Back to School Pest Control: What to Watch for This Term

Tuesday 25/08/2026

The summer holidays are over. Kids are heading back to classrooms, and students are settling into university halls across the UK.

For pests, it's a busy time too.

Most schools, colleges and universities have excellent cleaning and maintenance routines, but busy campuses create conditions that attract pests. Good pest prevention and pest control in schools can help stop a small problem becoming a much bigger one. Here are the ones most likely to make an appearance as the new term gets underway.

Rodents Love a Free Lunch

School kitchens, canteens, packed lunches, overflowing bins… It's easy to see why rodents are attracted to educational settings.

Spotting activity early is key. Once rodents settle in, they can contaminate food, damage buildings and become much harder to deal with.

Rodent control and proofing can also help prevent problems in the first place by sealing gaps and other potential entry points.

Why Are There So Many Wasps?

At the end of summer, wasp colonies begin to die off, and worker wasps lose the sugary food produced by the larvae. That sends them looking elsewhere. Schools are full of exactly the sort of snacks wasps are looking for, so it's no surprise they become one of the biggest complaints at the start of term.

For effective wasp control, wasp traps should be strategically hung to draw troublesome wasps away from high-traffic areas.

Where there's food, there are usually flies

Flies might seem like a minor nuisance, but they can spread bacteria after landing on waste and then onto food-preparation surfaces.

Keeping bins clean, managing waste properly and using the right fly control measures all help keep numbers down. Fly screens can help prevent insects from entering buildings, while sticky fly traps and here provide an additional layer of protection in kitchens, food preparation areas and waste handling spaces where fly activity is more difficult to control.

Pigeons Are at School Too

Roofs, covered walkways, solar panels and sheltered ledges make great resting spots for pigeons.

Droppings aren’t only gross and unsightly; they can block gutters, damage buildings and create slippery entrances. Bird control measures such as bird netting, bird spikes, or solar panel proofing can help prevent an ongoing roosting problem.

Students Aren't the Only Ones Moving Into Halls

Every year, thousands of students move into university accommodation, bringing suitcases, bedding and furniture with them.

Most don't bring anything unwanted, but bed bugs are expert hitchhikers. They travel in luggage rather than searching for food and can quickly spread between adjoining rooms if they're introduced into shared accommodation.

Bed bug monitors can help detect activity early, while professional bed bug control using insecticides and heat treatments can tackle infestations before they spread through shared accommodation.

Don't Forget the Kitchens

Commercial kitchens in schools and universities can occasionally attract pests such as cockroaches or stored product insects if food storage and housekeeping slip.

They're not the most common pests in education, but they're worth keeping on the radar, especially where large volumes of food are prepared every day.

Prevention Beats the Panic

The return to school doesn't automatically mean pest problems. But busier buildings and plenty of food do create opportunities.

A combination of good housekeeping, regular inspections and preventative pest control goes a long way towards keeping schools, colleges and universities pest-free throughout the academic year.