Mitie’s pest control business has introduced a new drain survey service specifically to identify pest breaches and infestations that would not ordinarily be detected in clients’ pipes and sewers.
This new service is unique because it is being offered by a pest control company rather a drains company. While other specialists offer drain surveys, they may not be as experienced in identifying drain damage and clues relating specifically to pest activity.
This specialist knowledge sets Mitie apart from competitors because their operatives are well trained to detect whether a drain problem is caused by pests, rather than just wear and tear. If there is a pest infestation issue in clients’ drains, it must be resolved with targeted and appropriate strategies that only experts like Mitie can recommend.
Drains appeal to a host of different pests which potentially spread disease. Furthermore, drains must be cleaned and maintained regularly otherwise problems can arise from incumbent pests. This is particularly relevant to commercial premises that have a heavier user-load on their drains, like those in the food and catering industries.
The pest threats come from rodents, drain flies, fruit flies, cockroaches and phorid flies. For example, rats are very hardy, plentiful and live in sewer systems. They are strong swimmers and graze on passing debris in the sewer system. However, given an opportunity to breach a building through a broken pipe, drain, or even a toilet, they will find their way into your premises to look for alternative food sources and shelter.
After completing a drain survey and finding evidence of pest activity, Mitie are able to recommend appropriate means of keeping pests out of your premises; solutions may include advising on exactly which sewer pipe breaches need to be repaired, installing rodent barriers and which pipes and drains require jet washing to clear them. The latter is a vital part of the maintenance as blocked drains make comfortable breeding grounds for various types of fly which can then multiply and infiltrate your building through breached drains or plugholes.
Peter Trotman, Managing Director of Mitie’s pest control business says: “The introduction of our drain survey provision or ‘drain cam’ gives us a real edge when it comes to pest control customer service. Our ability to read the signs in the drain environment and understand pest behaviour means that we can reveal more risks than are obvious to other observers. Clients may be a plagued by a pest problem and be completely unaware that it originates in the drains until we tell them where the problem lies – beneath their feet.”
