Pest control call-outs in Aberdeen have soared thanks to the warmer summer weather, new figures have revealed.
Dealing with wasps, ants, squirrels, rats, cockroaches and beetles are just some of calls Aberdeen City Council’s staff have received since April.
The details were obtained by the Evening Express through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
It showed the local authority has been called to 1,491 issues so far in this financial year. That compares with 1,743 calls recorded during the whole of 2017-2018. Since 2014 the council has been involved with 9,508 vermin incidents.
By far the biggest problem pest has been wasps, with 784 incidents since April.
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Experts say the warm summer has boosted their numbers – borne out by the fact that in the five months since April the authority has already had to deal with more wasp problems than the total for 2017-2018 (694 reports).
Rats and mice were responsible for 233 reports this year, with one report of cockroaches and nearly 150 calls for bugs, flies, ants and beetles.
Income generated from call-outs has also been recorded from both outside agencies and individuals.
This year £36,875 has been spent on the service, generating an income of £34,943.
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The income and expenditure for the pest control service has steadily increased over the last five financial years but a spokeswoman at the authority said this was down to new services being offered.
The FOI said: “Aberdeen City Council does not aim to make money in providing a pest control service. The service provided is to protect public health through the control of vermin and insects that may have a public health significance.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman added: “Pest control numbers are determined by the number of inquiries received. This can come from domestic or commercial sources and may be for treatment or advice only.
“The rise in income and expenditure over the period is due to pest control expanding the services they offer.”
Mike Blake, who runs the Aberdeen branch of Pestforce, said he has definitely experienced a busier than average year.
He said: “It’s been a better year than others for my business which was mainly due to wasps. The callouts for issues with wasps are pretty cyclical – some years we have a lot and then the following will be quieter.
“The wasps have had a good long run of breeding this year and there were a few instances of people having several wasps’ nests in their roof when we normally only see one.
“However, now the queens are starting to go into hibernation, they are leaving behind worker wasps with a good sugar habit, so we will see a flush of dead wasps at the end of the season.
“Flies have also been an issue for people, which is due to the weather we have had – warm and dry but not too dry.
“If we get a mild winter, which we have experienced the last couple of years, we will see an increase in rat populations.
“Sometimes we get call-outs purely because of someone’s phobia in dealing with a pest.”