New research from Pest-Stop has revealed which pests are causing the biggest problems in the UK, according to average monthly search volume figures.
The analysis from the pest control specialist examined 10 keyword phrases relating to 12 different pests, each given a score based on their search volume figure.
Once the scores were confirmed for each keyword, an average was taken for every pest across the 10 phrases and an overall average score was assigned to each.
Unsurprisingly, rats were top of the list, ranking number one for four of the 10 keyword phrases and never placing below fifth. While there are varying reports of how many rats are native to the UK, it is widely thought that they outnumber humans two to one.
Bed bugs ranked in second place, with an estimated 5.5. million living in the U.K., and are one of the most notoriously tricky pests to get rid of, because they can live for between four and six months without food.
Much like rats, there are various humane ways of dealing with a mouse infestation and the same methods very much apply. Cockroaches also ranked highly in fourth place, despite being associated with warmer climates than the U.K. However, the search volume figures indicate that they are causing issues in households across the country.
John Stewart, part of the technical team at Pest-Stop, said, "It is no surprise at all that rats turned out to be the most searched for pests by people of the UK. Notoriously, they are the pest which causes the most problems given their ever-growing presence in the country and the fact that people need to deal with them straight away once they have an infestation."
Stewart said he is surprised bed bugs ranked second, but can be much harder to prevent from invading homes.
“If the infestation is in the early stages, you might want to consider using a bed bug blitz kit which should deal with the problem quickly and efficiently," he said.