article_snippet.sent: Officials at the BPCA warned that pests numbers are at pests numbers highest levels for several years after councils cut free pest-buster services.
article_snippet.sent: Officials at the BPCA said that, while there were usual local reasons for particular pests being common, the overall trend across the UK was an increase in numbers.
article_snippet.sent: Scotland as a whole has seen an explosion in the ant population in the last four years, will call-outs to treat the problem increasing three-fold.
article_snippet.sent: After an especially wet summer in 2012-13 which killed off a lot of the UK's wasps, 2013-14 saw a boom in the number of the pests, especially in Scotland.
article_snippet.sent: The survey also revealed that the number of local authorities who provide a free pest control service has declined by 26 per cent over the past four years.
article_snippet.sent: And the BCPA is warning that this the potential to prompt a significant increase in pests, including rats and bedbugs.
article_snippet.sent: Simon Forrester, chief executive of the BCPA, said: 'Our study provides a comprehensive and graphic indication of the demand placed on local authorities for pest control. '
article_snippet.sent: There are many localised reasons why a particular area could have a high prevalence of a certain pest, but there's certainly a recurring theme. '
article_snippet.sent: If an infestation of any pest isn't dealt with quickly and professionally, an infestation of any pest's likely to spread. '
article_snippet.sent: The problem then becomes much more expensive and carries a greater risk to public health.'
article_snippet.sent: Wasp numbers saw a steady decline and then a sharp rise in the past few years (left)
article_snippet.sent: but there has been a clear rise in the number of bed bugs across the country (right)
article_snippet.sent: The number of ant infestations reported has shot up three-fold in Scotland in the last five years, data showed, with those in Fife most likely to report a problem .
highlights_snippet.sent: British Pest Control Association warns number of bugs at an all-time high .