The spring and summer can attract unwanted guests into your home or communal area. You might find the following pests knocking at your door: 

• ants 
• bees 
• bugs 
• mice 
• rats 
• squirrels 

The below information shows how to deal with pests in your home and what you can do to help keep them at bay.

Our responsibility - pests 

We will deal with pests if they affect:

• areas you share with others
• a communal garden or a block of flats
• one of our supported schemes

We might also deal with rats or mice entering your home. If this happens, we will arrange for someone to visit and assess any repairs needed to prevent access and eradicate the problem. 

Your responsibility - pests 

If pests are in your home or your garden, then you are responsible for dealing with this issue - this is outlined in your tenancy agreement. We recommend you contact your council's environmental health team, who can offer assistance. 

Wasps 

We recommend you contact your council's environmental health team, who can offer assistance. Alternatively, you may want to hire a qualified contractor to carry out the work. 

To keep wasps at bay, here are some tips you can try: 

• To help catch wasps, first, fill a jar with water. Then place this on an upside-down plant pot and smear the inside of the jar with something sweet like jam. The wasp will then be attracted to the jam and might fall into the water. 
• If you're outside in the summer, keep a spray bottle of water nearby. If a wasp approaches, spray it with water. This will make it hard for the wasp to fly. You could then catch the wasp and release it when you have finished eating. 

Ants 

You can do some things to help eliminate ants in your home. 

Your local hardware store will sell a range of ant killers. These are designed to attract the ants to a poison they take back to their nest.

If you're buying one of these products, ensure they are non-toxic and be careful when placing them where young children can access them. 

Here are some quick tips for keeping ants at bay: 

• Draw a line with chalk or create a perimeter with powdered chalk 
• Squeeze a lemon into any cracks or holes where they may be coming from 
• Create a path of salt which ants won't pass
• Spray ants with a mixture of vinegar and water to keep them at bay.

Bees 

Bees are not classed as a pest. They will need to be removed by a qualified beekeeper. You can find a beekeeper for your area.