Pest control

Find out about how we can provide advice and treatment for certain pests

Council tenants

Council tenants should contact their local housing office for pest control support.

Help for domestic property owners

Environmental Health can provide advice and assistance if you are concerned about:

• mice
• rats
• wasps
• squirrels
• biting insects and other insects of public health significance
• nuisance birds (advice on deterrents only)

Because bee populations are declining, we only respond when a swarm or hive poses a significant health and safety risk. A call‑out charge of £68.30 applies in these cases.

See advice on the identification of bees and self-help.

Pest control treatments

We can arrange treatment for domestic properties with infestations of:

• mice
• rats
• wasps
• squirrels
• insects, including fleas, bedbugs and cockroaches

To request treatment, please complete the online request form below.

Timescales for visits

If you submit the online request form Monday to Friday, a visit will be arranged for the next working day. We cannot give an exact time.

• forms submitted at the weekend are visited on Tuesday
• forms submitted over a bank holiday weekend are visited on Wednesday

You must be at home for indoor inspections. For outdoor issues, such as wasp nests, you do not need to be present.

For rats or mice, weekly follow‑up visits take place until bait is no longer taken.

Between April and September, visits usually take place between 8am and 4.30pm, but may be later when demand is high.

Charges

You will be charged if a pest controller visits your property, whether or not treatment is carried out.

Important for wasp treatments

Please ensure the insects are wasps and not bees. You will still be charged for the call‑out if the insects turn out to be bees.

Wasp treatments take 3 to 5 days to work. If the nest remains active after this period, you may request a free revisit within two weeks. New nests are treated as a new chargeable service.

Pest control advice

An Environmental Health Officer can visit your property to identify the issue and provide advice. To arrange a call‑out, contact us on 0303 123 1015.

We can also arrange treatment for biting insects and other insects of public health significance, including bedbugs, fleas, and cockroaches.

For further information, visit the British Pest Control Association website.