Mice getting into a new build in Ebbsfleet, rats along the River Darent, or a problem in a warehouse at Crossways? We provide pest control for homes and businesses across Dartford and the surrounding villages, from the town centre and Wilmington to Stone, Greenhithe and Swanscombe. We’re based next door in Bexley, so we’re close by when you need us. I’ll find out where the pests are coming from, explain what I’ve found and seal the way in. Call me for a price over the phone.
The area around Dartford has seen some of the biggest housebuilding in the south east, with large new neighbourhoods at Ebbsfleet, Castle Hill, Ingress Park, Stone and The Bridge. New homes are not automatically pest-free. A common question is why a brand-new house has mice.
The answer is usually the building itself. Gaps are left around soil pipes, water and gas pipes and cables where they pass through walls and floors, behind kitchen units and bath panels, and around boiler flues. Mice find them quickly, especially in developments built on former farmland, quarries or industrial land, where rodents already lived before the houses went up.
The first signs are usually droppings behind the kitchen kickboards or in the cupboard under the stairs, and scratching in the ceiling void between floors. Our mice control service clears them, and rodent proofing seals the gaps the builders left. If your home is still under warranty, it’s worth telling the developer too, as some gaps may be their responsibility.
Grey silverfish, which don’t need damp to survive, are increasingly found in newer homes. They spread along skirting boards and behind kitchen units, and shop-bought products rarely clear them. Our silverfish treatment page explains why.
When land is cleared and groundworks begin, rats that were living in the fields, hedges, old drains and outbuildings lose their homes. They move into the nearest gardens, bin stores and houses, which is why rat activity often rises in streets next to a building site. If you’ve noticed rats soon after work started nearby, that’s almost certainly why. Our rat control service treats the activity on your property and closes off the routes the rats are using.
The River Darent runs through the middle of Dartford, through Central Park and on to the Dartford Marshes and the Thames, with the Cray joining it near Crayford. Riverbanks, marshland, drains and the railway lines through the town give rats water, cover and routes between gardens. Homes close to the river, the marshes or the railway see more activity, especially after heavy rain floods burrows along the banks.
Most problems start in the garden, under sheds, decking and compost bins, before rats find a way into the house through damaged air bricks or old drains. Clearing the space under sheds, using closed compost bins and taking bird feeders in for a while all help once treatment is under way.
Dartford is one of the busiest logistics and business locations in the south east, with distribution centres and business parks at Crossways, Littlebrook and along the A2 and M25, plus the shops and restaurants of the town centre and Bluewater. Large warehouses with loading bays, roller shutters and stored goods give rats and mice plenty of ways in, and sites next to open land face constant pressure. Food businesses must also show environmental health officers that pests are being controlled.
Our commercial pest control contracts include regular inspections, monitoring and treatment arranged around your shifts, and we can proof loading bays, doors and service entries to keep rodents out.
In warehouses, the most common way in is under a roller shutter or loading bay door, through worn brush strips or around the edges where the door meets the frame. Holes where cables and pipes enter the building come next. Sealing these is often the most effective single step in keeping rodents out of a large unit.
Away from the new developments, Dartford town centre and the surrounding streets have plenty of Victorian terraces and 1930s semis, and villages like Wilmington, Bean and Sutton-at-Hone have older cottages and family homes. Suspended floors, air bricks, shared walls and the gaps left by extensions all let mice in, mostly from September onwards. Treating the mice and then sealing the gaps is what stops the problem repeating every year.
Moving into a new or previously occupied home is when a lot of pest problems start. Bed bugs arrive in second-hand furniture, mattresses and removal boxes, and fleas can hatch from carpets a few days after moving into a house where the last owners had pets. Our flea treatment deals with the eggs and larvae in the floors, not just the fleas you see.
New gardens and patios are also quickly colonised by black garden ants, which nest under paving laid against the house and come into kitchens from spring onwards. Our ant control service traces them back to the nest and treats it at the source. If you’re about to buy or move, a new property pest inspection can check the house before your furniture goes in.
Joydens Wood, the Darent Valley and the farmland and woods south of the town give grey squirrels plenty of habitat, and homes with mature trees nearby often find them in the loft. Our squirrel control service removes them and seals the roof so they can’t return.
We cover Dartford town centre, Wilmington, Joydens Wood, Stone, Greenhithe, Ingress Park, Swanscombe, Ebbsfleet, Castle Hill, Bean, Sutton-at-Hone and the surrounding villages, across the DA1, DA2, DA4, DA9 and DA10 postcodes.
Dartford borders our home borough of Bexley, and we also cover nearby Orpington and Eltham. See all the areas we cover.
New homes often have hidden gaps around pipes, cables and kitchen units, and many developments are built on land where rodents were already living. Treating the mice and sealing the gaps solves it.
It depends on your warranty and the cause. If mice are getting in through gaps left during construction, it’s worth raising with the developer. We can show you exactly where the gaps are.
Yes. We work with warehouses, distribution centres, shops and restaurants across the area, with visits arranged around your opening hours or shifts.
We’re based next door in Bexley, so we can usually get to you quickly, and we can arrange evening and weekend visits when needed.
Rentokil-trained and Level 2 certified, so you know you’re in safe hands.
We don’t just show up, treat, and leave. We walk you through exactly what we found, why it happened, and what we’re doing to fix it.
Pests don’t work 9 to 5, and neither do we. We’re available when you need us most.
We are Level 2 certified technicians, fully insured, and members of BPCA, BASIS Prompt and RSPH. You’re in safe, qualified hands.
Hundreds of satisfied clients across South London have trusted us to get the job done right, and we back every job with a satisfaction guarantee.
We’re not a faceless national company. We’re local, we care about our community, and we treat every property as if it were our own.
Call us or fill out the contact form. We’ll assess your situation and give you a straight, honest estimate over the phone.
Our technician visits your property, carries out a thorough on-site inspection, and begins treatment right away.
We carry out a 3-visit treatment programme to make sure the problem is fully resolved, not just temporarily patched.
Job done. Your property is protected, and you’ll know exactly what was done and why every step of the way.
Same-day response available
Out-of-hours and weekends
Rodent proofing specialists
