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Pest control advice and news
Practical guidance on spotting, preventing and dealing with pests, from the Pest Stop Control team.
Cockroaches in a London flat: German or Oriental, and why gel bait beats spray
Seen cockroaches in your flat? Here is how to tell German from Oriental, why London's heated blocks pass them between homes, and why gel bait over two or three visits works where a spray does not.
Read more →Is my landlord responsible for mice or bed bugs? A London tenant's guide
Mice behind the kitchen units or bites in the night, and a landlord who says it is your problem. What English law and Shelter say about who deals with pests in a rented home, and what to do next.
Read more →Rats in the garden, the bins and the drains: London's rat problem and what a drain survey finds
Rats in a London garden are rarely a garden problem. What draws them, what the council figures show by borough, why the drain is the usual route, and what a survey and proofing actually do.
Read more →Preparing your home for bed bug treatment: the checklist, re-entry times and the 14-day test
A step-by-step checklist for the day before and the fortnight after bed bug treatment: laundry at 60°C, what to bag and what to leave, how long to stay out after a spray, and when you can call it clear.
Read more →Council pest control in London in 2026: which boroughs still treat, what they charge and how long you wait
Westminster has stopped private work, Richmond and Merton have no service, and most of the rest charge £150 to £260 for rats and mice. The 2026 position for council pest control in London, borough by borough.
Read more →Bed bug treatment explained: steam, residual spray and heat, and how many visits it takes
Steam, residual spray, heat, freezing, dusts and sniffer dogs: what each does, what the UK codes of practice require, why two visits is the minimum, and why treatments fail.
Read more →Mice in your London flat this autumn: why October, how they get in and what works
Mice move indoors as London cools, and a flat with warm pipe runs and shared walls is an easy target. Why October is the month it starts, how to read the signs, and what actually clears them.
Read more →Pests in a rental property: a London landlord's guide
A tenant has reported mice, bed bugs or cockroaches. Here is how London landlords should respond, who is responsible under English law, and what prevents a repeat between tenancies.
Read more →How to tell if you have bed bugs: signs, bites and where to look in a London flat
Bites in a line, dark dots on the mattress seam, a bug the size of an apple pip. How to confirm bed bugs in a London flat, where to look with a torch, and why you should not move rooms or spray anything.
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