Pests in Norfolk Schools

After the school holidays its not just the kids returning to school, but few parents give any thought to what else returns – the constant problem of insect and rodent pests.

Throughout the year, Castle Pest Control Services employ their skills to ensure that Norfolk schools remain pest-free, and this is because schools are magnets for a wide variety of pest problems. In the UK, a thorough set of standards developed by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) determines the manner in which schools are kept pest-free.

Pest control is never conducted during the school day when students, teachers, and administrators are in the structure. The only exception would be the rare situation such as the presence of a wasp nest or other immediate concern. "Our working philosophy is called Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and that means that the least amount of pesticide application necessary to exterminate a pest population is employed," says Kelvin from Castle Pest Control Services.

Intensive inspections of schools are an essential element of IPM to identify areas in and around a school where pests can gain entry. A hole no bigger than a tuppence is big enough to permit rodents to gain access, so a lot of attention is paid to the physical aspects of schools, including the amount of foliage that can provide harborage for various pest species.

School cafeterias are "a hotspot" because pests such as cockroaches and mice are drawn to the availability of food. Cockroaches spread Salmonella, among a variety of other diseases. Ants, too, are a major pest problem in cafeteria and other areas. Food that is brought to school and left in lockers offers a feast for both cockroaches and ants, among other insect pest species.

A common school-related problem is head lice, but this is a health problem dealt with by parents who can obtain treatments for any student who must be treated for lice.

In urban areas, pigeons find that schools provide places for nesting and their droppings can prove destructive to structures as well as being a health risk. Bird control becomes an element of pest control where this problem occurs.

Parents will understandably be concerned about the spread of H1N1 flu this year and school officials are on the alert, but the one thing that parents will not need to worry about is a pest infestation because extensive, practical, and proven procedures ensure that schools can be kept pest-free