Have I got lodgers?

[planenut]

[
Traps should arrive tomorrow and I will be getting my bait ready. I am thinking of using something different on each to see what "IT" prefers! So far I have Mars Bar, Snicker and peanut butter on my list. Might even put a bit of telephone cable on one seeing as "IT" seems to like chewing it so much

What about the back end of another mouse, at least it'll die happy!

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

So, did you tell the wife that the evidence was pointing towards rodents???

I think I'd prefer to tell my wife that we had ghosts!

 

[DforDave]

So, did you tell the wife that the evidence was pointing towards rodents???

I think I'd prefer to tell my wife that we had ghosts!

I am keeping it a low profile at the moment. If I let her think we might have rats or mice she will want them removed immediately.

On the subject of getting a cat we had four cats here when we first moved in. They caught loads of mice - in the fields - and brought them into the house to meet us ! One even brought in a live baby rabbit. They were my daughter's cats and she took them with her when she got married and moved out.

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Also, don't forget to find where the little burger/s got in the first place! I've heard that they are quite the little Houdini and can gain entry in ways that you would have thought impossible!!!

You wouldn't want a repeat performance! Sharp teeth, damage and disease, and as for the rats!!!

 

[DforDave]

Also, don't forget to find where the little burger/s got in the first place! I've heard that they are quite the little Houdini and can gain entry in ways that you would have thought impossible!!!

You wouldn't want a repeat performance! Sharp teeth, damage and disease, and as for the rats!!!

Yeah. My main suspects are here...

and

.
The first one was home to a wasp nest last year - you can still see the powder I used to try to get rid of them. Doesn't seem to be disturbed by anything crwling over it though.

I am going to fill these gaps in as soon as the weather allows. Problem is, will I be stopping Roland or Mickey getting in, or stopping them getting out

 

[pipme]

Talking about wasps .. in mid to late march or so, I use half a can of wasp spray in the loft and leave a 'Vapona' type fly killer up there ... In an attempt to polish off overwintering and deter site searching Queen wasp from establishing a nest ... they are a pain in the **s, they may do good overall, but I am deffo a NIMLY (not in my loft) thankyou !

Our downpipes are concreted in, with the associated drains / soakaway openings having grills, I think (hope) this prevents rats / mice gaining roof access, unless they gain access to the soakaway of course ... also, cavities filled with insulation.

 

[DforDave]

Very helpful man from Pest Control visited us this morning. He is certain we had a MOUSE Good news though that it wasn't a rat

Lack of droppings, and the fact that the poison/traps haven't been disturbed for several days makes him think it was just a single field mouse, and it has already left the way it entered.

He thinks it got in through an air brick leading to the underfloor void - apparantly they can get through any hole that is 6mm or more. I need to find a way of blocking these so that mice stay out but air gets in

He also recommended I use wire wool to block up the route from my kitchen to the loft - wire wool is easy to shove into the space and shape to its contours, is removable later if necessary, and mice hate it

Nice helpful man - free service because he didn't need to provide any treatment; just advice. He even suggested I give him a call in the summer and he will come out and deal with my wasp nests.

 

[pipme]

Very helpful man from Pest Control visited us this morning. He is certain we had a MOUSE Good news though that it wasn't a rat

Lack of droppings, and the fact that the poison/traps haven't been disturbed for several days makes him think it was just a single field mouse, and it has already left the way it entered.

He thinks it got in through an air brick leading to the underfloor void - apparantly they can get through any hole that is 6mm or more. I need to find a way of blocking these so that mice stay out but air gets in

He also recommended I use wire wool to block up the route from my kitchen to the loft - wire wool is easy to shove into the space and shape to its contours, is removable later if necessary, and mice hate it

Nice helpful man - free service because he didn't need to provide any treatment; just advice. He even suggested I give him a call in the summer and he will come out and deal with my wasp nests.

I wonder if the aluminium type 'wool' works equally as well ? Can imagine the wire wool getting rusty and maybe perhaps causing stains somewhere over time -- interesting advice though.
Steel airbrick may be the thing, supposedly vermin proof :-

Expamet expanded stainless steel ( soffit vent mesh used over the vents to exclude birds and insects) could be framed and fitted over the existing vent bricks.
P

 

[DforDave]

I wonder if the aluminium type 'wool' works equally as well ? Can imagine the wire wool getting rusty and maybe perhaps causing stains somewhere over time.

Good point about rusting - what is this aluminium type wool, and where do you get it ?

 

[DforDave]

He thinks it got in through an air brick leading to the underfloor void - apparantly they can get through any hole that is 6mm or more. I need to find a way of blocking these so that mice stay out but air gets in

This was my Plan "A" but my wife thinks there might be a slight flaw with it...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Dfordave/Plan1.jpg

So I have moved on to Plan "B"...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Dfordave/PlanB.jpg

Seriously, before I add plan "B" to the other air bricks, can any builders advise whether they think I am blocking it too much and not allowing enough air through?

 

[securespark]

I'm no builder, but I can't see a problem with that.

It's not as if you're seriously impeding airflow. Not like a customer of mine who filled every hole on all of her airbricks with silicone and her loft eaves with 400mm of rockwool.

She wonders why there is damp everywhere....

 

[planenut]

No ghost then?

 

[pipme]

I wonder if the aluminium type 'wool' works equally as well ? Can imagine the wire wool getting rusty and maybe perhaps causing stains somewhere over time.

Good point about rusting - what is this aluminium type wool, and where do you get it ?

Hope your expanded metal is Stainless or Aluminium .. rust staining again ....
Second in Googled list Ally-wire-wool

http://www.metallic-wool.co.uk/non-ferrousandspecials/non-ferrousandspecials.htm
Sure to be other sources ..

 

[DforDave]

No ghost then?

Might have some soon. Small furry ones with big ears and long tails - knitting bedsocks out of aluminium wire wool