A top official on Tuesday urged residents of Abu Dhabi not to seek service of unlicensed pest control firms in homes or offices.

The residents have also been told to maintain proper hygiene as flies, cockroaches, bedbugs, mosquitoes, ants and even rodents survive abundantly in untidy environments.

Al Mazrouqi made the comments on Tuesday during a meeting with the media in which he discussed Tadweer's public health pest-control projects and a number of awareness projects to promote public awareness on the importance of pest-control.

Tips to protect homes from insects and rodents

> Maintain hygiene and dispose leftover foods properly

> Closing of all entry points

> Ensuring that cockroaches do not enter food boxes

> Don't leave food exposed

> Constant cleaning of drainages

> Properly mix fertilisers with soil

> Keep garbage containers clean and covered

> Check used-furniture before entering it in the house

> Good ventilation

> Remove hoarded woods and materials from near homes

> Do proper home maintenance

INFOBOX

How to seek help

The public can contact Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre at 800 555.

He said: "People should only use approved pest control firms. In case anyone sees unlicensed people, inform the police or other authorities concerned for legal action. At Tadweer, we work on providing pest-control services through globally-adopted practices.   We also educate all segments of the community on the basics of pest prevention.

Al Mazrouqi added: "Our integrated pest management system includes several stages; starting with monitoring the breeding nests of pests through inspection and scanning, followed by identifying the type of pest and analysing any available data on it. Then comes the pest-control process that ensure long-term efficacy while remaining environmentally-safe or by reliance on non-chemical materials."

Tadweer will instal insect traps at fixed stations in the emirate to monitor blood-sucking insects, especially mosquitoes. The waste management centre also offers a wide range of other services through public health pest-control management, including regular pest-control services in resident villas, highways, streets, government facilities, schools, hospitals, public clinics, mosques, public parks, markets as well as central sewage and waste collection points in all residential, commercial and industrial areas in addition to fumigating people's homes upon requests.

Officials said their 2016-2017 data, shows that they have received more than 40,000 requests from residents across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

The pest-control management also provides animal collection services for all types and sizes of stray animals.

Source: Khaleej Times