© 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.
As we all shiver and long for the warmth of our comfy houses whilst commuting to work in the freezing weather, rodents share our sentiments and are also looking for cosy hideouts during the cold snaps. The house mouse is commonly found around a warm home during the winter months.
Rats are usually associated with the outdoors. Infestations tend to occur in external areas with rats making their burrows nearby. Indeed, during winter months rats might also settle in warmer areas such as compost heaps, flower beds by buildings, and under garden sheds and bin stores. Controlling rats in external areas poses a challenge, especially in areas open to the surroundings, such as car parks or courtyards open to the street. The key to control in these circumstances involves managing the rat population and their harbourage sites. Complete eradication is unlikely in areas that can be freely entered by rodents.
Once one family of rats is exterminated another will simply move in from the surrounding area, particularly if there is an appealing bin room in the bargain. Nearby building works often disturb rodent populations causing them to enter previously uninfested premises. This means that preventative measures are vital in external areas. By providing a perimeter defence of tamper proof bait boxes rodent populations can be controlled early on rather than when the infestation becomes established (which can require costly, intensive eradication programmes inside the buildings). Good hygiene and rubbish storage are essential to keep blocks rodent free as this more often than not is the primary reason for rats being attracted in the first place.
A determined rodent will quite easily gain access into buildings through vulnerable areas. Plastic airbrick and drain covers are no match for their razor sharp incisor teeth. Therefore making sure a building is proofed against rodent entry can prevent rodent infestations occurring in the first place.
Proofing also isolates populations within the building making them more likely to eat the poisons placed by pest controllers. Mice in particular are extremely good at squeezing through tiny holes. The general rule is that if you can fit a biro pen in the gap, so can a mouse!
Holes need to be blocked both internally and externally. Mice and rats frequently use the gaps around pipe work to move around a building, often ending up in kitchens where most pipe work enters the living quarters.
Rodents are opportunists and seek the same essentials for life as we do, namely a place to shelter, breed and a food supply. We all too often unwittingly provide all of these elements.
Effective management of communal areas coupled with well applied pest control expertise is the best way to keep your properties pest free.