Rodents dislike the cold weather as much as humans and now is the time when rats and mice take refuge from the cooler weather in loft spaces and other warm areas of buildings, particularly places where there is a food supply.
The furry creatures will scratch, gnaw and rip items apart to make nesting materials but they will also chew through electrical cables. This can cause fires, as well as cause structural damage, not to mention the urine and droppings they spread over large areas.
Paul Bates, Managing Director for Cleankill Pest Control says now is the time to block up holes and gaps and stop the creatures taking up residence for the winter.
Take preventive action now
“It’s so much better to take preventive action now if you’ve had a problem in the past as the rodents are likely to return,” Paul explains.
Cleankill professionals can survey a property and use their expert knowledge to spot entry points which they will block up. If there is any doubt about the type of rodents, they will use infra-red cameras to identify them and look at the entry points and routes the rodents are using.
Checklist for a rodent-free property
Paul added: “A mouse can get in through a gap the width of a pencil, so the first place to check is that your outside doors fit properly. If there is a gap, make sure you fit a bristle-strip draft excluder to the base.”
He advises taking a number of other steps to keep out unwelcome visitors including:
1) Checking around the outside wall to make sure that any air bricks are intact – the larger Victorian airbricks often have gaps large enough to allow mice in. Fine mesh panels can be fitted over the airbricks to stop unwelcome visitors entering.
2) Removing kick plates from the bottom of kitchen units, cleaning out any food debris that may have collected beneath them and checking for any signs of mouse droppings. With a single mouse producing up to 80 droppings per day, they will be easy to see. If you do find droppings, clean them up so that you can spot any new ones.
3) Go under the stair cupboard and have a clear out. Quite often, the gas pipes and other services come through the floorboards under the stairs and these cupboards become storage ‘glory holes’ for all manner of rubbish and provide an undisturbed area for mice over winter.
4) A quick check of loft spaces is recommended before winter sets in. Both rats and squirrels can climb the outside walls and get into lofts through damaged soffits and fascia board. They can then make nice, warm harbourages in the loft insulation and will happily chew their way through paper and cardboard boxes containing valuable family heirlooms and Christmas decorations. If you see a squirrel going into the loft, take action quickly before you have a family of squirrels or, when they start gnawing through the joists, you will have a very expensive repair job.
Cleankill has been solving pest problems for commercial and domestic customers since 1995. Using the most up-to-date pest-control techniques and technology, the company keeps its customers pest free and makes sure it is at the forefront of the industry when it comes to the use of pesticides and non-toxic pest control methodology.
As an Investor in People, all Cleankill’s staff are highly trained and offer an exceptionally fast and efficient level of service. The company is a proud member of the British Pest Control Association, as well as being approved to ISO9001 and ISO14001. Cleankill is also fully accredited to the Altius Vendor Assessment, Safecontractor, Exor, Constructionline and Achilles Health and Safety accreditation schemes and aims to be recognised as a market leader for innovation and new pest control techniques. You can follow Cleankill on Twitter or Facebook
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For further information or interview requests, contact Suzi Christie at Blueberry PR on 01435 830031 or e-mail suzi@blueberry-pr.co.uk