Rats, wasps and ants handled across Stoke, Nelson
Stoke's streets went in over old orchards and wet ground, with reserves climbing into the foothills behind. Rats in the ceiling, a wasp nest in the bank and ants across the bench are the jobs Richard treats here, starting with a free inspection.
Richard under a house when the phone goes? Someone still picks up, and he calls you back.
Roof to subfloor
Outside: Richard walks the whole section: eaves, walls, sunny banks, sheds, compost and woodpiles, for wasp traffic, ant trails and the way rats get in.
- Where
- Between Richmond and Tāhunanui
- Postcode
- 7011
- Common jobs
- Rats, wasps, ants
What to send Richard
- A photo of the holes, droppings or nest
- Where you’ve seen them: roof space, inside, under the floor or outside
- How long it’s been going on
- Who’s home: kids, pets, or a business open to the public
- For borer: the rough age of the house
- Work
- Borer, rats and mice, wasps, household pests
- Area
- Nelson, Stoke and Richmond
- Experience
- 15+ years in pest control
- Quotes
- Free inspection and quote
- Phone, or fill in the formPictures of what you’ve spotted help.
- Richard rings youHe asks what you’ve seen, and where.
- Free inspection and quoteRoof space, subfloor and section, then a price.
- Treated where they’re workingThen he checks back that it’s done the job.
What Richard treats in Stoke
A Stoke job starts with a sound or a sign: scratching above the hallway at night, droppings behind the fridge, wasps coming and going from one hole in the bank, or a line of ants across the kitchen bench. Richard deals with rats and mice, wasp nests, ants, cockroaches, spiders and fleas through Stoke, Nayland, Monaco and Enner Glynn, in family homes, rentals and the businesses round the airport.
Richard begins at the back of the section: the compost bin, the woodpile, the shed and the bank along the fence, where rats burrow and wasps build. Then he climbs into the roof cavity and crawls the subfloor, tracing droppings and runs to where they're living. Baits and traps go on those runs. A wasp nest is treated at its entrance, and he walks the property for any others. When everything has had time to work, he gets back in touch to be sure.
How Richard works in Stoke
Tell Richard what you’ve found
Call, or send the form with a photo of the holes, droppings or nest and where you saw it.
A free inspection
Richard comes out and goes through the ceiling cavity, the subfloor and the section, to find where they’re working and how they get in.
A clear quote
He shows you what he found and quotes the treatment before any work starts.
Treated where they work
Bait stations on the runs, the nest itself, the timber the borer is in: each pest is treated where it lives.
He checks in afterwards
Once the treatment has had time to work, Richard gets back in touch to see that it has.
Old orchards, wet ground and the foothills
Stoke's ground shapes its rat jobs. Before the houses, the flat was wetland, with flax, raupō and streams running off the hills, and the stream from Poorman's Valley still runs down into Stoke. Fruit growing took over from the 1890s, and after the war the orchards were cut up for housing, starting with streets around Maitland, Arapiki Street and Andrew Street. Waterways give rats cover and a path between sections, and a fruit tree, a compost heap or a chook run gives them dinner.
Up the hill, Stoke backs onto Marsden Valley and the foothill reserves, where Nelson's Halo trapping network has its southern end and neighbours run subsidised backyard traps. Homes on a bush edge see more rats as autumn turns to winter, when hungry rats look for food and warmth close to houses. Trapping out in the reserve thins them; the ones already in your roof are Richard's job.
Wasps work that edge too. A queen starts a nest in spring, often in a dry, sunny bank, and by late summer it's full size. Workers forage a few hundred metres from home, so the wasps around your deck can belong to a nest a few sections away. Richard tracks the nest down rather than chasing the wasps you can see.
Richard did a great job for me exterminating a wasps nest. His many years of experience certainly shone through and it was a pleasure dealing with such a personable guy, His attention to detail, punctuality and meticulous approach was exemplary.
Tips for Stoke
- A compost bin is a favourite rat spot. Keep the lid on and check round its base for burrows through autumn and winter.
- Check sheds, woodpiles and banks for wasp traffic from late summer, before you mow or weed near them.
- Ant trails in spring and summer lead back outside. Note where they come in and show Richard when he arrives.
Stoke questions
We back onto the Marsden Valley reserves. How does Richard deal with rats coming down?
He treats the rats already in your house where they're running, in the ceiling, walls and subfloor, and finds the way they're getting in. A backyard trap on your boundary keeps working on the ones outside, so the pressure is on them inside and out.
Does Richard cover Nayland, Monaco and Enner Glynn as well?
Yes. All of Stoke is Richard's ground, Nayland, Monaco and Enner Glynn included, from the foothills down to the airport and the Waimea Inlet shore.
Can Richard look after our business near the airport?
Yes. Offices, shops, cafés, childcare centres and schools all get the same start: a free walk-through of the premises with Richard, then a treatment plan set up for that site.
We also work nearby in Richmond, Tāhunanui and Bishopdale. All Nelson suburbs
A free inspection in Stoke
Tell Richard what you’ve found and where. A photo of the holes, droppings or nest helps him see it before he comes out.
What to send Richard
- A photo of the holes, droppings or nest
- Where you’ve seen them: roof space, inside, under the floor or outside
- How long it’s been going on
- Who’s home: kids, pets, or a business open to the public
- For borer: the rough age of the house
Richard will be in touch to talk it through, then come out, inspect and quote. If you go ahead, he treats them and checks in afterwards.
Rather talk? Call 0800 166 028
Thanks, we’ve got your details.
Richard will be in touch to talk it through and set a time for the free inspection.