When it comes to pest control there are 2 different methods that a pest controller can use to eradicate a rat, mouse or squirrel infestation: toxic and non-toxic. The toxic method is the use of poisons to kill off the rodents in or around a building, the toxic approach can sometimes be a quick solution but also comes with the most risk, these risks can be: 

 

- Rats or mice dying within wall cavities and underneath floors. This can lead to maggots, flies and unpleasant smells as the rodent may be inaccessible. These smells and side effects can last a few weeks and create a nuisance for the home or business owner. 

 

- Poisoned rodents can also die outside or within reach of other animals. This can risk poisoning a non-target animal, mainly birds of prey, foxes or even domestic pets. Any toxic treatment carried out by a pest control technician needs to be monitored regularly to look for carcases, especially if the treatment is external as the rodents need to be disposed of appropriately. 

The brown rat is the most common rat in the UK and goes by several different names including common rat, street rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat, Parisian rat, water rat or wharf rat. 

 

The brown rat originated in China but is now the most common rat globally and can be found on nearly all continents. The brown rat is generally found living among humans, more so in urban areas where it can easily gain access to properties and food sources. The brown rat will feed on anything from food found within your home, to waste left outside for bin collections, food left out for birds and even dog or cat faeces. 

When it comes to rodent control there are several things a pest controller should be looking for when starting a new treatment, one of the biggest of these is how the rodents are gaining entry. Without establishing this you could be leaving home and business owners open to new infestations in the near future. At Abbey Pest Control we offer full surveys when starting new treatments to ascertain: 

 

• What type of infestation the property has (droppings can be helpful) 

• Where in the property the pests are frequenting, this helps us lay traps most efficiently 

• To identify entry points 

We cover a number of pests at Abbey Pest Control, not just rats, mice and bedbugs! We’ve been working on a site over the past few weeks just outside of our catchment area in Reading, Berkshire to help customers stop pigeons from roosting at their property and making an unsightly and hazardous mess. 

At Abbey Pest Control we also offer contracts for a range of commercial businesses, our existing commercial customers include lettings agents, convenience stores, pubs, restaurants, takeaways, hotels and builders’ yards. 

We are now entering the season where rats, mice and squirrels are looking for nice warm homes to seek shelter from the colder weather. Unfortunately, this could easily be your home if there are voids through which they can squeeze. Rats, mice and squirrels can easily gain access to properties through the smallest of holes, such as those found in broken airbricks or unsealed weep holes, they can even gain access through elevated voids if there is suitable vegetation for them to climb. 

With the temperatures finally starting to cool we are now seeing rodents entering properties to seek suitable nesting sites for the winter months. Rats can gain access through various points from something simple as a broken air vent or missing brick to a broken drain. 

Over the past week we have dealt with a variety of pests around Reading including Tilehurst, Caversham and Woodley. We started the week by checking up on a couple of ongoing rat jobs to ensure they were progressing as planned. We installed temporary proofing at one home, this will be replaced with a permanent proofing solution once we have confirmed this is the entry point. 

Ever wondered what the inside of a wasp nest looks like? 

 

Wasps start building their nest in the spring, as the colony grows the nest grows alongside it. The nests are made from wood pulp, gathered from trees, fences and even cardboard. The workers collect the wood and mix it with saliva to enable them to build the nest. 

This nest was found within a bike shed at a block of flats in Arborfield, was extremely active and was removed a couple of days after treatment. 

 

At the bottom of the page is a short video of the nest and the clean up/ removal of the nest. 

Over the past few weeks, with the temperatures rising, wasps are coming out in full force and nests are becoming increasingly active, below are some photos of a nest we treated in Calcot, Reading.  

 

Watch the video to see how we tackled the nest!