Forum Topic

Pest control - any advice?

After hearing strange scrabbling noises late at night for the past few weeks, last night I finally came face to face with one of my tormentors! I'm no expert on these little critters but, in the blink of an eye, I think it was a mouse rather than a rat. Either way, I was a little less sympathetic to his existence this morning when I discovered my breakfast had become his! Also a few droppings lying around to be trodden in barefoot only increased my Monday morning 'joie de vivre'! I have noticed my flat has several 'air-bricks' on the exterior, presumably providing easy access to the area below my floorboards, blocking these up may help but it's a little too late for that I feel. Has anyone recently had to deal with getting rid of rodents, humanely or otherwise? I'd prefer to get some traps and release the critters outside, but living in Northfields, I'm sure that soon enough they'd just become someone else's problem. Anyone have any experience of LBE's pest control services? Apparently it's £60, which doesn't sound unreasonable, but requires three home visits, which may cause problems with getting time off work. Any other suggestions? A cat is unfortunately not an option! Thanks

Philip Slater ● 6885d23 Comments

Dead rat in the dining room this morning - one smug pussie!The air bricks shouldn't be blocked up as these provide ventilation. As you live in a flat then it probably isn't just your problem - you will all have to get together to solve this.

Peter Wright ● 6885d

Thanks Peter. When I say flat, it's really a converted maisonette, one up, one down, so I occupy the entire ground floor. Whilst the upstairs neighbours are very nice and would certainly be happy to help out, I'd probably avoid getting them involved in this.

Philip Slater ● 6885d

At this time of year, it's probably field mice coming in for the winter. At the risk of being branded as a psychopathic killer, I'd suggest ''little nipper'' wooden mousetraps baited with chocolate or chocolate-covered nuts (cheese is a myth). They only cost a couple of quid from a hardware store like Robert Dyas - I'm sure that you'll be able to find them in the hardware shop on Northfield Ave (across from Tesco)too. Failing that - poison, but they can be difficult to retrieve if they die under the floorboards, etc. If you release them, they'll just come back.

M. Anderson ● 6885d

Mesh on the air bricks (don't block them).Ordinary old-fashioned mouse traps baited with peanut butter.  Unpleasant but quick and no creatures crawling off to die somewhere under the bath or floorboards or where you can't get get at them even if you can find them.

Philippa Bond ● 6885d

Thanks Maggie/Philippa, seems to be the common consensus that 'little nippers' are the way to go. Will give them a go.

Philip Slater ● 6885d

thing to do is to find out where they get in and put crushed glass down, they don't like walking over it in case their toes get cut.

Gary Watson ● 6885d

someone told me that mice only like clean homes so take it as a compliment. Our cats bring in rats regularly..some really big..........they absolutely terrify me

Penny Crocker ● 6885d

Poor little things they are only trying to keep warm!!

Gary Watson ● 6885d

Joking aside, plugging up holes with wire wool will also stop them getting in.

M. Anderson ● 6885d

I recently noticed an awful smell coming from under my fitted kitchen - low and behold a dead rat was the cause that appeared to have got in throgh a hole in an airbrick.  I can't stand the critters and immediately contacted Universal Pest Control who, although pricey (£240 for four visits)came the same day and baited outside and in and blocked up any potential entry points.  So far so good and no further evidence (one more visit to go!).  Interestingly Thames Water have recently been undertaking some major work in this part of Northfields and I hear from neighbours that they have seen evidence of rats in gardens since then.....

Ian Green ● 6885d

Where are you in Northfields Ian? We have had more of a problem lately too..we're in Mervyn Road.

Penny Crocker ● 6884d

I am in Darwin Road

Ian Green ● 6884d

A small family of what look like field mice have taken residence in one of my garden sheds. I can't be cold hearted enough to get rid of 'em, so they can stay 'til it gets warm again next spring - bless 'em. They're not doing any harm(at least I don't think so).

Gerry Tan ● 6883d

Gerry, That is warm-hearted of you! When they are inside the house it would be nice if there was a gadget on mouse frequency or a smell which would drive them away to hibernate outside and face natural predation. Philip will know what I mean when having to reset the mousetrap!(However I think there is a big difference with rats and their association with sewers and disease)

Robert Darke ● 6883d

Rats are endemic in our Perivale back garden. I trap them dead.

Graham Weeks ● 6882d

The field mice family in my shed...just went to get my bicycle out to go fetch the morning papers and have my fry-up at Anne's Cafe in Northfields, only to see my tiny little field mouse friend peeping at me - a little fluffy capuccino coloured critter with large pink ears and dark shiny eyes, bless it! Couldn't possibly set a trap or poison the little soul. Wouldn't want to think there's something nasty in my woodshed!  :-(

Gerry Tan ● 6881d

They are cute....  when they are eating the cat's food but NOT once they have invited their friends and have scampered across the worktops eating crumbs from the toaster, tasted everything in the cupboards in packets and bags and helped themselves to a large part of the avocado you were leaving to ripen! Don't invite or ignore them into the house - it makes it even harder to get rid of them once they get married and have a family!My mother's cats are great hunters and proud of it - they catch mice amongst many other creatures but the mice are harder to catch once they have brought them in and lost them.  The duck was easier - they got it through the first cat flap but couldn't get it through the second and it made a lot of noise!

Philippa Bond ● 6881d

http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th1c.htm

Peter Wright ● 6881d

Very informative.  "If you can push a biro under a door then a mouse can get in"  Wow!  I couldn't face finding out about the other pests he deals with.

Philippa Bond ● 6881d

I live in Ealing and have done so  since 1971 ( since when it has deteriorated dreadfully ) and also part -time in Southampton where I have inherited a house, which has suffered from ingress of mice. They even come into the room where one is sitting , cheeky blighters. They can get in through any hole where you could push a pencil into, ie so small. The air holes under the front door are a favourite, and the airbricks, front and back of the house. All of these I have blocked off with wire mesh of very small holes, but they will get in any gaps in bottoms of doors. And to answer Gerry's question, there are some gadgets which send out signals that supposedly disturb the mice but the only one I have found that SEEMS to work is the variety which also uses the wiring in the house to also send the signals inside the walls as well etc etc. It is not the cheapest of those available and one is needed upstairs and down , if the critters are up there as well. In my house they  disturbed so much inside the walls that it blocked the airbricks from inside, which took  a lot of patience to clear. The house is over 100 yrs old

Tony Price ● 6878d

http://www.ealing.gov.uk/press_releases/2007/november_2007/pr1112.htmlPublic meeting Tuesday 4 December

Philippa Bond ● 6878d

I currently sit on the Pest Control Scrutiny Panel as part of my Councillor duties.... so in order to be effective, I would be appreciative of any comments (good and bad) of the Ealing Council's Pest Control Service.The fees that Ealing Council charge are very reasonable and competitive.http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/environment/pest_control/treatments_and_charges/Philip, you mention that three visits are difficult to arrange. Every problem (whether you pay lots or not) takes a few visits to eradicate the problem. There is no point in getting a £250 visit done if in a few weeks' time the pest is back. Successful treatment takes a bit of time....otherwise it's a false economy.

Joanna Dabrowska ● 6872d

Joanna, I agree with your point, however logistically this option was very difficult for me. Upon advice from this forum, I bought several traps which seem to have provided a solution to the problem, therefore unfortunately I don't have any view either way on EC's pest control services.

Philip Slater ● 6871d