Squirrels in the loft in Petts Wood, rats coming in from the fields near Chelsfield, or mice in a 1930s semi in Crofton? We provide pest control for homes and businesses across Orpington, from Petts Wood and St Mary Cray to Green Street Green and Pratts Bottom. I’ll inspect the whole property, explain exactly what I find and seal the routes in, so you’re not dealing with the same problem next year. Call me for a price over the phone.
South and east of the town centre, the houses give way quickly to open country. Farmland around Chelsfield, Pratts Bottom and Well Hill, the woods at High Elms, and the paddocks, stables and smallholdings along the edge of the green belt all sit within a short walk of suburban streets. Rats live naturally in hedgerows, field margins and around farm buildings, and when food runs short after harvest or the weather turns cold, they move towards gardens and houses.
The first signs are usually burrows under sheds and decking, runs worn through the lawn, droppings near bird feeders and gnawed compost bin lids. From the garden, rats look for a way inside through damaged air bricks, gaps around pipes or defects in older drains. Our rat control service deals with the rats on your property and the routes they’re using.
Properties on the rural edge often have chicken runs, stables, feed stores and workshops, all of which attract rats. Feed kept in metal bins with tight lids, spilled grain cleared daily and outbuildings kept tidy all reduce the pressure. We plan treatment carefully around horses, poultry, pets and wildlife, and for rural properties regular visits often work better than one-off treatments.
Petts Wood is named after the ancient woodland on its doorstep, and the wider area has Jubilee Country Park, High Elms Country Park, Priory Gardens and tree-lined streets throughout. Grey squirrels are everywhere, and they get into lofts through gaps at the eaves, under loose tiles and around old timber fascias, usually by jumping from branches that overhang the roof.
Once inside, they shred insulation for nests, chew stored belongings and gnaw on cables, which can be a fire risk. Grey squirrels are an invasive species and can’t legally be caught and released, so removal needs to be done properly. Our squirrel control service removes them and seals the roof so they can’t return.
Much of Petts Wood, Crofton and Orpington’s residential streets were built in the 1920s and 1930s, many in the Arts and Crafts style, with tile-hung gables, timber details and deep roofs. Underneath, they share features with other interwar homes: suspended timber floors, air bricks around the walls, integral or attached garages, and kitchen extensions added over the decades. Mice find their way in through all of these, especially from September onwards.
Our mice control service clears the mice, and rodent proofing seals the gaps with methods that keep the floor void ventilated and suit the character of older homes, so the problem doesn’t come back every autumn.
Orpington is a popular place to move to, and many buyers come from inner London looking for a house with a garden. A standard homebuyer survey won’t include a specialist pest check, and signs of mice, rats or squirrels are easy to miss on a viewing. A new property pest inspection checks the loft and roofline for squirrels, the floor voids, kitchen and garage for mice and rats, the garden for burrows, and the carpets and wardrobes for moths, so you know what you’re buying.
If the house you’re buying backs onto fields, woods or a railway line, an inspection is especially worthwhile. These properties face more pressure from rats and squirrels, and it’s useful to know whether the entry points are already sealed before you move in.
The River Cray rises in the area at Priory Gardens and flows north through St Mary Cray and St Paul’s Cray towards Crayford. Like any river, its banks, culverts and the green corridor beside it give rats water and shelter, and homes and businesses close to the river see more activity than those further away, particularly after heavy rain floods the burrows along the banks. If you notice rats in the garden after a wet spell, that’s often why. Keeping the garden tidy, using closed compost bins and taking bird feeders in for a while all help once treatment is under way.
Patios, paths and drives laid against the house are favourite nesting spots for black garden ants, which come into kitchens from spring onwards. Our ant control service treats the nest itself. Homes with cats and dogs can also see fleas in late summer and autumn, and our flea treatment deals with the eggs and larvae in the carpets while your vet treats the pets.
The High Street, the Walnuts, the parades in Petts Wood and Green Street Green, and the business and industrial estates around St Mary Cray have restaurants, cafes, shops, warehouses and trade units. Food businesses must show environmental health officers that pests are under control, and warehouses on the edge of open land face constant pressure from rats and mice. Our commercial pest control contracts include regular visits arranged around your working hours.
We cover Orpington town centre, Petts Wood, Crofton, Locksbottom, St Mary Cray, St Paul’s Cray, Chelsfield, Green Street Green, Pratts Bottom and the rural edge of the borough, across the BR5 and BR6 postcodes. Orpington is part of the borough of Bromley, and our Bromley pest control page covers Chislehurst, Hayes, Biggin Hill and the rest of the borough.
We also cover neighbouring Beckenham, Eltham and Dartford. See all the areas we cover.
Yes. We cover homes, farms, stables and smallholdings on the rural edge of the area, and we plan treatment around livestock, horses and pets.
When crops are cut and fields cleared, rats lose their food and cover, so they move towards gardens, outbuildings and houses looking for both.
Yes, as long as the seller agrees to access. We can also inspect straight after you complete, before your furniture goes in.
We aim to respond quickly and can arrange evening and weekend visits when needed. Call us and we’ll tell you when we can be with you.
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
