Flooding in Caversham not only poses immediate risks to property and safety but also can increase rat infestations. As water levels rise, rats are forced out of their underground burrows, seeking refuge in drier areas, including homes and businesses. Here at Abbey Pest Control, we understand how flooding affects rat behavior. These are a few reasons for not only the increased activity, but the potential health risks involved. 

We are starting to receive enquiries about noises in lofts around Lower Earley, Central Reading and Caversham that have turned out to be squirrels creating a nuisance in our customers lofts. August is one of the 2 ideal breeding times for squirrels and many of their young are now six weeks old and getting ready to leave the nest. 

 

As squirrels will make their nests out of the installation in the loft areas by tearing up strips of it to burrow inside, they can create significant mess and damage within the roof space of the home. Their nests can often be found down into the eves of the roof or even in the facia and soffits themselves. 

With the recent heatwave around Reading followed by mild and very wet weather; we are seeing an increase in customers reporting flea infestations. This type of weather provides ideal breeding conditions for fleas to thrive, especially in vast fields and open areas such as Langley Mead in Shinfield or Dinton Pastures in Woodley. 

 

As an animal lover myself I always ensure both my cat and dog are up to date with their flea treatments using a spot-on flea treatment which is very easy to apply and will help in the fight against these pests. Frontline no longer appears to be effective in this area and I have found Advantage treatments to be far more effective at keeping fleas at bay. 

At Abbey Pest Control we are mostly dealing with wasp nests removals as we reach the height of the busy wasp season, however we are still finding rodents are making a nuisance of themselves in some homes across Berkshire. 

 

With growing populations of rats, mice and grey squirrels around Berkshire and the surrounding areas there are still plenty of rodents looking for homes and food. 

 

We are currently dealing with a number of rodent jobs, from a grey squirrel building itself a new nest in a loft in Lower Earley to rats gaining entry into a kitchen from a burrow under a patio in central Reading. 

Quick video of the first night I had some traps down in a property in Thatcham just outside Newbury in Berkshire, in the video you can see how nervous the rat is around the traps, this is known as neophobia and is common amongst rats it basically means an extreme or irrational fear or dislike of anything new or unfamiliar. This is extremely common when dealing with a rat infestation but with the help of motion cameras like the ones we use helps us in determining where is best to place traps to have a successful treatment. 

Here at Abbey Pest Control we have had several calls over the passed few weeks about carpet beetles. Carpet beetles are similar to carpet moths in that their larvae will feed upon carpets, clothing and furniture and are a real nuisance around Reading and Berkshire. 

 

Carpet beetles are about 1.7mm – 3.5mm with a roundish body, they have a white, brown and yellow pattern over their body (see photo). 

A collection of rodents caught on our motion cameras, no footage of any rodents being caught in traps. 

These videos have been taken from all over the Reading and Berkshire area and also includes a couple of surprise guests at the end.