With the persistent wind and rain affecting Berkshire over the past two weeks, we thought we would take the time to do a short blog on how the weather can affect certain pests. With storm Ciara and storm Dennis battering Reading, causing flooding in Arborfield, Wokingham, Theale, Swallowfield and surrounding areas these conditions can encourage rodents into your home or business; much like us rodents don’t like being out in the cold and wet weather and if they can find a way inside you may be sharing your home will some very unwelcome guests. 

 

Rodents like rats and mice will use lower level entry points, such as a broken or missing airbrick to get underneath a garage door. We are currently dealing with a property where rats have gained access through a small gap under the garage door and have built a nest underneath the homeowners nice, warm boiler which unfortunately is also in the garage. This has led to them exploring their new surroundings and finding access inside the house following the network of pipes leading from the boiler; with the weather being cold and wet this is a perfect environment for them to set up a nest, they had access to grass seeds and other plant material to feed on while having a lovely warm area in which to nest in. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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 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.