Falkirk Council reveals number of pest control service call-outs made in last year

The resource was reinstated in September 2020 – a decision which was delayed as councillors felt the financial impact of the pandemic meant the local authority council could no longer afford all of the budget decisions it had made last February.

Since resuming, Falkirk district residents have been able to request jobs via the MyFalkirk app.

These are priced at £57 for vermin (rats and mice), £50.50 for wasps and £58 for treatable insects, while residents on benefits are entitled to a 50 per cent discount.

Council figures show the vast majority of calls made in the past 12 months have related to vermin.

In September 2020, of the 30 service requests placed, 25 were connected to vermin, while five were for insects.

The following month, 40 calls were put in for pest controllers, with 28 relating to vermin, one for insects and 11 for wasps.

Unsurprisingly, there was a drop in demand for the wasp controller service over the winter months.

November 2020 saw 51 requests made – 46 relating to vermin problems, four connected with insects and just one for wasps.

In December 2020, 50 vermin requests were submitted, while one call for insect treatment was made but none were placed for wasps.

Falkirk Council’s pest controllers then responded to 50 call-outs relating to vermin in the first month of 2021, as well as five for insects and one for wasps.

It was a similar story in February, when 54 requests were made for vermin-related issues, compared to none for either insects or wasps.

Call-outs for vermin problems rose to 65 in March, while there were two requests for insect-related complaints and two calls to do with wasps.

In April, pest controllers responded to 63 service calls for vermin, three for insects and 11 for wasps.

The next month, there were 49 call-outs connected to vermin, one for insects and 31 for wasps.

A total of 112 pest control service requests were made in June, 50 of which were related to vermin, while five concerned insects and the other 57 related to wasps.

Call-outs concerning wasps shot up in July when pest controllers dealt with 158 reports. In the same month, they also responded to 33 call-outs for vermin and five for insects.

In August, statistics show there were 27 requests for vermin-related issues, one for insects and 151 for wasps.

Up until today (Friday, September 17), there have been 20 call-outs for vermin, two for insects and 31 for wasps.

This week we told how Bonnybridge residents were being driven up the wall by a rat infestation which they claim is coming from a neighbouring long-vacant premises.

The council property at 89 Thornton Avenue doesn’t have a tenant, however, scores of rodents have taken up residence and are now moving into other premises.

Angela Morton, who lives beside the empty building, says it has been a problem for months, but things have become even worse recently.

She said: “You can hear them scurrying around in the cupboards.”

The council confirmed the property will be advertised on Homespot. It has also arranged for a pest control inspection to take place at the premises.

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