The top three pests invading Irish people's homes this winter have been revealed by a pest control company.
Rentokil, a leading pest control provider, revealed that rodents, flies, and moths accounted for the majority of its pest callouts across the country in 2022.
Rodents were top of the list, with rats and mice accounting for more than half, or 58%, of all pest callouts in Ireland last year.
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Flies were the second highest reason that pest-controllers were called, as they made up of 15% of all callouts, and moths came in third place, at 5%.
The county with the highest number of pest invasions was Dublin, making up 22% of all pest callouts in 2022, followed by Cork at 17%, Kerry at 8%, Galway at 5%, and Mayo at 4%.
Rentokil warned homeowners and businesses to look out for the signs of rats and mice in their home and pointed out the conditions that encourage them into the house.
They said rats and mice typically move indoors during the winter period, in search of shelter, warmth, and food.
However, once inside, they can cause damage to the property and to stored goods, not to mention damage to a business’s reputation, as well as spreading diseases such as Hantavirus and Salmonellosis.
The pest control provider advised businesses to explore unmanned, non-toxic, pest control technologies to combat the presence of rodents, such as PestConnect, a digital humane mouse trap solution by Rentokil.
Flies and moths also accounted for a combined percentage of 20% of pest control callouts in 2022. Flies pose a threat of spreading bacteria such as E-coli and campylobacter when they land on food. Moths pose a risk to houses, as these insects can cause damage to textiles and fabrics stored in homes.
Dr. Colm Moore, Area Technical Manager for Rentokil said: “2022 saw significant callouts for pest control services from Rentokil across the country, with rodents accounting for the majority of callouts.
"This may have been impacted by the number of offices reopening during the year as public health measures were eased. Empty offices served as the perfect shelter for many pest species during lockdown, and their reopening will have led to more interactions between humans and pests.
"Another trend that we saw in the pest control industry was an increased rise in the use of technologically enabled pest control solutions, like PestConnect, as a sign that the industry is continuing to evolve and adapt to customer needs.”
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