiring.
Control and Management
Hygiene: Immediately clean food crumbs, spills, and store food in sealed containers.
Seal Entry Points: Block gaps in walls, doors, and foundations.
Baiting: Use sugar-based baits to lure workers, which carry poison back to destroy the queen and nest.
Nest Destruction: For outdoor nests, use boiling water or specialized insecticides.
Avoid Killing One by One: Crushing ants can release pheromones, which act as a "dinner bell" to attract more ants to the area.

Fleas

Inspection & Preparation: A technician first assesses the infestation and instructs you to thoroughly vacuum carpets, clear floors, remove soft furnishings, and often vacate the property for several hours (e.g., 4 hours).

Chemical Application: An invisible, odourless, long-lasting insecticide is applied to all floors, carpets, and sometimes skirting boards to kill adult fleas and prevent eggs from hatching.

Fumigation/Fogging (Optional): For severe cases, a fogger might be used to disperse insecticide into the air and hard-to-reach areas.

Heat Treatment (Premium Option): Sometimes, we offer heat treatments that raise the temperature in the home to kill fleas in a single day

What to Expect After Treatment

Patience is Key: You might see fleas reappear for a few weeks as pupae hatch; this is normal.

Avoid Cleaning: Do not vacuum, sweep, or wash treated floors for 10-14 days to let the insecticide work.

Pet Treatment is Crucial: Your pets must be treated with vet-approved products simultaneously, or they will re-infest the house.

Why Professionals Are Needed Professionals use stronger, strictly controlled, longer-lasting chemicals and follow-up protocols (like monitoring traps) that aren't available to the public, ensuring they target all life stages (eggs, larvae, adults).

Heat Treatment:

Raises room or building temperature to lethal levels (around 45-50°C/113°F+) for several hours.

Kills eggs, nymphs, and adults by drying out their bodies.

A highly effective, chemical-free method, but requires specialised equipment.

Insecticides:

Residual Sprays: Applied to surfaces, these chemicals kill bugs on contact and remain active for weeks, eliminating newly hatched nymphs.

Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs): Prevent immature bugs from developing into adults.

Contact Sprays: Kill on contact, like Steri-Fab.

Steam Cleaning:

Pressurised steam penetrates cracks and crevices where bed bugs hide.

Kills bugs and eggs on contact in furniture, mattresses, and along baseboards.

Vacuuming & Deep Cleaning:

Professionals thoroughly vacuum entire rooms, furniture, and mattress seams.

High heat washing and drying of fabrics is also crucial.

Insecticidal Dusts:

Powders like diatomaceous earth (DE) or Cimexa are applied to cracks and voids.

They work by damaging the bugs' outer layer, causing dehydration.

Bed Bug Detection Dogs: Sometimes we use trained dogs to locate infestations in difficult-to-treat areas.

Why Professionals Are Necessary:

Bed bugs hide in tiny, hard-to-reach places.

They are resistant to many common chemicals.

A combination of methods is usually needed, requiring expert knowledge.

What to Expect:

Multiple Visits: Eradication usually takes 2-3 visits to catch bugs as they hatch.

Preparation: You'll need to prepare the area by decluttering and washing items.

Post-Treatment Care: Avoid cleaning treated areas for a period to let insecticides work.

Black Garden Ant (Garden Ants): Most common invader; creates nests under paving or in walls.

Carpenter Ants: Nest in wood, potentially accelerating damage, especially in moist conditions.

Pharaoh’s Ants: Tiny ants often found in heated buildings, hospitals, and high-rise apartments.

Thief Ants: Tiny ants that feed on greasy food and other pests' nests.

Fire Ants: Known for painful bites/stings, acting as an aggressive outdoor nuisance.

Problems Caused by Ants

Contamination: They march through food cupboards, transferring bacteria from filthy environments.

Garden Damage: Ants protect honeydew-producing aphids, which damage plants, and can create nests that cause roots to dry out.

Infestation: They form large colonies of tens of thousands, often with multiple queens for certain species.

Structural Nuisance: While rare, some species may damage electrical wiring.

Control and Management

Hygiene: Immediately clean food crumbs, spills, and store food in sealed containers.

Seal Entry Points: Block gaps in walls, doors, and foundations.

Baiting: Use sugar-based baits to lure workers, which carry poison back to destroy the queen and nest.

Nest Destruction: For outdoor nests, use boiling water or specialized insecticides.

Avoid Killing One by One: Crushing ants can release pheromones, which act as a "dinner bell" to attract more ants to the area.

Why Professionals Are Needed
Professionals use stronger, strictly controlled, longer-lasting chemicals and follow-up protocols (like monitoring traps) that aren't available to the public, ensuring they target all life stages (eggs, larvae, adults).