One tip that usually holds true is this: Spend more money on the best D.I.Y. products. If you think you can get away without using a professional then you may as well use the best products available without a handlers certificate. It will still be cheaper than calling a Pest controller and increases your chance of success.

Sift through the research : Don’t accept the first solution you read on the web. Try to find a few sites that agree on the best solution or product before launching into action. This increases the chance of finding the right advice.

Know you enemy: Ants? What type of ants, where are the trails. Cockroaches? What type? Can you identify them through pictures on the net? Have they bred already? The solution changes with the type of problem you have. Above all else knowing your pest will help you the most.

In my opinion, the most comprehensive range of DIY pest control products available without an approved handlers certificate is the kiwi-care range. There are better products available for certain problems - but kiwi-care offer a one stop shop and will probably have what you need. Without years of experience to know where to go for the best of each individual product - they are probably your best bet. They have a very active online presence so you may find specific advice. For more commercial products,try the no-pest.co.nz website although some of the products here require an approved handlers licence.

Are they birds? Some people wonder if the noises they hear in the ceiling are birds and not rats. Ask yourself if they are making noise in the day or at night. Birds are generally very quiet at night as they do not want to attract the attention of predators. The obvious exception here is owls and its pretty unlikely you have them in your house. Rats are nocturnal so are more active at night, if the noise is starting at night, it most likely rats. Is the noise staring just before dawn? This could be birds as they will see and react to dawn before we think its actually happened.

Does it really matter?  Yes. Not only do they carry disease, but rodents gnaw constantly to keep their teeth down. Plastic plumbing and eletrical wiring alongside ducting are all god targets for them. They will gnaw almost anything and can smell your pantry a lot better than you can.

But this is only one small part of a huge industrial requirement for pest control. Many companies have their own internal audits - checking up on their own pest control, as well as regular external audits. In commerce, where ever there is a risk of food becoming contaminated through pests, some type of regulation or requirement for pest control will eventually be drawn up to protect the consumer. It is worth noting that pest control is in no way limited to food areas/businesses.

If a business is to be audited, often a field officer will sent out to site to physically  inspect and walk around the site. Sometimes these officers will be from the agency requiring the audit, some times they will be an accredited third party sent out on behalf to audit. The whole thing sounds like a paper work jungle but is simpler if the auditor’s end goals are kept in mind. The auditor may simply be trying to assure that a product leaving the country (flowers / potatoes) is of a certain standard (end point inspection). That there are no signs of a particular pest or growth present. They may simply want to satisfy that the environment is keep clean enough to discourage problems cropping up or growing on products (clearance).

How does this relate to pest control? Well the goal is similar. Although an auditor may arrive with a standard checklist. Over and above that they probably just want to satisfy that pest control is doing its part in ensuring the safety of the end product.

A couple of  examples of needing pest control to satisfy audits would be: becoming a M.A.F. Bio-security NZ approved transitional facility and operator or having a NZ food safety Authority approved food safety program. Both have separate requirements.

Some common requirements for programs that are audited: MSDS sheets, maps, activity registers, reports, individual records of each bait station, procedural manuals, entomological analysis, registered/qualified technicians, separate treatment on critical hygiene areas, indemnity, public liability where applicable.

So as we are not in that hotter a climate I was suggesting maybe they were mistaking cockroaches for some other flying insect. I have had to stop suggesting this now though as an American cockroach decided to fly in through my kitchen window and land on the glass!  It sat there for a good five minutes and I checked and rechecked it before it flew off again.

It’s still typical of cockroaches to crawl. Auckland is seen as sub tropical and too cool for cockroaches to fly as they do more commonly in the tropics. But perhaps in the heat and humidity of the summer they are thinking they are in the tropics!As the season cools off, I expect this trend will disappear - for now!

Could it be another insect? Mosquitoes can wait inside rooms and come in for a blood feed after everyone is asleep. Again these may appear to be flea bites happening in the night. It may also be bed bugs, sand flies etc.

The best way to confirm is to see one. Another common flea trait is to leave bites along the clothing lines such as along the top of sock lines or underwear lines. These are often clustered together.

If you are seeing blood specs on your bed, the problem may be bed bugs, although some people will scratch a flea bite in their sleep and make it bleed.

Do you have pets? Have you checked them for fleas? Pets are one of the leading causes of flea problems for households. Another animal that will introduce fleas into your house is a mouse. If you have found a mouse sneaking in (or a rat) it may be bringing fleas.

Once you have identified a flea, you know what the problem is and can then look at treating it. Click here to see a picture of a flea if you do not already know what it looks like.

A house that is occupied is easier to treat than an un-occupied one. This is because flea larvae can enter the pupae stage and stay there for up to a year before hatching out in unfavourable conditions. In the case of un-occupied houses, the fleas may continue to breed and build up to the pupae stage and then just lay dormant waiting. When the house is then re occupied, the vibrations of the people entering tell the fleas it is a good time to hatch and jump on for a blood feed. there could be hundreds hatch out all at once - feeling the same vibrations and looking for a feed - on you!

Flea treatments should include an adulticide and an insect growth regulator. This way there is something to stop the fleas at the different stages of development. An effective treatment should be done alongside a treatment for pets, a hot wash of bedding and a very thorough pre-spray vaccum.

Most flea problems can be sorted by a professional in a single application to all floor areas. This is providing the occupant follows all the house keeping directions of the pest control technician to make the treatment effective. Ask about the guarantee that comes with any treatment you are considering.

How do you know a paper wasp from other wasps? Probably the best way to identify them is that they are the wasp with the “dangling legs”. A set of the wasps legs appear long and hang straight down when in flight - unlike other common problem wasps in New Zealand. The species “Polistes” are not the only wasps to build nests from paper but are characterised by this and the unique umbrella shape to the nests they build. The nest are often built externally on houses and fencelines. It looks like a paper honey comb shaped umbrella - if you dare get that close!

The wasps are often seen hovering along fence lines and on wooden decks and bare wood outdoor furniture. Although there may be many wasps, the nest may not be here. The wasps may simply be gathering fibres from these places to build there nest. A simple solution to wasps hovering around bare wood to gather fibre - paint the wood. This may be all the barrier that is needed to deny the wasps the fibres they want.

The paper wasp is not known for its aggressive behaviour but will defend its nest and has the ability to sting repeatedly. If, for example,  it has built its nest near a path. It may end up attacking (defending its nest) when people walk along the path to close to its territory. This makes the wasp a potential hazard and from there the need for pest control rises.

Other problem wasps in New Zealand include the German wasp. September is still a little early for widespread problems here but further into spring should see the rise of this pest.