Insect Control Kits

Our insect control kits typically combine traps, insecticides, bait stations, attractants and protective gloves. Each kit is built around one pest, so the contents differ - check the product description for what is in the one you are buying rather than assuming they are interchangeable.

Start from the insect, not the kit. Name what you have first, because a kit built for flies contains nothing useful against ants and the other way round. If you are not certain what you are looking at, put out monitoring traps for a few nights and identify the catch before you buy - it is the cheapest step in the whole job and the one that decides whether the rest works.

Kits vary in what they contain - some are traps and monitors only, others include a spray or dust. Enclosed traps and bait stations keep the active substance contained; place them out of reach and out of the way of paws. Where a kit contains a spray or powder, keep children and pets out of the room during application and until treated surfaces are dry, ventilate as you work, and follow the label directions for that component. Nitrile gloves are included in most kits for a reason - use them.

Some are suitable for both, but not all - check the kit description and the label on each component, because a product approved for indoor use is not automatically approved outdoors.

It depends what is in the kit. Traps and knockdown products act on the insects they reach. Baits are slow by design, because the point is that foragers carry them back before they act. Where a kit contains a growth regulator, the change shows in what does not appear over the following weeks rather than in this week's count.

Work out which part has not done its job. If the traps are catching but numbers are not falling, the treatment has not reached the harbourage - use the catches to find which corner is active and treat there rather than the open floor. If the traps have caught nothing, they are not on the route, so move them tighter to skirtings, pipework and the backs of appliances. If bait is being taken with no change, it is reaching foragers and not the nest. And check the reapplication interval on the label before concluding anything failed - several components are designed for a repeat.

Keep one or two of the kit's monitoring traps set after you stop treating and check them weekly. Two to three weeks with no fresh catches and no new sightings is a reasonable all-clear. Activity returning at the same point next year usually means the way in was never closed - proofing is what stops that cycle rather than another round of treatment.

If activity continues after a full treatment cycle in line with the label, if it has spread beyond one room, if you are dealing with bed bugs or German cockroaches, which are both hard to clear as a DIY job, or if there are vulnerable occupants in the property. Look for a qualified pest controller with BPCA membership.