Which ants come indoors?

Almost always the black garden ant. It nests under paving, in lawns and in the gaps at the base of a wall, and sends workers inside in search of sugar. A trail across the kitchen floor to a jar of honey in May or June is the classic picture. Flying ants in July and August are the same species on its mating flight, and they are gone in a day or two.

A less common problem is the pharaoh ant, a tiny pale yellow ant that lives in heated buildings all year, nests in wall cavities and behind skirting, and can turn up in blocks of flats. Spraying pharaoh ants makes things worse, because the colony splits and spreads. They need a professional bait programme, so if your ants are very small, yellowish and present in winter, say so in the enquiry.

Can I get rid of garden ants myself?

Often. Find where the trail enters, seal the gap, keep sugary foods in closed containers and wipe surfaces so the scent trail is broken. Bait stations from a hardware shop, placed on the trail, let the workers carry the bait back to the nest. If ants keep appearing in several rooms, come up through the floor, or you cannot find the nest, a pest controller can treat the nest sites and the entry points directly.

What are the cockroaches in Britain?

Two species cause nearly all the problems in homes. The German cockroach is small, light brown and lives in warm, humid spots: behind fridges, under cookers, around boilers and in the motor housings of appliances. The Oriental cockroach is larger, dark and slower, and prefers cooler, damper places such as drains, cellars, bin stores and the ground floor of a building. Both hide by day and feed at night, so seeing one in daylight usually means there are many more.

Signs include small dark smears in cupboard corners, egg cases that look like tiny brown purses, a musty smell and shed skins.

Why are cockroaches hard to clear?

They breed quickly, hide in gaps you cannot reach and move between homes in blocks of flats along pipe runs and service ducts. Aerosol sprays scatter them and rarely reach the places they shelter. A pest controller uses gel baits and insecticidal dusts placed where the insects hide, often with sticky monitors to track progress, and comes back to check. In a block, treating one flat is seldom enough; the managing agent or landlord needs to arrange treatment of the neighbouring flats and the common parts at the same time.

Your part is to deny them food and water: fix dripping taps, dry the sink overnight, keep food sealed, empty the bin and clean under and behind appliances.

Is it clothes moths or food moths?

Clothes moths are small, golden and reluctant fliers that scuttle rather than fly when disturbed. It is their larvae, not the adults, that eat wool, silk, cashmere, feathers and the wool pile of carpets, especially under furniture and along skirting where nothing is disturbed. Holes in jumpers, bare patches on a rug and small silky tubes or webbing in the folds of clothing are the signs.

Food moths, often called pantry moths or Indian meal moths, are larger and come from dried goods: flour, cereal, nuts, dried fruit, bird seed and pet food. You see them fluttering in the kitchen and find webbing inside packets.

How are moths treated?

For food moths, the answer is usually to find and throw out the infested packet, clean the cupboard and store dry goods in sealed jars. A pest controller is rarely needed unless the source cannot be found.

Clothes moths are harder. Wash or dry-clean affected items, freeze delicate pieces for a few days, vacuum carpets thoroughly along the edges and under furniture, and store woollens in sealed bags. A pest controller can then treat carpets, wardrobe floors, the space under floorboards and other larval hiding places with an insecticide, and may use pheromone traps to monitor the adults. Older houses in Finchley and Enfield with original wool carpets and a loft full of stored clothing are where moths get a hold, and treatment often needs repeating as eggs hatch.

When should I ask for help rather than keep trying?

ants that appear in winter, are very small and pale, or come from inside the walls
any cockroach seen more than once, or any at all in a flat
moth damage that returns after you have cleaned and washed everything
an infestation in a rented home, where the landlord needs to know in any case

What should I include in my enquiry?

which insect you think it is, and a photo if you can get one
where you see them and at what time of day
how long it has been going on and what you have tried
whether you are in a flat and whether neighbours are affected
your postcode and a phone number you answer

What happens after I send it?

With your consent, the enquiry goes to one local pest controller who covers your postcode, if one does, and to no one else. They will be in touch to ask more and to discuss an inspection. Enfield and Barnet Pest Control carries out no treatments and cannot say when anyone can visit. Where nobody covers your postcode, we say so and your details go no further.

Who you will hear from

We pass your enquiry to one local pest controller, if one covers your postcode. It is never sent to a list of companies. If nobody covers your postcode, we will tell you and will not pass your details on.