© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
Mice have been a problem in flats throughout the UK for hundreds of years. They can spread disease, damage buildings and cause distress for many people, so it is important any infestations are eradicated quickly. This can be achieved by using poisons but also requires the client to carry out specific advice from pest controllers to ensure the problem is eradicated in the long run.
Rodents often retreat indoors to find sufficient food and nesting materials. They have large curved incisors in both jaws, which they use to chew through a range of materials. These teeth grow continuously, and are worn down by gnawing on hard materials. Mice can fit through holes as small as 5mm (the diameter of a biro), and will often follow gaps around cabling and pipe work into and around a property.
Perhaps the most serious issue mice present are the diseases they spread. Salmonella, Weil’s disease and Leptospirosis are just some of the bacteria they transmit as they walk over floors and surfaces.
If a mice infestation occurs, it is important that the professionals are called in as quickly as possible. Not only do they have the expertise to eradicate the problem but also have training in the use of different specialised poisons. Once the technician arrives they should carry out a thorough inspection of the property, looking for any evidence of rodents and reasons why they might be there.
The health and safety of the client should always be the main priority of the company. Poison should be placed in tamper-proof or tamper resistant boxes so no pets or children have access to it.
Any boxes placed should not be touched as human smell may permanently deter rodents from going into them.
Rodents are suspicious of new objects, and so may not approach the boxes immediately. This means it may take 2-3 weeks before a reduction in activity is noticed.
However, poisons will only remove a current infestation; they will not stop future infestations from occurring. Along with providing poisons, the technician should also provide the client with recommendations the client should undertake. These may be proofing, housekeeping or storage recommendations.
Proofing is the term given to the blocking up of rodent access points in buildings. As well as preventing pests from entering the building, it is also necessary to restrict their movement within. This may involve filling holes around pipe work, blocking gaps under doors and covering air-bricks with fine mesh (5mm). Once this work has been completed, itshould be monitored to ensure it does not come into disrepair. Any proofing work carried out should be done full a fully qualified builder or handyman.
Fiona Torrance BSc (Hons) is Microbee’s Company Biologist