0:00:02 > 0:00:04There could be unwelcome intruders...
0:00:04 > 0:00:06It's a little one. It's all right, it's only a little one. It's OK.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09..in your home right now.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11We knew that they were here.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12See all the blotches.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15It makes me feel horrible.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16Oh!
0:00:16 > 0:00:20They're the most despicable creatures that you could imagine.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Britain has 18 million feral pigeons.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Moth infestations have shot up by 75%.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30They're coming out of the towels.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33And rats are growing immune to poisons.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36No word of a lie, probably 20 to 25 rats
0:00:36 > 0:00:38on that grass in the middle of the night.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41- BUZZING - The pests are coming.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44There's no doubt about it, we've got an infestation.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46On the front line...
0:00:46 > 0:00:47We are at war with pests.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50..four women are leading the fight.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Gone!
0:00:52 > 0:00:53I said, "I'm a rat-catcher."
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Well, he nearly choked on his pint.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Working in a man's world, they're a force to be reckoned with.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Just pop it on over my face and you won't hear me again, OK?
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I haven't had a rat escape my clutches yet.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Armed with specialist cameras for a close-up view of the enemy,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15they use all their guile to solve each mystery.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Every case is like a detective story.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Who are you going to call?
0:01:20 > 0:01:23It's time to start the eviction.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48We feel we've not slept properly for days since we've seen them.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50You're permanently itching,
0:01:50 > 0:01:52permanently paranoid there's something there.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Life feels it's upside down at the moment.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00My husband describes it as coming home to the house of horrors.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08Charlotte is battling an infestation of bedbugs.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15It's the latest case for Ladykiller Imogen.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17I've got two degrees -
0:02:17 > 0:02:21BSc from Manchester, MSc from Imperial.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24In order to really understand the pest,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26you have to think like the pest.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32So I've come to investigate the bedbug problem at this property.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36If you don't find every individual, you're going to be trapped.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40You're going to have to treat the house over and over again.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44The house has already had one pesticide treatment,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47but now the bugs are biting back.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51This has been a temporary bed for both myself and my husband.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Well, that's terrifying. If you haven't been able to sleep in your own bed
0:02:54 > 0:02:58- because the bedbugs are biting you, that's appalling!- Yeah.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I'll just show you where it is.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Imogen wants to know how bad the infestation has become.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Bedbugs are most active at night, while we sleep.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16I'm going to be looking for anywhere
0:03:16 > 0:03:19where the little bedbugs can hide.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22And we should be able to see them with the naked eye, like this.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27Tends to be around the bed, the mattress, the frame.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32They tend to go... Bedbugs like to be close to the host,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36extract some blood, so that they can develop to the next stage,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38the next stage of their life cycle.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42The bedbug's total lifespan is around ten months.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44They live on human blood,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and are attracted by our breath.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Bedbug dirt here, can you see here?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- It looks like black ink.- Bedbug poo.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- That's our blood, then, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- Oozing out.- Yeah.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- Would there be anything under there? - There's one there.- Oh!
0:04:06 > 0:04:09That's a fully grown bedbug,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12which is a nice dark colour.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13It's probably quite well-fed.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17It's just confirmed my worst fears that we've got them.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23They come to clean houses, they come to dirty houses,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27they're indiscriminate. They'll happily come to the rich, the poor,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29the aged, the young. They don't mind,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32they're happy to eat blood from anybody.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34One, two, three.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37There's one.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39There's one.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40There's one.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44There's one - can you see that alive one there?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Alive one there, going into the crevice there.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49You see the dirt here, there's another one here.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Does it make you feel worse or better?
0:04:54 > 0:04:57In some respects I was expecting you to find a lot more.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Bedbugs are wingless insects.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02They're carried on clothing or luggage,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04and can be picked up in any public place.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08I presume the bedbugs came in on a handbag or a gym bag,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10if you travel by Tube or underground.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14And it's just unfortunate they've come into Charlotte's house, really.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Imogen takes a forensic approach to pest control -
0:05:18 > 0:05:21any chance to study her subject is not to be missed.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27So, in order for you to actually get a proper view of what I found,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29I've linked up this camera to the computer.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- Can you look on the screen? - Oh, it's horrible.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35In people's beds... There's one running there, look.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37- Shows you how fast they move, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Where's he gone? There. One is actually jumping
0:05:40 > 0:05:44on top of the other, and I think he's actually trying
0:05:44 > 0:05:46to have sex with her. She's trying to escape.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Actually, I think she's failed to escape, poor thing.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53How many eggs would that female bedbug produce?
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Well, in her lifetime, probably as many as 200.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02- I suspect that we've only found a few of your bedbugs.- Mm.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Bedbugs can travel around the house,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07hidden in the tiny gaps in furniture,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10skirting boards and plugs.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12There may be more in the rest of the flat.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Rather than wasting my time turning over all the furniture,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19I should get in a pest controller
0:06:19 > 0:06:24who's faster, smarter and quicker than me, and happens to be male.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Come on, then, Alfie, let's go to work.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30- So we'll start in this room.- OK.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Alfie the dog is incredible,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and he's been trained to sniff out bedbugs.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37This way, Alf.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The female bug emits a pheromone to attract males,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44which Alfie's sensitive nose can pinpoint in seconds.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47So that room is clear.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49With a well-trained dog like Alfie,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Imogen can check the entire house in a matter of minutes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- HE BARKS - This way.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Definitely bedbugs in here, because he alerted.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00- Good boy, good boy.- Yes, good boy. - Come here!
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Claire is Alfie's handler. They work wonderfully together.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06See, he loves it.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09We start training them from a puppy
0:07:09 > 0:07:11and then you train them on the scent.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12Come on, then, Alfie.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16And then you can fine-tune that and make the scent as small as you want.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Driven from her own bedroom,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Charlotte's been sleeping on the sofa bed in the lounge.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Alfie, let's go this way.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Good boy.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32This side.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40HE BARKS
0:07:40 > 0:07:43That, where he's stopped now, that will be an alert.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Show me. If you look, I can't move him away.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48- Yes.- He won't come with me.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51He stopped here in his alert,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55on the sofa where Charlotte and her husband have been sleeping.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57I'm not sure where we're going to sleep tonight.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Something we've got to think about.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Probably somewhere else, a different location.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04In you go. Come on, then, in you go.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Well, Charlotte's already had
0:08:06 > 0:08:09a traditional chemical insecticide treatment.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13It hasn't worked. It's happening over and over again,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17and actually it's a waste of time doing chemical spray treatment.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19We need to find out what works
0:08:19 > 0:08:21and why the chemical sprays aren't working.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Imogen needs to find a more effective solution
0:08:24 > 0:08:28to rid Charlotte of a problem that's spreading through her whole house.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31I'd like to take some advice from experts
0:08:31 > 0:08:34and come back to Charlotte on the problem
0:08:34 > 0:08:36and suggest a solution for her.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49They've eaten my shed floor.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51They've eaten my hammock cushions
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and all the inside foam.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58By day, Cheryl runs a hair salon from her home.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Well, they're not little tiny things.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Big as cats.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06I suppose it depends how big your cat is.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09By night, she's plagued by terrors.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12At one point, probably 20 to 25 rats
0:09:12 > 0:09:14on that grass in the middle of the night.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21I love rat jobs. All mine are rural,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23but I've been called to one more in the city.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26It's in the back garden so it should be nice and simple.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Self-confessed country girl Deborah
0:09:32 > 0:09:34has a no-nonsense approach to pest control.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38To me, I like to do things right, I like to do things well.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I don't like letting everybody down.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43If only all god's creatures were this easy to control.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47I mean, they've even started eating my wheelie bin.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Right here, that's their teeth mark.
0:09:51 > 0:09:52Nice.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I just come in hoping that I can make a difference.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02How long have you been seeing rats here?
0:10:02 > 0:10:03At least 11 years.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- That's a long time.- Mm.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Cheryl's husband Jim has tried to keep track of the intruders.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Sometimes they'll come out and they sort of scoot back in,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- and you're never quite sure it's the same one.- Yep.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- Have you noticed any holes or... - Not holes.- No.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19- ..droppings anywhere?- No.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I see you have a convenient rat hole under the shed, there.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Bit of a labyrinth, you might say, underneath.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Rats are nocturnal.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32By using infrared cameras,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Deborah aims to reveal their nightly routine.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40- These are the images that we got from it, and they're quite good.- Oh.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42- Oh!- Here he comes.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Oh, my word!
0:10:46 > 0:10:49The UK has a population of over ten million rats.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52But 95% of rats in the world
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- will only live a year.- I don't know why I'm freaked about them, really,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00but it's not nice knowing that they can come up to your back door
0:11:00 > 0:11:03and then they could be in your house.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04But I don't like them.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Most people have phobias about something.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Rats carry a whole host of diseases,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13including salmonella and E. coli.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Until she finds where they're living,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Deborah is powerless to keep them away.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Right, let's check the shed out.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22This is the most common place for them to be living.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26I would suggest that any men in Britain keep their shed
0:11:26 > 0:11:30as tidy as they can, keep things off the floor.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Oh, we've got a dead rat.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35It's very dead, there's no way anybody's going to revive that one.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40I did find a dead rat in the shed,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43which I have removed. He's very mummified.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- Eugh, God!- Oh, my goodness me. - That's awful.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50That's awful. It looks like a stuffed one.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Yes, he's very mummified. He's been dead a long time.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56I don't think they're living in your garden.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05It's not just us, definitely. There are other places and houses
0:12:05 > 0:12:09along here that are having a similar problem, if not a lot, lot worse.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Finding the source is the only way to stop the rats.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Deborah's investigation is only just beginning.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26BUZZING
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Oh!
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Hope they've gone for this afternoon.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Jan, who lives in Woodborough - really nice lady -
0:12:39 > 0:12:42she's got an issue with wasps in her garden.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47But she has informed me that she's got a garden party this afternoon.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Ladykiller Angela has been a pest controller for 12 years.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56I'm like the third emergency service as far as I can see at the moment.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Oh, they're very active again.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01I've got to try and get rid of this wasp nest within the timescale.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03of four, three o'clock this afternoon,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05which is quite worrying to me.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06Oooh.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10It's 1.20pm, so the pressure's on.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15On Angela's pest control patch, Jan is one of her regulars.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18- Hello, Jan!- Oh, hi, Angela! How are you?
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- I'm all right, thank you. - Oh, I'm pleased it's you who's come.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It was unexpected the first time she came,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29cos you don't think of a female pest controller.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34I had mice in the garage, two wasps' nests,
0:13:34 > 0:13:35and then last year she came out
0:13:35 > 0:13:39when I had an infestation of wasps on my broad beans.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42They're up there.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45The UK has six species of wasp.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Like bees, the nest is reliant on one egg-laying queen.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- Look at them now.- I know, it's cos the sun's out
0:13:52 > 0:13:54- so they've woke up. That's what it is.- Oh.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58The wasps will defend their queen at all costs.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00I'll go and get kitted up and get on with this,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02because otherwise I'm going to get behind, aren't I?
0:14:06 > 0:14:09The way I describe a wasp sting is like falling in nettles naked.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11It proper hurts, and I mean hurts.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14The wasp's sting contains a pheromone
0:14:14 > 0:14:16that makes nearby wasps more aggressive.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19It's the only pest I enjoy killing,
0:14:19 > 0:14:21and I have no remorse in getting rid of it.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26Cos after you've been stung, you just hate them more.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Well, the clock is ticking.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31It's just one hour until the arrival
0:14:31 > 0:14:33of the ladies of the Woodborough Cancer Research Committee.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35This is a trigger-like gun on the end
0:14:35 > 0:14:38and then I'm just going to put that into the entrance of the nest,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and then I'm going to fire powder in which contains a bendiocarb,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45which will play havoc with their nervous system.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47In!
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Well, they come out white when they're covered in the insecticide
0:15:00 > 0:15:01so you know you've hit.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04The toxic powder works its way through the whole nest.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06They ain't happy, are they?
0:15:06 > 0:15:08They're not happy. Oh, dear.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Do you want a hand moving chairs, and that?
0:15:10 > 0:15:11Please, if you wouldn't mind.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14We've got about half an hour or so before they arrive.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16All right. I don't like pressure, though.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20When you get nice people out in the public, to me,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22I actually like doing this job because I don't mind
0:15:22 > 0:15:26helping them out with the extra bits like putting the tables out.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30That's probably why I get on with some of my customers better.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34She's very caring, and she goes that little bit more.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36I'm melting in here today.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I don't how I manage to be a size 16. I should be a size 10!
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Right, job done. I think they will be calmed down.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47I just arrived in time for when the ladies arrive for the tea
0:15:47 > 0:15:50so I'm quite chuffed about that, to be honest.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55Thank goodness these wasps have gone and we can now enjoy the tea party!
0:15:55 > 0:15:57The committee have made some cakes.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01- Have they?- Yes.- What, Victoria sponge?- Victoria sponge.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Nothing like a cream tea, is there?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- ALL:- Cheers!
0:16:15 > 0:16:16This is going to be a really difficult job.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18There are so many houses here.
0:16:18 > 0:16:24In Southampton, Cheryl's and Jim's back garden has become a rat run.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Deborah is on the case.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28The rats could be coming from anywhere
0:16:28 > 0:16:30and I need to find that source where they're coming from.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34I'm going to need to talk to all the neighbours.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38The suburban rat likes to nest in overgrown or derelict ground
0:16:38 > 0:16:41from where it can scout for food in our gardens and bins.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48- Hello!- I set traps, and I caught nine in a week.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52- That's a lot.- Yeah, it is a lot, yes. Yeah, two within an hour.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54You don't mind if I have a look in the shed and just...?
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Not at all, no, no, no.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58We've got a perfect thoroughfare down here
0:16:58 > 0:17:01where the rats can just run down the back of all the gardens.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04It's a nice little run down here for them.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07But I need to find the garden that they're living in.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Hello, my name's Deborah. Have you noticed anything at all?
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Yes, we have. That's where we find where most of them are coming from.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15OK. How regularly are you seeing the rats?
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Oh, every week, you see them.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19OK, and you're still seeing them at the moment?
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Oh, yes, yeah, they're still around.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25From what she's saying, I think we're getting closer
0:17:25 > 0:17:27to the source of the rats.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30I can smell them but I can't see anything.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Verdict?
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I don't think we've found the source of the problem.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38The bungalow directly at the back of us
0:17:38 > 0:17:41that you can see there, it's certainly something that
0:17:41 > 0:17:45I know when his mates were here we've often thought, possibly...
0:17:45 > 0:17:47It could be a prime place. It might not be.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02That house there looks like it could be a very possible one.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05It's got a very untidy front garden,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08where everybody else's is very smart and trimmed.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12There's lots of places where they can hide in the front here
0:18:12 > 0:18:15so it would be interesting to see if the back is the same as the front.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I don't think anybody is in.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33I'd be very interested to get in there and have a look around.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34I'm going to keep trying
0:18:34 > 0:18:37and we'll see if we can get into that garden.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49It's wet and smooth!
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Lovely, isn't it?
0:19:01 > 0:19:04They'll sit on the roof and wait and watch,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and as soon as you put the food out, they just come down.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15We don't really want to harm them
0:19:15 > 0:19:17but we've got to do something about it.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I hate to think anything is going to get the better of me.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Ladykiller Janet has been called to Newcastle
0:19:26 > 0:19:30by the keepers of a city farm facing an aerial assault.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Pigeons are scavengers. They'll eat more or les anything that
0:19:33 > 0:19:36they can get their little beaks on.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Pigeons are my pet hate.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40I can see already you've got a few pest issues.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41This is a pigeon problem.
0:19:41 > 0:19:47Obviously feeding chickens wheat, it does attract pigeons.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Andrea and Rich have been battling the birds
0:19:50 > 0:19:52since the farm first opened.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55It's got to the point now, there's that many pigeons, they're not
0:19:55 > 0:19:57bothered about the chickens and they will start coming down.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59I think there's about 50-plus.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02They are ingressing in, and quite cheeky about it.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05But they're becoming less and less fazed of humans.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08They don't even need to go to the city centre now for food
0:20:08 > 0:20:11because they've got such a good source here!
0:20:11 > 0:20:14And it's cost us quite a bit of money to actually
0:20:14 > 0:20:15pay for the seeds and...
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Yeah, because obviously you're not just feeding your chickens.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- That's it.- You're feeding this pigeon population.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Janet has a hunch that there's more to this problem.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29I mean, I like grubbing around because I were a grubby kid.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33She's seen signs that that the farm has another uninvited guest.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35It's like doing your detective work,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39just to, you know, sort out what the problem is and everything.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Oh.
0:20:42 > 0:20:43A-ha!
0:20:43 > 0:20:45More rat droppings.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Look at that. That is fresh.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51So that tells me they're quite active underneath this floor.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54It's just an ideal situation for them
0:20:54 > 0:20:58because they've got somewhere to live and a source of food nearby.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01And the rats are not vegetarians.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- There was a hole...- Yeah.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- In this door.- Yeah, OK.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10And it had been chewed to over three times the size overnight.
0:21:10 > 0:21:11Right, OK.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Now, I had ducklings in here.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18In the morning, there was three in there and there was no sign of them,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20not even feathers.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21Right, OK.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25So it's an area that needs monitoring, really.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29If you put food in for them inside overnight, to keep the pigeons off,
0:21:29 > 0:21:33then you've got the rats. And vice-versa so...
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Yeah, you've got a dual problem that's going on, haven't you?
0:21:37 > 0:21:39To see what the rats are really up to at night,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Janet has installed surveillance cameras in the chicken coop.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I think you'll find it quite interesting
0:21:45 > 0:21:47to see what's been going on.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49COCKEREL CROWS
0:22:06 > 0:22:07They look so cute!
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Yeah.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11They're all starting to appear now.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12Yeah.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16The infestation is really bad.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20And even though sometimes rodenticides are unpleasant to use,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23it may be that's the way forward.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26I prefer a slightly more organic way than poisoning the rats.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28The farm promotes looking after animals
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- and we don't like to hurt any kind of animals.- No.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36It's just working out now the best way to do it.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Janet can only offer advice.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41The decision on a treatment rests with the farm.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45We like to be green but, you know, rats, they are vermin
0:22:45 > 0:22:47and, as much as they are a problem,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51I want it to be done quickly and humanely as possible.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Poison is effective, but some consider it inhumane.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57While the debate goes on, the problem goes untreated.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59The problem is quite bad.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01I think it's got out of hand
0:23:01 > 0:23:04and it will take quite a while to control it.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12Oh, look - beautiful view!
0:23:14 > 0:23:19Her bedbug job in south London has led Imogen to travel to Wales.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22I've come to Tintern in Monmouthshire
0:23:22 > 0:23:27to meet an expert in bedbug behaviour and management.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Charlotte's definitely got bedbugs in her bedroom and her living room.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37She's already had an insecticidal spray treatment
0:23:37 > 0:23:39and the bedbugs returned.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41They're persistent little creatures.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Hopefully he'll have the answers for me.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Oh, wow! Is it safe to come in without protective clothing?
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Hey, it is, yeah, it's fairly safe, yeah.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01Dr Richard Naylor has been studying live bedbugs for over 15 years.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06He might just have some answers for Imogen.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10They can't live without feeding.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12I have to feed them myself. In fact,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14I have to feed some now, so I can show you how I do it.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Oh, OK. That will be interesting.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18As you can see here, some pots of bugs.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21They're really packed in. There's a couple of hundred.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23And I just strap them to my arms.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26These pots have a fine mesh on the bottom
0:24:26 > 0:24:28so the bugs can't escape. They can feed through the mesh.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30I've fed tens and thousands of them
0:24:30 > 0:24:34- and my immune system has stopped responding.- Stopped responding!
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Bedbugs find blood vessels under the skin
0:24:38 > 0:24:41with their long, piercing mouth-part.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Pressure from the vessel fills the insect with blood
0:24:46 > 0:24:48in around four minutes.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54You are experimenting on yourself?
0:24:54 > 0:24:57After 15 years of doing it, it feels completely normal.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Do you think you'll be partially bedbug by the time they've...?
0:25:01 > 0:25:02Perhaps so, yeah!
0:25:04 > 0:25:07They look like they're really feeding well there.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09OK, they look like they're about done now.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11As you can see, it's left my arm looking a little bit red.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22So in my work in north London, I've been having a frequent problem
0:25:22 > 0:25:27in call-backs. Why do you think I'm failing?
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- Are you using an insecticide?- Yes.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Well, what we are seeing is the insecticides resistance
0:25:33 > 0:25:35is becoming a really big problem.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38I set up a little experiment.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41I'm just going to put ten bedbugs into each of these dishes
0:25:41 > 0:25:43and these dishes are all lined with filter paper
0:25:43 > 0:25:46which has been treated with an insecticide.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48One dish holds modern-day bedbugs.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53The other, a colony bred in isolation since the 1960s.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56So what I expect to see tomorrow is that these will have died, and if
0:25:56 > 0:25:59these haven't died then I know there is a problem with my experiment
0:25:59 > 0:26:02and then the question is, have the newly-collected bugs died, or not?
0:26:14 > 0:26:16- Hello! - Oh, good morning Imogen. Come in.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18I'm just taking a look at our experiment.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22The insecticide is a neurotoxin so it affects their nervous system
0:26:22 > 0:26:24and it tends to paralyse them.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27And I'm happy to say that they look very sick today.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30They're either dead or dying, for the most part.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33But not so with the modern-day bedbug colony.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35They're actually very happy.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38They're running around. They'd live on here indefinitely, I think.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43So this is the same formula of insecticide that I use.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46- That's right.- And they're still alive.- They are, yeah.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50So that's why I feel I've been doing a job
0:26:50 > 0:26:55that's been a failure, a waste of time. That's really depressing.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00So the insecticides don't work. What is the hope for the future?
0:27:00 > 0:27:04People are already using heat treatments, steam and vacuuming,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08and these kind of, kind of physical treatment options
0:27:08 > 0:27:11are impossible for bugs to evolve resistance to.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17The experiment used one kind of pesticide. Although new ones
0:27:17 > 0:27:20are being developed, this time Imogen's mind is made up.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Well, I feel quite depressed by my meeting today.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Therefore, with Charlotte's bedbug problem,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30I'm going to go back to Clare, who manages Alfie the dog,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33and ask her to arrange a heat treatment.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40- Has he become a dad? - Yeah, he's got eight pups now.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I want to keep one, but my husband won't let me.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- You need to keep one. - I might say to him,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50if you don't let me keep a pup, we need to have another baby, then!
0:27:50 > 0:27:52That's a good idea!
0:27:52 > 0:27:57Angela's joined Janet in Newcastle to call on Rich at the city farm,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00where the rat infestation is now a far bigger concern
0:28:00 > 0:28:01than the pigeons.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06I think Rich, I think he comes from farming stock, by the sounds of it.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08- So he knows what the craic is, then. - Yeah, he does.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11But he doesn't like things to be killed.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15As much as I don't like rats,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18I don't particularly want to poison them.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23I would rather it was done quickly and humanely.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Rats that eat poison die of internal bleeding over several days.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31Janet and Angela know it's an unpopular option at the farm.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34I do kind of get this.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36But it's vermin and they've got to understand that,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39at the end of the day, that vermin can carry disease as well
0:28:39 > 0:28:42for their animals. That's it.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Sited between a river and a railway line
0:28:44 > 0:28:47the farm is the perfect spot for rats,
0:28:47 > 0:28:51providing food, water and a warm place to stay.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54And then here, this is where t'compost heap starts.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00And you can see where they're running through.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- He's having a good root round up there.- Yeah.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05- Oh, my God.- Oh, look.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08- It's all underneath here!- Yeah.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10- They've had a takeaway, look. - Yeah!
0:29:12 > 0:29:15The rat problem is still as bad. We caught one yesterday.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21- Oh, Jesus. Rats' nest. JANET!- What?
0:29:21 > 0:29:23We've got a rats' nest here love.
0:29:23 > 0:29:28Working dog Alfie can smell rats long before anyone sees them.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30He's trained to catch and kill them.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32He's having a good dig there.
0:29:32 > 0:29:33Whoa! Whoa!
0:29:33 > 0:29:35Good lad! Ooh, good lad!
0:29:35 > 0:29:38I told you there was one there! He doesn't lie!
0:29:40 > 0:29:42We'll go and get a bag for this one.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45- That one rat there, and how rapidly that could have bred.- Exactly.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48And how quickly just that one's gone.
0:29:48 > 0:29:53One pair of rats can produce a colony of over 2,000 in one year.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55They've just been allowed to take over too much, haven't they?
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Yeah. Because of the fact that they don't really like
0:29:58 > 0:30:01using rodenticide, but you can't let it get like this.
0:30:01 > 0:30:02It's a public area, is this.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05- It's the only way to gain control back.- Yeah, yeah.
0:30:05 > 0:30:10Rodenticide is proven to be effective against large populations of rats.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13For Janet, this is the only solution.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16- Hiya! You OK?- All right?
0:30:16 > 0:30:18The population size is so bad,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21- I mean, we've seen lots of evidence today, haven't we?- Yeah.- Right, OK.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24They've got that area there, which is
0:30:24 > 0:30:27so, you know, nice for them, it's like a four-star hotel.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29The population you've got at the moment,
0:30:29 > 0:30:33- it's not at an acceptable level, is it?- No, not really.
0:30:33 > 0:30:34We need to use rodenticide,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37because it's really your only solution to the problem.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39I know it's not what you want to hear.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41I mean, I'm not 100% on it,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44but if it needs to be done, then that's the route we'll have to take.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50We don't like putting pesticides down anywhere.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52We don't like using chemicals on the farm,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55but, at the same time, we've got to manage this problem.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58This is mainly what I use for rats.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01So what I'm going to do is load it up with block bait.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06This is a lockable station. That stops other species getting in.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10She's the expert at the end of the day.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14And if that's the only way, then that will have to be the way.
0:31:14 > 0:31:15Come out, girls, come on, come on, come on.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17It is a bit of tough love, you know?
0:31:17 > 0:31:21And it's the only option that we've got to get it under control.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25Oi, monkey! Go away!
0:31:25 > 0:31:27We're on the same wavelength.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29We both had similar backgrounds.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Angie worked with her father on a farm, you know,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33I worked with my dad.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Most people like looking through, you know, clothes catalogues!
0:31:36 > 0:31:38But I don't, I actually get excited
0:31:38 > 0:31:40looking through a pest control catalogue!
0:31:40 > 0:31:43And we just rub off along each other nicely.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46- Are we on it? - Yeah, we're on. Job's a good 'un.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53One, two, three, lift!
0:31:55 > 0:31:59Well, today, having taken advice from one of my heroes
0:31:59 > 0:32:01in the bedbug world, we're going to do a heat treatment.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05We're going to raise the temperature within Charlotte's flat
0:32:05 > 0:32:06up to 60 degrees.
0:32:08 > 0:32:09Claire has offered to show me
0:32:09 > 0:32:12exactly how they do the treatment, so I can learn.
0:32:12 > 0:32:13I can learn how to do it.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15- Rotate that.- Yeah.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18And this is where the air will come out from.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Every insect will have a thermal death point.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22Bedbugs is 46 degrees Celsius.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24Treatment will work, as long as you get up to
0:32:24 > 0:32:26the temperature that kills them.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31The customers have had to leave the premises.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Oh, wow, look at that!
0:32:38 > 0:32:40What a set-up!
0:32:40 > 0:32:41- This is the boiler.- Yeah.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44And the boiler will heat up the hot water,
0:32:44 > 0:32:46push it through these pipes that will go up into the house,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48and then that will heat up the radiators.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53Should have brought my gardening gloves with me to put on.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55Break my fingernails.
0:32:55 > 0:32:56Heave-ho!
0:32:56 > 0:33:00It's seen as more of a male role, because it is physically demanding.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04Good thing I did all that rowing at university!
0:33:04 > 0:33:05Turn it up there, that's it.
0:33:05 > 0:33:06There we go!
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Each room in turn is sealed, to contain the heat.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16They're not a bad pest, they're just the pest that feeds from blood.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19Because they come into your bed and they invade your privacy,
0:33:19 > 0:33:21and your bed is where you relax,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23it makes you feel really uncomfortable.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25It's your personal space, and, yeah,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28- you feel... people will feel actually filthy, don't they?- Yeah.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31They feel contaminated in some way.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Now it's a wait, as the house is heated to a temperature
0:33:35 > 0:33:40that's fatal to bedbugs, and kills them wherever they're hiding.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44This is worse than steam, this heat.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47This is...permeates every pore, doesn't it?
0:33:47 > 0:33:49It's dry heat.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50Yeah. It's really unpleasant.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53They must be really resilient, these bedbugs.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57I mean, it just proves what a hard individual they are to get rid of.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00Women like Imogen and Claire make up just 6%
0:34:00 > 0:34:03of the UK's pest control workforce.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04Fresh air!
0:34:06 > 0:34:08I'm sure you get it, when you're going in the...
0:34:08 > 0:34:11you're slightly less capable, because you're female.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14It's not that people say things, I wouldn't say.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16It's just sort of a certain look they give.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19They're a bit surprised when a woman turns up at the door.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21"Do you really know about the pests?" sort of thing, yeah.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25For the treatment to be fully effective,
0:34:25 > 0:34:27the house is heated overnight.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34- Ready to go in?- Yep, let's go!- OK.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37Well, wonderfully,
0:34:37 > 0:34:41we're at the end of 24 hours of heating this property.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45So the only thing living in here now is us.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Just! Thank goodness!
0:34:48 > 0:34:51Imogen is now hoping that these south London squatters
0:34:51 > 0:34:53have had their eviction notice served.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01Yeah, the beauty of this treatment is, every stage of the life cycle
0:35:01 > 0:35:03will have been exterminated.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05I'm happy to be home.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08I'm not looking forward to making the bed up and all those jobs,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10but it's been a success.
0:35:10 > 0:35:16I feel tired, hot, relieved to be at the end of these bedbugs.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20I mean, extreme pests call for extreme measures.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22See you, then. Mind the bedbugs don't bite!
0:35:38 > 0:35:42Part of the bedtime routine after you've had a wash,
0:35:42 > 0:35:47cleaned your teeth, got your nightwear on...
0:35:50 > 0:35:52..and then I go on the moth hunt.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54There's one on the wardrobe.
0:35:54 > 0:35:55Ann has been suffering
0:35:55 > 0:35:58with an unwanted house guest for four months.
0:35:58 > 0:36:03I've never been obsessive about things like this...
0:36:03 > 0:36:06Right, these are some moths that I've caught.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10..and I actually feel that I'm getting a bit obsessive.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14And then just down from it is one of the larvae.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Pest controller Angela is on the case.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25I'm not sure of the extent of the damage that's been done yet,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28so we'll have to have a look at the level of infestation we're looking at.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33My little friend is just about to scarper
0:36:33 > 0:36:35but I've got him!
0:36:36 > 0:36:40Textile moth is quite a popular pest now in the UK.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44It's quite persistent as well, if left untreated.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48They've had a right little munch at that, as well.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50And once the damage is done, it's done.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53Baby wipes are great.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Over the past five years,
0:36:59 > 0:37:04the number of pest control calls to deal with moths has risen by 75%.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11- Ann?- Hello, yes!
0:37:11 > 0:37:13- I'm Ange.- How do you do? - Nice to meet you!
0:37:13 > 0:37:16- Hi! Please come in.- Thank you.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Adult moths love the dark.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22It's here they lay batches of up to 100 eggs.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Oh, yeah, they've had a really good munch down there, haven't they?
0:37:25 > 0:37:29The hatched larvae feed on natural fibres.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31See, summat people don't do on a regular basis
0:37:31 > 0:37:34is obviously pull the bed out, which I do,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36and I can't be bothered because it's hard work, isn't it?
0:37:36 > 0:37:38But you can see all the damage.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45It's the silk wrapped up with the carpet fibres all mixed in.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48It's actually the stage where they go into a pupa,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51and that's when the moth, you see them emerging.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53By the time that happens, the damage is done.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Oh, God, the carpet's gone!
0:37:57 > 0:37:59It's threadbare, innit? Definitely.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Yeah. You just start to think, "Where are they?
0:38:02 > 0:38:05"Where are they coming from? How am I going to get rid of them?"
0:38:05 > 0:38:08And you almost go into, like, panic mode.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Yeah, I understand totally.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Angela has come armed with a specialist camera
0:38:12 > 0:38:15to put Ann's obsession under the microscope.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19That's what's in your carpet.
0:38:21 > 0:38:22You're joking!
0:38:22 > 0:38:23No!
0:38:24 > 0:38:27- What, is that on the bed, then? - That's...Yeah.
0:38:32 > 0:38:33Oh, Ange!
0:38:33 > 0:38:35I'm sorry to deliver this,
0:38:35 > 0:38:37but obviously you've got a pretty big moth problem.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42Oh, that's what they actually look like. Oh, no!
0:38:42 > 0:38:43Like out of a horror film!
0:38:45 > 0:38:47I actually feel quite traumatised by it.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51- It's not a problem, don't worry. I'll get rid of the problem. - Oh, thanks!
0:38:51 > 0:38:55That's what you've got to remember, I will get rid of this problem!
0:38:55 > 0:38:58It's an infestation, and you just think, well,
0:38:58 > 0:39:02how many other people have got it, and just don't even realise?
0:39:02 > 0:39:05What's going on here? I can't even dress myself today.
0:39:05 > 0:39:10Ann is asked to leave, while Angela treats the house with insecticide.
0:39:10 > 0:39:11It's a bendiocarb.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15It basically messes with the nervous system of the insect.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19The affected moth is unable to reproduce
0:39:19 > 0:39:22and the infestation is contained.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25This insect can hide anywhere, in cracks and crevices.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Angela concentrates the treatment in places
0:39:29 > 0:39:32usually missed when vacuuming.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36This is where moth larvae, when left undisturbed, can get to work,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39with devastating results.
0:39:41 > 0:39:42Well, I'll give Ann a ring,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45and then arrange to come back in about ten days' time.
0:39:50 > 0:39:51Hiya!
0:39:51 > 0:39:54- Hello, Ange, how are you? Come in! - I'm all right, thank you.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Right then, how have the moths been?
0:39:58 > 0:40:00One was back last night!
0:40:00 > 0:40:02It was up there.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05And this wardrobe, you can shift it.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08It looks like a permanent one to me, I thought it was fitted.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Yeah. But you can shift it.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Well, there was a lot down there, initially,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19but there doesn't look like there's anything like...
0:40:19 > 0:40:21You see, I'm chuffed to bits, I am, at the moment.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25I really am. This is where it was horrendous.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27- Anything?- No.- No! Yay!
0:40:29 > 0:40:31This was a really bad room for them, I noticed that.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34And especially around the bed area, it was really...
0:40:34 > 0:40:37I was really upset at what damage they'd done to your poor carpet.
0:40:37 > 0:40:38So, you know.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41The next step is to do another treatment on the property,
0:40:41 > 0:40:44but as far as I'm concerned, we've pretty much nailed it.
0:40:46 > 0:40:51Absolutely delighted. I mean, I think Angela's done a fabulous job.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54It became HER problem, not my problem any more.
0:40:54 > 0:41:02I mean, it's just...Something so small can do so much damage!
0:41:11 > 0:41:14DIALLING TONE
0:41:14 > 0:41:16- Hiya, Dad, it's only me. - Oh, hello, Janet.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Janet needs help to work out how to protect
0:41:19 > 0:41:22a Newcastle city farm from attack by pigeons.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26- I've rung you, cos I need to run a bit of stuff by you.- Right.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30She's seeking advice from one person who knows more than her.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32It's good advice from him.
0:41:32 > 0:41:37What he's said is to actually put a net over.
0:41:37 > 0:41:42Janet worked with her father for 27 years, until his recent retirement.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45I always get good advice off my dad,
0:41:45 > 0:41:49because it's like second nature to him.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51So I'm glad that I've rung him.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56When things get busy, Jim's still on hand to help.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Cos everybody keeps asking about you, you see.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05And they keep saying, "How's your dad doing," you know?
0:42:05 > 0:42:09And I think they think you've dropped off t'planet, sort of thing.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11It does me dad good to come out on site.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13He don't want to do a long day,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16so I tend to take him more to the local work what we have.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18And he enjoys it as well.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21- There, that's yours.- Ta.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24I told her, when she wanted to go into pest control,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27I says, "Come on, then. I'll show you how to do it."
0:42:27 > 0:42:30All right, over here to t'office.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32I mean, we rub off on each other really, really well,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34cos we've spent so many years working together.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38So there were that one that went there, and there's one at the door.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42Funnily enough, once they saw what we were doing,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46they thought she were getting better than me.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50It's just been like old times, we've had a really, really good morning.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55This is where I got a bucket of piss thrown on me!
0:42:56 > 0:43:00I really do miss working with me dad because of the relationship
0:43:00 > 0:43:03what we had together, and we work well together.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Are you proud of Janet?
0:43:05 > 0:43:09Always have been. Since she were born.
0:43:09 > 0:43:10Definite.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21- Hi, Keith!- Hi, Janet. - Nice to meet you, finally!
0:43:21 > 0:43:26At the city farm, Janet's taken dad Jim's advice, and called
0:43:26 > 0:43:27a local father-and-son team
0:43:27 > 0:43:29to install a net above the chicken coop.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31Let me get up here.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34What we'll do, we'll see if we can get it
0:43:34 > 0:43:36- straighter over the top of this. - Right.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37What I'm looking at
0:43:37 > 0:43:40is how these pigeons are watching what we're doing.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Think it'll definitely solve the pigeon problem.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46They will try to find their ways in,
0:43:46 > 0:43:48but I think they'll find it pretty difficult.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51- That's looking good, though. - Yeah!- Yeah!
0:43:51 > 0:43:54- I mean, the pigeons are hungry already.- They are.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Well, they've been watching.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Working with Keith today, I've had a really, really good day.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02I can't wait to tell me dad about him, actually,
0:44:02 > 0:44:05and say I've been working with a man today that, you know,
0:44:05 > 0:44:08reminds me of you, when me and you used to work together.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10Hello?
0:44:10 > 0:44:12Hi, Andrea! You all right? Yeah?
0:44:12 > 0:44:13It's like being in a little tent!
0:44:13 > 0:44:16- I know! What do you think? - It's great!
0:44:16 > 0:44:18It's definitely going to solve the problem.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20Yeah, well, I think so, because I've been watching 'em
0:44:20 > 0:44:24and they are very bemused about it, cos they're now wondering
0:44:24 > 0:44:26how they're going to get some food tonight.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29They've come down, and they're looking and thinking
0:44:29 > 0:44:31"Hmm, what we are going to do, what are we going to do?"
0:44:31 > 0:44:33So, yeah, I'm really, really pleased with it.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36When Janet told us about the netting, I just thought,
0:44:36 > 0:44:39"Well, what a simple idea." I wish we'd thought of it before, really.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Because, you know, we don't want to hurt the pigeons, we don't want
0:44:42 > 0:44:45to do anything that's going to, you know, cause them any stress.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Job well done.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50People think that pest control is all about killing things.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53But, as you can see, there's lots of other methods.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02The last time I was here, there was one garden that I couldn't get into,
0:45:02 > 0:45:05and it looked very unkempt.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07In a Southampton suburb,
0:45:07 > 0:45:09residents are being plagued by rats,
0:45:09 > 0:45:13and Ladykiller Deborah is right on their tails.
0:45:13 > 0:45:14I'm coming back, today, to see
0:45:14 > 0:45:18if I can get in there and have a chat to the homeowner.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21With any luck, I can get in and have a look around the garden,
0:45:21 > 0:45:24because I think it could be the source of the problem.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Not sure if I heard something.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40- Hello!- Hello!
0:45:40 > 0:45:42- Hello, my name's Deborah.- Deborah.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44- I'm a pest controller. - Nice to meet you.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46I'm just in the area. I've been called out by one of
0:45:46 > 0:45:50your neighbours, because they've got a problem with rats in their garden,
0:45:50 > 0:45:53and I'm just going round all the neighbours, just to see.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55I want to find the source of the problem,
0:45:55 > 0:45:57and I just wondered whether you'd allow me to have a look
0:45:57 > 0:46:00in your garden, and just see if there's anything in your garden
0:46:00 > 0:46:04- that might shed some light on it. - OK, yeah.
0:46:04 > 0:46:05- OK.- Thank you very much.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17OK, you're quite overgrown here.
0:46:17 > 0:46:18OK.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23Is that window permanently open?
0:46:23 > 0:46:25No. Well, during the summer it is, yes. Both of them.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28OK. Because it would be nothing for a rat to run up here,
0:46:28 > 0:46:31- and go in through there. - Really?- Yep.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33No problem at all.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36If you want to go in and have a scrabble around, feel free.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41Rod's been living here with his wife for the last 38 years.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47Looking at this, you should have a huge rat problem in here.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50- But I can't smell anything.- No.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52I can't see any evidence.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Truth of the matter is, if you can't cope with it,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57you don't cope with it.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00And so I just shut it off. I don't see it.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Obviously, I fall over the rubbish.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05- Have you ever had any rat activity in the rest of the house?- No.
0:47:05 > 0:47:06- No.- OK.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11All this, all of this is this year's growth.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13None of it's earlier.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16The garden got on top of you a bit this year.
0:47:16 > 0:47:21Well...both I and the wife have had illness.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24I had what you might call an episode while cutting down the trees.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26So I thought, "I'd better go and see the quack."
0:47:26 > 0:47:29He shocked me and said he thought I had a heart attack.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Dear, oh, dear, it don't half cut you down to size.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36Got a lot of clatter in here, but, um...
0:47:36 > 0:47:38- All good stuff!- OK!
0:47:38 > 0:47:40- HE LAUGHS - I trust you!
0:47:40 > 0:47:45It might look like clutter to a lady, but it's all good stuff!
0:47:45 > 0:47:47This is a good, solid shed, though. It's made from shiplap.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51- It's not like this other thing, which is featheredge.- Mm-hmm.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53That's fine.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55Now this one'll be more interesting, won't it?
0:47:58 > 0:48:00You're not going to get in there, are you?
0:48:06 > 0:48:10It absolutely stinks of rat activity.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13- Oh.- There's droppings all over the place.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15You've got a lovely piece of insulation in here,
0:48:15 > 0:48:17which I think they're quite enjoying.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20- Insulation?- And that, as you can see, has been quite nicely chewed.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24Yeah, yeah, well, mice tend to do that sort of thing as well.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27- Yeah, that's a little bit bigger than mouse, though.- OK!
0:48:29 > 0:48:31It's quite possible there's rats in there.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37I just want to see if we can help this guy to clear up this problem.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41If there are any rats in here, they're going to run
0:48:41 > 0:48:43straight down into everybody else's gardens,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46so they're going to have more of a problem before we can improve it.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48We've got a lot of work to do in here.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52How would you feel about us coming in
0:48:52 > 0:48:55and cutting all this back down for you?
0:48:55 > 0:48:58I can't. So I suspect you can't.
0:48:59 > 0:49:00OK.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03- Is it something we could try and... - We'll see.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08At the moment, he's a little bit apprehensive. He doesn't know me.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10So, let's keep our fingers crossed,
0:49:10 > 0:49:12and with any luck he'll let me come back.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15We'll get some skips in and really clear this place up,
0:49:15 > 0:49:18because this is the source, and without dealing with the source,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21everybody else is still going to have a problem.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29- What's he doing?- He's wedging me in.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32Pissing men drivers. All the same.
0:49:32 > 0:49:33Selfish.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36A month ago, Angela and Janet
0:49:36 > 0:49:39put down rat poison at the Newcastle city farm.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41Today, Phase Two of their campaign.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44And you're ready for action, aren't you, Alfie?
0:49:44 > 0:49:47You know something's kicking off today, yeah?
0:49:47 > 0:49:50And he looks like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth!
0:49:51 > 0:49:55What we're going to do is move the compost heap today.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57It is giving them a really good source for cover,
0:49:57 > 0:50:00and obviously there's food in there as well.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02We think the rats are living in there
0:50:02 > 0:50:05and hopping across over to the farm.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09By moving it, we're going to disturb them.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14Angela's dog Alfie is trained to catch
0:50:14 > 0:50:15and kill the rats that run away.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17He's going to smell nice tonight again, isn't he?
0:50:17 > 0:50:19He's going to have his work cut out today.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22We could lose some today because it's just such an area
0:50:22 > 0:50:25that they can bolt to, but we'll just have to see how he reacts.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31The compost heap is thought to house hundreds of rats.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41I tell you what, Janet, it don't smell healthy up here. Jesus!
0:50:45 > 0:50:47See, I think they're going to be on the top, aren't they?
0:50:47 > 0:50:50I - what they'll do is, rats always do it, I've noticed on most
0:50:50 > 0:50:54rat jobs where I've moved stuff, is they sit to the last.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56They really do.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03I should have bought a deckchair and just sat down and waited.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13He's not as bothered as what he was last time here.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16Nowhere near. Me and Janet put them rat boxes here,
0:51:16 > 0:51:21and I'm sure that they would've kicked in and done the job.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23- To be honest.- How's it going?
0:51:23 > 0:51:26I reckon you've bleeding nailed 'em with the bloody poison.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31The rodenticide has worked even faster than Janet
0:51:31 > 0:51:33and Angela could have hoped.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35I said to Richie, if we don't move it,
0:51:35 > 0:51:38it's just going to get absolutely hammered in winter with rats,
0:51:38 > 0:51:39because it's warm.
0:51:43 > 0:51:48I tell you what we've noticed today, we've not had much rat activity.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50- No, no.- At all, have we? - It's definitely dropped off.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Yeah. I've only seen one since you were last here.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57- Right. So that's good.- And that was down on the water on the...
0:51:57 > 0:52:01- I can live with them, them living down there, yeah.- Yeah.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03I'm really, really chuffed with the result
0:52:03 > 0:52:06that we've had from this place. It's, you know, more visually
0:52:06 > 0:52:10seeing them running during the daytime, like they were doing.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13So Richie's happy and that's all that matters, at the end of the day.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16The work that they have done, I mean, it's a vast improvement
0:52:16 > 0:52:17from what it was.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20And we've always tried to control a little bit,
0:52:20 > 0:52:22but, you know, sometimes you need experts in.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24So, it's been good.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27You never know what's going to happen with pest control,
0:52:27 > 0:52:29but with the treatments that we've been using,
0:52:29 > 0:52:31we've been really successful, so this is it.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35Every day is different, every job's different as well,
0:52:35 > 0:52:38and this has been a good one, and a really, really good result.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Do you know Rod, who's at the back there?
0:52:48 > 0:52:49No. No, I don't.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54In Southampton, Deborah's updating Cheryl
0:52:54 > 0:52:56on her ongoing rat investigation.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58How often do you get together with your neighbours
0:52:58 > 0:53:00- or talk to your neighbours? - We don't, really.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02We're all busy working, you know.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08Deborah suspects the rats have made a home in Rod's garden.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10- Morning, Rod!- Morning.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14The good news is that he's now agreed to let her clear it up.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17- How are you this morning? - A bit bleary-eyed.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Ready for a clear-up?
0:53:19 > 0:53:21That would be good.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25I was acutely aware that I may have caused all my neighbours
0:53:25 > 0:53:27these problems with the rodents.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30I was embarrassed at the thought that that is what had happened.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32It's going to be a very big day, today.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35I've hired in three gardeners to come in and help.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37But there's so much to do,
0:53:37 > 0:53:39we're going to be lucky to get it all done.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44Rod, how do you feel about us getting rid of the glass?
0:53:44 > 0:53:47- It's a lot of glass.- Yeah, I know. - Very heavy.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49Very difficult, so, you know.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52There's some serious rat faeces in there.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Jesus.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Rats contaminate everything they touch.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59Half of them carry the fatal Weil's disease.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02What did you want to keep the football for?
0:54:02 > 0:54:05- Kids to play with.- OK, I want you to bear in mind...
0:54:05 > 0:54:07- Yeah?- Rats continuously urinate.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09- Uh...- While they're urinating,
0:54:09 > 0:54:11they are walking and they've got a long tail.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13That urine will get wiped onto the football.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16Can you see all those brown marks? That's what that is.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18Enough said! Bin.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23So, all of these bags of books.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25- You're saving that, are you? - Yep.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27If you're using them, they have been urinated all over.
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Smell it.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31My nose isn't so good.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35Good luck.
0:54:35 > 0:54:36Do you think it's got nasties in there?
0:54:36 > 0:54:38I wouldn't. I Really wouldn't.
0:54:40 > 0:54:41- Well done.- I take your advice.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45With plenty still to do,
0:54:45 > 0:54:47one of Rod's neighbours, Dave,
0:54:47 > 0:54:49has offered to help out.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51- How'd you do?- Oh! You live over the back somewhere?
0:54:51 > 0:54:55I live...the house with the roof windows in.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57Oh, right! Right.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59We've lived here 35 years,
0:54:59 > 0:55:01and I've never seen him, let alone met him before.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04That's pretty shattering, really, because he's only just there,
0:55:04 > 0:55:06isn't he, just over that fence.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Yes, it's nice to meet Rod,
0:55:09 > 0:55:12and I was only too pleased that we could help him...
0:55:12 > 0:55:14sort the problem out.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17Cheryl and her son Nathaniel are also lending a hand.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19Have you met Rod?
0:55:19 > 0:55:22- No, I haven't. Pleased to meet you. - Hi.
0:55:22 > 0:55:23Hi, I'm her son, Nathaniel.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27- Dave's the name, or Brucie. - Thank you.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29I live in that house there with the roof windows in.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31Oh, hello, Dave. Yeah, I'm your neighbour.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34- You're my neighbour? Which side? - Down that way.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36- Oh, you're from the bank.- I am, yeah.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39- Pleased to meet you.- Pleased to meet you, after all these years.
0:55:39 > 0:55:40Eugh. I've got a body!
0:55:42 > 0:55:44- Oh!- Oh, well done!
0:55:44 > 0:55:46Right in the bottom of the shed, there.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51And I've also found where they were coming into your shed.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53There's a lovely little hole in the corner here,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55where they've chewed up through the bottom.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58So, actually, if we could remove this shed, it'd be even better
0:55:58 > 0:56:02because they're all probably living underneath it.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04This will save you a job later.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08Fall!
0:56:08 > 0:56:10Guys, we're going to move this pagoda down.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14- Which way are we going to go?- What are we actually...- Up, I think.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Yeah, I don't think this one's going to come up.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19The thing I really like is that the neighbours have come together,
0:56:19 > 0:56:21none of these guys even knew each other before.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24They're all now chatting and they've got a communal problem.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26It's going to be so much easier to deal with.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28Two, six. Heave!
0:56:28 > 0:56:30Whey!
0:56:30 > 0:56:32Teamwork!
0:56:32 > 0:56:34It's the modern way, isn't it?
0:56:34 > 0:56:37When I lived in a village when I was younger, everybody knew everybody.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40These days, we lock ourselves in our own little boxes
0:56:40 > 0:56:43and never get to know the people next door, really.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45- CHEERING - Yeah, some of the neighbours I wouldn't even know
0:56:45 > 0:56:48if I passed them in the street. I wouldn't.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50Sincerely, I wouldn't. I know one now.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54Looks a bit clearer, doesn't it?
0:56:54 > 0:56:56It looks a bit different, doesn't it?
0:56:56 > 0:56:57It's now a big open space,
0:56:57 > 0:57:00so rats won't want to run across here quite so much.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02I think we've gone a long way to sort of clearing up
0:57:02 > 0:57:04the source of the problem here.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06It's made me tired just watching you.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11You know, I just take one look at it before I think,
0:57:11 > 0:57:13"I can't do that," you know. Walk away.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15Leave it. Forget it.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17It's very easy to forget problems.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19I think we'll actually clear this problem up,
0:57:19 > 0:57:21and it's never been cleared before.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24So I think by doing this, it'll get sorted.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26Well, it's true what they say, isn't it?
0:57:26 > 0:57:28If you want a job done, get a woman at it,
0:57:28 > 0:57:30cos she's a brill, she is a brill girl.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06These damn moths.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09They have been driving me to distraction.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11This is quite serious.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14- Oh, my goodness me. - That's a lot of rats, Will.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17I hate the thought of them running up your trouser legs, ugh.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19- Good lad, get on it! - They just make my skin crawl.
0:58:19 > 0:58:21We have something in our belfry.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23They're most certainly honey bees.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26I've never actually removed a bee colony before, so, uh,
0:58:26 > 0:58:27let's see how it goes.