What type of Mice live in London houses?

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Although very small, the mouse is a widely feared pest, probably due to its unpredictable and quick movements. If you have a mouse in your house, you may hear scampering feet above your ceiling or inside your cavity walls at night. Or you may discover mouse droppings or gnawed cereal boxes in the kitchen. Another tell-tale sign is the distinctive odour that mice emit.

When it comes to solving a mouse problem, it does not really matter what type of mice live in London houses. All the different types of wild mice have the potential to bring infection and destruction into your home.

Just like rats, mice carry disease and can contaminate foodstuffs with their fur, eating and urine, which can cause salmonella poisoning and gastroenteritis. In addition, they can damage your property by gnawing through wood, cables and into containers to get at food.

Types of mice in London

There are four types of mice living wild in and around London: the house mouse, the field or wood mouse, the yellow necked mouse and the harvest mouse. Two of these are pests – the house mouse and the field mouse. If you have mice in your London home, they will almost definitely be house mice.

The house mouse. This is London’s most common mouse. The adult house mouse measures around 7 to 9cm long with a thin tail of about the same length. Its fur is smooth and brown-grey in colour, becoming lighter underneath. It has quite large ears, small eyes, a small pointed head and small feet.

The field mouse. The field mouse is slightly larger than the house mouse and its coat is a warm brown colour rather than the dullish grey-brown of the house mouse. It has larger eyes and ears than the house mouse, making it quite easy to spot the difference. A field mouse can survive outdoors, but will sometimes find its way into a house, where it can breed and become a pest control problem.

Where will a house mouse nest?

The house mouse likes to live indoors. It can get in through the tiniest hole, just the size of a pencil, and will build a mouse nest in a warm place where there is a plentiful supply of food and nesting material. Loft spaces, cavity walls and the gaps under floors are popular places for mice to nest.

House mice eat almost anything that humans eat, but their preference is cereal. They don’t need much water, absorbing this from their food. They are most active at night, when they go in search of something to eat.

How to get rid of a mouse infestation

There are two main ways of dealing with mice – traps and poison – but if you have an infestation, it is likely that you will need the services of a professional pest controller to eradicate your problem. Mice are sporadic eaters, making it difficult to eliminate a whole colony. They are also surprisingly resistant to poisons. A pest controller will be able to help you mouse-proof your home and efficiently remove the mouse population.

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What foods or smells do Rats or voles avoid?

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One of the most effective ways to prevent rats or voles becoming a pest control problem is to discourage them from approaching your property. Traps and poisons will catch or kill at least some of the rodents when they arrive, but making your premises unattractive can be more cost-effective, and less unpleasant.

Knowing what foods or smells rats or voles avoid will help to keep them away. How effective any particular odours are at deterring these rodents will depend on the circumstances, such as the availability of food sources and the hardiness of the particular pests.

Peppermint. Some rats and voles will avoid the smell of peppermint. Soaking cotton wool balls in peppermint oil or sprinkling it on the areas where the rodents are known to run can act as a deterrent and encourage them to find alternative food sources. Natural peppermint may also help deter rats and voles but it is not always effective.

Cat litter. Cats are natural predators of rats and voles and these pests will instinctively avoid areas which are scented with the smell of feline urine. Having a cat may be sufficient to deter rodents from making their nests in your home or office as they will naturally produce the smell alerting them to the presence of a potential enemy. The use of ammonia on cat litter increases the pungency of the aroma, increasing the likelihood that it will deter rats and voles.

Predator urine. An alternative to cat litter is the use of a pest repellent that combines the urine of rodent predators such as cats, foxes, weasels and ferrets with other organic substances to form pellets. The smell fools the rats and voles into thinking that their enemies are nearby, which encourages them to stay away.

Other repellent smells. There are several other odours that may deter rats and voles from settling in your property. Moth balls can work, but are not recommended for long-term use because of their potential effect on human health. Another repelling odour is that of toilet cakes – the strongly scented blocks designed to keep toilet bowls fresh. Broken into pieces, the smell that they give off may repel rats and voles. Garlic and castor oil have also been known to work.

Repelling plants. Some plants act as a natural deterrent of voles – such as castor beans, marigolds, daffodils, alliums including onions, and caper spurge.

What do rats and voles eat?

Rats have a very keen sense of smell and are able to sniff out food from over a mile away. They are omnivorous, meaning they eat anything that humans do, from cereals to vegetables, and bread to fat. They will also eat pet food stored in boxes or bags.

Voles eat a mostly vegetarian diet. This includes plants, grass, roots and bulbs as well as berries, seeds, nuts, fungi and fruit. Vole colonies can strip bark off trees and devour fields of crops. They will occasionally eat snails and insects, but usually only when other food is scarce.

Storing food within airtight containers will help reduce the spread of odours which could attract the attention of vermin.

Will smells get rid of rats and voles?

Whilst these smells may help prevent rats and voles from settling in your property, they won’t solve a rat or vole infestation. For this, you’ll need a pest control strategy that eliminates access to food as well as killing or driving the vermin away. A professional pest controller will be able to assess what action is required and eradicate the problem before further damage occurs.

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When do feral pigeons lay eggs?

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Feral pigeons create a nuisance with their continual scavenging for food and their unsightly droppings, which can be extremely damaging to stone, brick and wood. They also carry a variety of parasites and diseases, some of which can be harmful to humans.

If you have a Pigeon Pest Control problem, knowing when and how the birds breed will help you to find a solution.

Like so many of the other pests that live in London, feral pigeons are capable of breeding all year round. Captive bred pigeons can lay a new batch of eggs every month, but their feral cousins typically produce between two and four broods a year.

Pigeon pest control by preventing nesting

While pigeons can lay their eggs at any time of year, they are more likely to nest during the spring and summer months, when the weather is warmer. Making it impossible for the birds to nest at this time of year is an important step in a pigeon removal strategy.

Feral pigeons usually build their nests on ledges outside or inside buildings. Being descended from Rock Doves, who live wild around coastal cliffs or in mountainous areas, they have learned to exploit the nooks and crevices in tall city constructions. It’s this ability to build nests in urban areas that has led to a pigeon pest control problem in London and other towns and cities.

Roof spaces are a particular favourite, being high, and full of beams and other flat surfaces. Here the birds can lay their eggs, undisturbed and usually sheltered from extreme weather. The eggs hatch within three weeks of being laid and the squabs, or baby pigeons, are able to fly within a month.

Within six months, they join the breeding population, creating a new generation of pigeon pests.

How to stop feral pigeons building nests

Where pigeons are nesting inside roof voids and other spaces, this can be stopped by the use of deterrents, or completely preventing access.

A variety of devices are available which discourage feral pigeons and other bird pests from taking up residence, including plastic bird spikes, brightly-coloured bird-scarers or even inflatable models of predators. Where specific access points are identified, such as broken windows, these can be repaired or covered by netting.

Pigeon spikes and bird-repellent gel can also be used on the outside of buildings. Spikes make it impossible to land, or uncomfortable to roost, while pigeons don’t like the feel of tacky bird-repellent gel. This ensures they won’t want to stay around long enough to build a nest or lay eggs.

While you can take some pigeon pest control measures yourself, using a professional pest controller brings the added benefit of years of experience. As with all pests, feral pigeons have particular habits and preferences and an expert will be able to supply the most cost-effective, and long-lasting, solution to your pigeon problem.

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How common is it to have Mice in London?

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You might be surprised at how many homes and businesses in London take Mice Pest Control measures from time to time.

Not everyone likes to admit that they have a problem with mice, particularly if they are running a business that involves the production or sale of food. Some of your neighbours could be unwilling to admit they have taken steps to get rid of mice, as they are concerned about giving a poor impression of their domestic cleanliness.

But needing to take mice removal measures is not something to be embarrassed about. These tiny, always hungry and fast-breeding Rodents can squeeze through almost impossibly small gaps in their endless search for food. Even the cleanest house, kitchen or store is at risk if they discover a way in.

Mice pest control starts before the rodents arrive

It’s almost inevitable that mice will be living somewhere near your home or business premises. The diverse architecture of London leaves many buildings susceptible to mouse infestation. There is an endless supply of cracked bricks and pipes which leave gaps big enough for these nimble rodents to get through.

One of the best pest control measures you can take against mice is to stop them finding a way in. Visual inspection of your property is a good start, especially if this is carried out by a pest control expert, who will be able to make you aware of potential entry points you might not have considered.

Another easy step is to make sure all potential sources of food are inaccessible to mice. They chew their way through paper, cardboard and even wood to get to a meal. Securing food in plastic or metal containers will keep them out. Keeping your home or businesses premises clean will reduce the amount of food waste lying around, providing mice with less of an incentive to find a way in.

Get rid of mice as soon as you spot the problem

Unhygienic and unsightly, mice can also do considerable damage to your property once inside. They’ll pull out insulation from inside walls and lofts, makes nests in stored textiles, and can even create electrical problems by chewing wires.

All of which means it’s important to get rid of mice the moment they arrive. Because they are a common pest control problem, there is no shortage of options available. Poison, traps and electronic deterrents are just some of your choices.

Do-it-yourself pest control measures will often get rid of mice if they have not had much time to breed. A well-established infestation can be much harder to remove, because of both the number of mice and the variety of hiding places they will have created for themselves.

It can be surprisingly common to have mice in your London property. But they can usually be removed relatively quickly and easily, and with the right actions, you can prevent mice from returning.

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What to do after Flea Extermination

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Even when your premises have undergone a thorough Fleas Extermination process, there is no guarantee that the pests will not be back. Fleas are particularly hardy pests, with the capacity to remain dormant for years before reviving when they sense potential food sources nearby.

Where pest control measures have entirely eliminated the flea population, preventing their return means identifying and closing their routes into your premises. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, as fleas are often spread by being carried in the fur of dogs or cats.

However, there are measures you can take to reduce the chances of flea problems reoccurring.

Pest control actions after flea extermination

There are several different types of flea but all have common characteristics. In particular, they all feed on the blood of different types of animal, and spread by laying eggs which often fall from the host.

This means it is just as important to deal with flea eggs as it is to tackle the adult fleas. The eggs will fall from the host, usually a cat or dog, at any point during the day. A high proportion is found in their bedding, but a number will be spread across the rest of the area they move in, such as your home or workplace.

These eggs are invisible to the naked eye. To remove them before they have a chance to hatch you should:

  • Where possible, put animal bedding on hard surfaces.
  • Regularly wash pet bedding, ideally each week and at high temperature.
  • Vacuum soft furnishings which the animals come into contact with.
  • Groom your pet while it stands on a hard floor or even a white sheet, where dislodged fleas and their eggs will be visible.

Be alert to the signs of a flea problem

While fleas can spread diseases, the main problem they cause is skin irritation in the host animal. This is usually a cat or dog, but can occasionally be a human.

The irritation is due to the flea bites. These become itchy, causing the host considerable discomfort. A clue that your cat or dog may be carrying fleas is regular scratching of the same part of the body, often in an irritated manner.

Small children are at a higher risk of being bitten by fleas, as they have much more contact with floor surfaces. Some could be allergic to flea bites, giving them an itchy rash on their skin.

If you are a pet owner, there will always be a chance of a flea problem reoccurring. Even if you keep your own pets scrupulously clean, they could pick up fleas through contact with other animals, or from animals visiting your home or place of work.

The best way to stop fleas from becoming a problem is to know what to do after flea extermination, and to take consistent pest control and prevention measures.

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Who should remove a hibernating queen Wasp?

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Warm weather in early spring will rouse hibernating queen wasps from their winter sleep. If you see a wasp at this time of year, it will almost definitely be a queen wasp emerging from its hibernation. These wasps are larger and brighter than other wasps and are the only wasps which survive the winter cold.

While you might consider wasps to be a pest during the summer months, the best time to prevent a wasp problem is when you find a hibernating or newly woken queen wasp. By destroying it now, you are preventing it from building the much bigger pest problem of an entire wasp nest.

How to spot a hibernating queen wasp

A hibernating queen wasp will protect her wings and antennae by tucking them under its body. It uses the middle legs to cover and protect its wings and the hind legs to anchor itself in place for the winter.

The wasp may construct a small hibernation cell, about the size of a golf ball, which may be grey, silver or straw in colour and will often be hidden from human eyes in an undisturbed spot in a loft space or shed.

As with all wasps, a queen wasp carries a sting which injects poison into its victim. This can be painful to a human and in rare cases can cause a dangerous allergic reaction.

If you discover what you think is a hibernating queen wasp and are unsure of how to deal with it, you may want to call in a pest control expert. They have the experience to identify and destroy it.

Prevent queen wasps building a new nest near your home

The queen wasps usually wake up from hibernation at the beginning of April. They immediately begin searching for somewhere to build a nest. Popular locations are roof voids, wall cavities and sheds, but wasp nests can also be found underground and in more unusual places, such as holes in trees or bird boxes.

Once a queen wasp has chosen a location, it begins building the nest. The nest is made from chewed wood and wasp saliva, creating a grey, papery material. Once a few cells have been built, the queen wasp will begin to lay eggs. These hatch into workers who then feed the queen. As the queen wasp is fed, she makes more cells and lays more eggs and so the colony grows, by up to 100 eggs a day.

By mid-summer, the nest could be home to hundreds or even thousands of wasps. If it’s near your home or workplace, it can become a significant pest control problem, as their search for food will keep bringing the wasps to you. They could be a continual nuisance, and you risk being stung, particularly in the autumn, when they become more aggressive.

You may be able to avoid all this by destroying a hibernating queen wasp when you find it, perhaps as it emerges from winter sleep.

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Tips for avoiding clothes Moths

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As winter blossoms into spring, you’ll begin to reacquaint yourself with lighter clothes you put away months ago. However, opening the wardrobe doors may reveal more than just the garments you put away last year. It’s possible that your hangers supplied ready meals to a host of hungry clothes moths.

The Victorians knew all about avoiding clothes moths but the rise of man-made fibres saw their numbers steadily decline in the last century. That trend is reversing and moths are again becoming a common pest.

The damage is done by the moth larvae, which feed on clothes and carpets. By the time you spot the golden flutter of the adult moth, it’s too late; they’ve feasted on your fabrics.

Here are our tips for avoiding clothes moths.

1. Know the signs. Small moths are found in every home but not all are clothes moths. If you’re on the lookout for the pests, keep your eyes open for tiny larvae, the moth caterpillars which look like small maggots. Also watch for small silken tubes or cases and the silk cocoons where they turn into moths.

2. Regularly freshen up areas where clothes are stored. Clothes moths prefer dark, undisturbed places. Infrequently opened wardrobes, suitcases of old clothes in the loft and rarely cleaned fabric on furniture are their favourite haunts. Store fabrics in plastic bags and give the darkest corners an occasional clean to reduce the risk of Moth Infestation.

3. Keep fabrics clean, especially if they are to be stored. Moths prefer to feed on dirty textiles, so washing clothing and other fabrics before putting them into store will help keep the pests away.

4. Vacuum regularly. Carpets are particular favourites for clothes moths, especially handmade rugs. The caterpillars live underneath, where it’s dark, and do their damage unseen. They can also live under skirting boards, where household debris gathers and provides plenty to eat.

5. Use repellents. Moth balls, popular with past generations, are reappearing in homes across London and the country. Moth repellent fabric protector sprays are also available, which are applied directly to textiles, rendering them unpleasant to pests.

6. Trap the moths. If you have a clothes moth problem, a trap will help you to collect the adults and reduce the chance of them breeding. These are typically baited with pheromones which attract the moths to sticky surfaces, where they become trapped.

Take care to buy the right type of trap, as not all are designed for indoor, domestic use. Moth enthusiasts and gardeners also trap the insects and the devices they use are different.

7. Call in a pest control professional. If you have a serious problem with clothes moths, or they keep coming back, you may need the assistance of a pest controller. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about – the Westminster headquarters of Defra were closed for a day last year, to deal with an infestation of the common clothes moth.

For reasons no one quite understands, moths are becoming a more common problem in London. By taking simple steps to avoid clothes moths, you can also escape the frustration of damaged clothes and soft furnishings.

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How to make Air Bricks Mouse Proof

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Mice are a common pest control problem all year round. Their keen sense of smell and an ability to squeeze through tiny gaps means they’re continually finding their way into homes and offices in search of food.

Air bricks, designed to allow ventilation to voids beneath wooden floors, can also become an unintended entry point for Mice. While the holes in air bricks are designed be too small for mice to use, they are not always an effective barrier, particularly if damaged.

The common house mouse (mus domesticus) is able to find its way through surprisingly tiny holes. Capable of compressing its body, a mouse can get through a gap no wider than a fingertip, or the thickness of a pencil.

Mouse proof air bricks which are at risk

Air bricks can allow all sorts of inconveniences into your property, including cold draughts. For that reason, along with pest control, some people block them up. However, the ventilation they provide to the voids beneath floors is needed to reduce the risk of wet or dry rot taking hold of timber.

If you want to make air bricks Mouse Proof but still allow them to deliver ventilation, you need to cover them with a fine mesh or grille. The covering must be able to withstand rodents’ teeth, as they will attempt to chew their way through material which is preventing them from reaching sources of food.

You can buy steel grilles designed specifically to cover air bricks, which you can fit yourself. These are available in various sizes to cover the different types of air brick which have been used in construction over the years,

Rodent proof air bricks are prevention not a cure

Covering air bricks will prevent mice from using them as an entrance, but you could also be trapping them inside your premises. Or they may have found another way in and out.

If you already have problems with mice or other pests and you’re not sure how they are getting in, you would benefit from a survey by a pest control specialist. They have the experience to identify a variety of potential entry points, such as disused pipes and gaps in brickwork that you may not even have noticed.

A pest controller will also be able to spot other signs of pests. Droppings, damage and distinctive smells are all giveaway signs to the trained eye and nose.

When it comes to dealing with mice already inside your property, there are a number of methods available. These range from humane mouse traps to lethal poisons. Again, specialist advice is recommended because to be effective, traps and poisons need to be laid in the right places and baited appropriately.

Making air bricks mouse proof is just one of the many measures that you can take to protect your home and commercial premises from mice and other pests.

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Where do Feral Pigeons spend their days?

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London’s biggest airborne pest, the feral pigeon, has recently become something of a film star. The evil Professor Moriaty, adversary to London’s most famous detective in the movie, “Sherlock Holmes: A game of shadows”, has a habit of feeding the winged vermin in the city’s parks.

But when they’re not to be seen alongside the likes of Jared Harris, Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr. and Stephen Fry where do feral pigeons spend their days?

‘Rats with wings’ were not always pests

Today’s feral pigeon, or town pigeon, is descended from birds who were once bred in captivity, often for meat. This happened for thousands of years. Some of the world’s earliest writings, such as Egyptian hieroglyphics, mention the domestication of the Rock Dove or Rock Pigeon.

Over the centuries, millions of birds have escaped from captivity and formed huge colonies in our towns and cities. Trafalgar Square alone was home to around 35,000 birds before the Mayor of London took action to reduce their numbers.

A day in the life of a feral pigeon

As their name suggests, Rock Doves live on cliffs. Today’s tall buildings with their miles of ledges provide an attractive alternative to their feral pigeon descendants.

It’s here that birds begin the day, on some precarious perch or rooftop that’s not been coated in Pigeon Spikes or Netting. Some will be nesting, as pigeons can lay eggs at any time of year.

They like to nest in groups, if they can, with derelict buildings being favoured spots for housing a pigeon nursery. Both parents take turns at incubating the eggs, while their partners go in search of food.

Much of the pigeons’ food comes directly from the human inhabitants of the town or city. Some feed the birds deliberately, although this is increasingly discouraged. But many of us feed feral Pigeons by accident, by dropping pieces of food onto roads and pavements. They also eat berries, seeds and insects.

Pigeons can live for up to fifteen years in captivity. However, it’s unlikely they survive this long in the wild, with most feral pigeons probably dying within their first five years of life.

Feral pigeons pollute and damage

While pigeons help to keep our streets clean of food waste, they make plenty of mess of their own. Stonework, vehicle paintwork and the personal dignity of town and city dwellers are the daily victims of pigeon droppings.

Once prized as a quality fertilizer, pigeon excrement is not just unsightly, it’s also highly corrosive and a health hazard. The acids it contains will eat their way through paint, wood, steel and stone. Millions of pounds have been spent restoring historic buildings which had suffered major damage from a build-up of pigeon droppings.

Their waste, and the birds themselves, can also contain parasites and other sources of diseases. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the feral pigeon has been associated with the villainous Professor Moriaty on the silver screen, as both can present a rather nasty hazard to human health.

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Are cockroaches common in London?

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If you’ve spent time travelling around London, there’s a good chance you’ll have spotted a cockroach or two. Even if you haven’t seen one yourself, you have probably been very close to one.

Cockroaches are just one of London’s pest control problems, and they are a problem that seems to be getting worse. The London Evening Standard recently reported that the city’s firefighters are discovering an increasing number of cockroach-infested temporary dwellings. Local media often contains stories of restaurants and hotels where infestations have been discovered.

With pest control budgets being cut by councils and firms looking to save money, it’s no surprise that cockroach numbers seem to be rising. These hardy insects have developed the capability to survive under many different conditions, and their ability to breed quickly makes them difficult to eradicate.

Why cockroaches are a problem in London

These ugly brown or black insects can be found in a huge variety of environments right across the city. Homes, hotels, warehouses and even trains and buses are all common habitats for cockroaches, some of which can grow to over an inch (30mm) in length.

Most of them live out of sight, in the dark spaces under cupboards and appliances, and in cracks and crevices. They prefer to come out at night and if you disturb them by turning on a light, they’ll scuttle back to somewhere dark.

Cockroaches thrive in these places because of the warmth and the abundant food supply. They will eat virtually anything, but can also survive for long periods without food or water.

In addition to doing damage and being unpleasant to look at, cockroaches are a pest because they can carry a number of different diseases, including salmonella and dysentery. Any food they come into contact with becomes tainted, and they give off an unpleasant odour.

What to do if you have a cockroach problem

If you think your house or business premises is providing a home to cockroaches, you should take prompt action. The longer you leave them, the harder they will be to eradicate. Cockroaches are tough survivors and it often requires the persistence of a pest control expert to get rid of them completely.

Signs of an infestation include finding droppings or smear marks on surfaces, discovering damage to foodstuffs or paper containers, and encountering an unpleasant musty smell. You may also find the insects themselves if you look into cracks or beneath cupboards or go into the area at night.

Immediate actions to take include putting all foods into strong, sealable containers and promptly clearing up spills of food and liquid, including crumbs, on surfaces, including the floor. Also, tidy up the area to remove possible hiding places.

You can buy DIY cockroach products that may help deal with the problem. But calling in a professional will give you access to stronger insecticides, along with expert advice on how to prevent the insects returning. Just because cockroaches are becoming more common in London does not mean they have a to be a problem for you.

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