Whether you’ve had existing problems with pests, or want to make sure that you are protected from them, offer advice and equipment to help pest proof your property. This includes bird proofing buildings and removing pigeon droppings in a controlled way. We also specialise in controlling bed bugs, mice, moths, flies, rats, wasps, fleas, ants, squirrels & foxes. If you are looking for a 24 hour London pest control company who can get rid of everything – you are in the right place. We deal with rats and mice, offer bird control, wasp nest and bees nest removal. And, of course, eradicate all kinds of insect infestations

We are leading the field of London’s pest control experts, a company who provide a bespoke emergency 24 hour pest control service to over 10,000 businesses and residential premises. We deploy a large team of expert local technicians who know your area well and who will give you the very best service available within London.

Empire staff cover all areas of East London from Whitechapel E1 through to West Ham E15. Our team of pest control experts in London are all industry trained including our East London pest team who can quickly and easily respond to pest related problems via our 24 hour emergency service. Our location and everyday knowledge of London’s East End ensures that we can get to you in the shortest time possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we have to evacuate during pest treatments?

No. While there are some extreme situations, such as full fumigation for pests such as woodworm, in most cases we won’t require you to leave the property, secure pets, cover plants or other inconvenient steps.

We will inform you well in advance as to exactly what steps we will undertake so that you know the visit duration, administration techniques, any chemicals being used and how many staff members will be on site, and when.

We go to great lengths to keep our customers fully informed so that there are no surprises.

How long does a typical pest treatment take?

The size of the property, type of pest and extent of infestation all go a long way to determine exactly how many staff members will attend site, and how long they will be present. That said, commercial visits are often completed within 2-4 hours, and residential visits are done within 2-3 hours.

If you have certain time constraints or commitments, be sure to let us know so that we can schedule around your situation. We are able to arrange visits before business day start times, after businesses finish for the day, or other special needs – just ask!

Do you offer expert pest control services outside London?

While we are primarily dedicated in dealing with pest related issues in London and areas within a commute, we’ve been asked to provide services from Scotland to the Isle of Man. If we can’t directly service your area, we often know of a trusted trader in your region who can conduct similarly effective services at competitive prices.

Can you completely get rid of all the fleas?

Fleas are a notorious pest that are known to be quite difficult to be rid of completely. Often, re-infestations of fleas occur when pet owners haven’t fully sorted the actual pet infestation itself.

In other words, we can get rid of the fleas in your property, but we don’t actually treat pets directly. That’s a completely different matter that we can’t sort using our chemical treatments.

Although you’re London based, why use you instead of big pest companies like Rentokil?

Empire have some of the most experienced pest control experts in London and each with extensive experience, having completed countless training courses and certifications, all so that we can be sure that our service is the most effective in the market.

We are guaranteed to be competitively priced. If Rentokil offer you a great quote for the work – give us a chance to beat it! In general, our London pest removal services are incredible value, priced lower than the big-name companies who have massive overheads and corporate executives whose overheads do nothing to serve customers like you. Everyone in our organisation works for a living and is fully trained in pest removal solutions.

Can’t I do the same thing with a DIY kit?

You can save a ton of money doing the work yourself with DIY kits obtained from sites like eBay. They won’t be as effective as the chemicals we use – this is a highly regulated industry with potent chemicals that aren’t sold to the public, in order to keep the communities safe from untrained, ill equipped practitioners and their low quality applications.

While the chemicals are a big concern, so is the delivery equipment. While an eBay special may mean you light a fogger and throw it in an enclosed space (sometimes with sparks included), we rely on fogging equipment that presents a chemical mist – not smoke. We’ve invested hundreds of thousands of £’s in purchasing specialised equipment that delivers the right volume and strength of chemical into the appropriate spaces within any London home, office, restaurant or commercial premises. We always adopt best practice methods and use the most effective treatments, allowing us to roll-out the right result for your needs.

Do you treat any pest problem not listed on your site?

There are hundreds of other pests that we handle – they’re not mentioned on the site due to space limitations only.

Whether you’ve got bedbugs or woodworm, giant African Land Snails or Norwegian Wharf Rats, we have a treatment regime, chemical solution, application equipment and trained staff that have seen it all before.

We can’t begin to tell you all the unusual pests we’ve treated at some familiar commercial premises, restaurants, retail and accommodation providers. Discretion is a big part of our business – it’s your business and no one else’s!

Our restaurant needs regular treatments – are there discounts?

Of course. The vast majority of food service industry locations require regular termite control for one or more reasons. Recurring work is easier for us – we understand the particulars of the premises, we know the schedule, hot spots, areas needing special handling, hours of operation (peak times to avoid).

Because we get to know you – it costs us less to provide a quality recurring service, so we pass the savings along to you. The best situation is where you’re happy to have us back and tell others about the great experience. We’ve found that rewarding regular customers, rather than charging them extra, is a great way to keep customers for as long as they need us.

I know we have a pest problem but can we wait until after XYZ?

Most pests are of the type – See One, Have Many.

Some slow breeding pests, like mice, can give birth to 6-10 young almost every month of the year, with those young quickly maturing and doing the same. Fast breeding pests can infest an area rapidly, causing damage and health issues along the way.

We recommend immediately calling us, have us out to inspect your premises, remember that we do also offer a 24 hour emergency pest service in London and we’ll let you know the severity and time-sensitive nature of the situation. If it’s inconvenient to have us out ASAP, then book the earliest available time and we’ll do a great job when it suits you.

Please keep in mind that destructive pests, like woodworm, are able to cause great financial pain for the property where they reside. By the nature of the pest, they find cavities, damage areas not easily accessible and can mean not just replacing flooring, subflooring, but also joists, studs, rafters too. The cost of their damage escalates rapidly after they gain a foothold in a property. Pest treatment is extremely cost effective – because it saves you a bundle of money in repairs.

Are there pests you don’t treat or control?

Yes! We’re sorry if your neighbour has a dog that’s a massive nuisance, barking at all hours and digging up your roses. Unfortunately, we’re not in a position to handle that type of pest. The same is true of most pests owned by those outside your property.

We can however, deal very proficiently with guaranteed expertise on any pest related issue you may have.

London pest control experts Empire, offers an effective 24 hour pest service to households and businesses within all London boroughs!

How to Treat Common Pests Yourself – Best Advice

Can I do pest control myself?

This is a question we hear a lot and there are actually quite a few steps that you can take yourself to prevent pests from causing a problem within your home or business.

Prevention measures include;

First things first try to keep everywhere clean and dry Never leave out leftovers and put all rubbish into enclosed bins Always clear up any spills immediately Make sure that your drains are well maintained Seal any easy access points into your property Check and clean regularly behind appliances and in dark corners for tell-tale signs of a pest invasion

And if you find evidence of infestation;

Identify the culprit Get the right kind of treatment depending on the particular pest you are treating Follow all instructions to the letter Make sure to dispose of dead pests and any chemicals used in accordance with regulations

To help you to identify and target the most common pests that you may want to control we’ve listed below how you can identify what kind of pest problem you are dealing with and the most effective way you can deal with them yourself or indeed if it will be better to call in the professionals.

Advice on Dealing with Mice Infestations

Some of the most obvious indications that you may have an infestation of mice include but are not limited to;

Scurrying and scratching sounds coming from walls and ceilings especially during the night. Believe us mice might be small but they can create quite a din when they are active.

Small and dark rice like droppings usually found in dark places.

Damage to your furniture and your food such as gnaw marks in wood or holes in packages.

Strong odour as mice urinate – a lot – this often produces a strong ammonia like smell.

How to get rid of mice

The best way to get rid of mice is through traps. These can be purchased from hardware shops and placed on regular routes they use. As mice are nocturnal by nature you’re best setting the traps at night and checking first thing in the morning. You’ll probably have to do this for many nights as you are unlikely to have just one or two mice and they have a very productive reproduction rate.

Just getting rid of the mice is only half the problem; you must also ensure that they cannot get in so ensure that you follow the prevention measures we mentioned above and pay particular attention to sealing up any means of ingress such as holes in your property walls. Mice need to find shelter, food and water especially during the winter months and if you’ve already had an infestation you can be sure there will be more to follow if you don’t do anything to discourage them.

Advice About Rat Problems

They have similar habits and attributes to mice so telling them apart may be difficult unless you actually have the rather dubious luck of actually seeing which rodent is causing the problem. Their faeces is larger around ½inch (12.7mm) to ¾inch (20mm) where mice droppings are about ¼inch (6.35mm). They also need larger openings to get through than the smaller mouse.

Getting rid of rats

Using baited traps is also the best way of getting rid of rats and should be carried out in the same manner as well as preventing future invasions by making sure that you follow strict hygiene procedures both inside and outside your property.

Whether you are facing rats or mice don’t be tempted to use poison to get rid of them as both will tend to hide away somewhere unreachable to die and the smell is extremely unpleasant and prolonged. This can be unbearable in a domestic residence but absolutely disastrous in a commercial food establishment.

How to Deal with Cockroaches

An infestation of cockroaches can leave a few significant signs behind them that will help you to identify what sort of pest you are dealing with. These range from a foul almond like smell and a large amount of faeces which resembles coffee grounds. In moist areas they will also create dark smear marks where they have travelled. They also leave behind discarded egg casings and shed skin.

Dealing with cockroaches

If you suspect you have a cockroach infestation your best bet is to let the experts handle things professionally. This is especially true if you run a commercial kitchen.

To prevent them getting into your property in the first place you need to do the usual things such as good hygiene around food prep and storage areas as well as making sure that they cannot gain access anywhere.

Home remedies include Boric acid which is known to kill cockroaches and lavender, citrus and eucalyptus are good scents for deterring these unpleasant creatures.

Fleas and How to Deal with Them

If you have pets it is a safe bet that at some time or another you’ve probably encountered a flea or two. Luckily they are one of the easiest of pests for the DIY approach although sometimes even the humble flea can mean that you need to get expert help to get rid of them. It’s also good to know that these are pet fleas and, whilst it may be a nuisance and irritating for your pet, they should not harm us.

The first place to look for fleas is obviously your pet and signs include actually spotting the offending creepy crawly in your pet’s coat. The other signs include the flea faeces which looks like pepper grindings.

Treating fleas

Prevention is much easier than cure when it comes to fleas and keeping your pet’s treatments up to date really helps. There are also many over the counter treatments that you can buy where you can treat your pet, their bedding and your home should you need to. As with everything always follow all the guidelines set down by the product you use.

Advice on Handling Bed Bug Problems

Making sure that there are no actual bed bugs to bite you is a good idea but how do you know if you have bugs in your bed? Well the first thing to know is that they are not limited to your mattress, any soft furniture such as cushioned seating is fair game to these opportunist insects. They are also not averse to hitching a ride so it is common to pick them up if you are visiting an infected place and to bring them home.

Bed bugs like it warm and like to have a ready meal so places where we tend to spend long periods of time such as our beds are favourite places. Look out for blood spots on sheets etc.; these are most likely towards the edges of the bed. Inspect crevices and folds of fabrics for these bugs which are approximately 5mm in size or their debris such as eggs or faeces.

How can I treat bed bugs

As with cockroaches getting rid of bed bugs is best left to a professional company such as ourselves. However you can help this process by washing any affected bedding and clothing on a hot wash or alternatively put everything into plastic bags and freeze for at least 4 days at -16C+.

Preventing bed bugs is not easy unfortunately but you can make it more difficult for them by keeping everything clean and vacuuming regularly as well as keeping areas such as around your bed uncluttered.

It’s not easy to know if you have visited an infected area but if you do know make sure you check your clothes and any baggage carefully before bringing them into your property. Also if you buy any second-hand furniture make sure you check for bugs first before bringing it inside.

The Right Way of Removing Wasps

These pests really don’t need any introduction, we’re all very aware of how annoying they can be which is a shame really as they are actually one of our biggest allies when it comes to keeping many other pests under control. It’s also true that they only become a nuisance for a short time in late summer when they are searching out a sugary feast and your picnic, pint of beer or sugary treat become all too tempting.

How to protect yourself from wasps

The best way to deal with singular wasps is to use honey traps in places around your outside area away from where you sit. There are plenty of products you can buy for this or guides to make your own homemade version. However should you find that you have a wasp nest near your property it is a good idea not to try to get rid of it yourself as this can be very dangerous. If wasps feel threatened they may get very aggressive and they will protect their nests vigorously. They will attack you in a swarm resulting in numerous stings. It’s best to call in a professional pest control company.

Should I do my Own Pest Control?

The answer to this question is yes… and no.

Yes, if you have only a small problem that is a one off then it is certainly worth giving it a go but be sure to follow all the guidelines vigorously. And you can, and should, follow the guidance given above to help prevent an infestation in the first place.

However if you have a severe case, if it is a recurring problem, if you need to protect your business from the disruption that an infestation would cause or you are up against an infestation that needs specialist intervention then it is time to call in the experts who have all the qualified training as well as the right kind of treatments and equipment to get rid of the problem once and for all.