Pest problem

[dan2002]

Hi there, in my house I an having a nightmare with mice. It doesn’t help my case because the area I live in is not so clean and having neighbours whos gardens are dirty also don’t help.



I obviously use glue traps but only the baby ones get stuck, not the bigger ones.

Have also tried using one of the traps where if they step on the lever the door shuts. They don’t go at all in- (Pointless)

Can anyone give me tips on what to do?

 

[Mottie]

Lever traps are no good unless you are going to release them far, far away. Glue traps are cruel. As is poison. Snap traps are the most humane way of dispatching them. Better still, get a cat.

 

[dan2002]

Lever traps are no good unless you are going to release them far, far away. Glue traps are cruel. As is poison. Snap traps are the most humane way of dispatching them. Better still, get a cat.

Mate cats are the best medicine but unfortunately allergies, can’t have them.

Its so annoying because mice are literally the worst. Imagine living in your house knowing one might be lurking. They are grim and disgusting

 

[opps]

Why not purchase some wire wool and stuff it in to any holes larger than the diameter of a pencil. Mice wont chew through wire wool because it cuts their nose.

 

[dan2002]

Why not purchase some wire wool and stuff it in to any holes larger than the diameter of a pencil. Mice wont chew through wire wool because it cuts their nose.

Mate would do but I have a bigger problem.

They are literally spread out throughout the house in the walls etc. I have blocked all the visible holes but obviously mice just need a small hole and they can fit through

 

[opps]

Mate would do but I have a bigger problem.

They are literally spread out throughout the house in the walls etc. I have blocked all the visible holes but obviously mice just need a small hole and they can fit through

If the walls are timber stud walls then they shouldn't be able to pass the timber noggins, unless they have holes drilled through them for pipes or cables.

A family friend lives in a 70's build house with concrete flooring. I suspect that her mice were coming in to her loft from next door. She had top down rad pipes on the ground floor that ran, surface mount in a half diameter "down pipe". I stuffed loads of wire wool up there. She still had a mouse. I then noticed in her kitchen she had a boxed in section with pipes running up to the loft which ran below worktops. Because of its proximity to the gas supply it was difficult to push wire wool up. I ended up drilling some holes in the boxed section (higher up), covered the gas meter with polythene and squirted in two large tubes of expanding foam in to the holes. The mice can chew through the foam but I am hoping that they won't be persistent enough to bother.

She has not seen any mice since then.

 

[dan2002]

If the walls are timber stud walls then they shouldn't be able to pass the timber noggins, unless they have holes drilled through them for pipes or cables.

A family friend lives in a 70's build house with concrete flooring. I suspect that her mice were coming in to her loft from next door. She had top down rad pipes on the ground floor that ran, surface mount in a half diameter "down pipe". I stuffed loads of wire wool up there. She still had a mouse. I then noticed in her kitchen she had a boxed in section with pipes running up to the loft which ran below worktops. Because of its proximity to the gas supply it was difficult to push wire wool up. I ended up drilling some holes in the boxed section (higher up), covered the gas meter with polythene and squirted in two large tubes of expanding foam in to the holes. The mice can chew through the foam but I am hoping that they won't be persistent enough to bother.

She has not seen any mice since then.

Sounds interesting mate.

I live in a terraced house and literally every household will have mice. They travel from one household ceiling to another. Also quite a few years ago we had a extension which combined our living room with the dining room. Which obviously means pipes etc. got assembled.

Out of curiosity do those adapters work that you plug into your socket to avoid mice/insects…?

 

[opps]

Sounds interesting mate.

I live in a terraced house and literally every household will have mice. They travel from one household ceiling to another. Also quite a few years ago we had a extension which combined our living room with the dining room. Which obviously means pipes etc. got assembled.

Out of curiosity do those adapters work that you plug into your socket to avoid mice/insects…?

I did ask a pest control guy about that years ago. He likened it to having to listen to a kettle boil all day. Annoying but probably not enough for you to pitch a tent and sleep in the garden in the middle of winter.

At the time I was working for a customer in a terraced house who, before going on holiday, mentioned that she could hear something under the floorboards. Initially I thought she was being paranoid but told her that I would lift some floorboards in the kitchen. A couple of hours later, I was sitting having a sarnie when a rat popped its head up and we had a stare off.

I put the boards down and called environmental health. Guy turned up on a Friday. Put down poisoned grain (after I lifted the boards again). I walked in on Monday morning and could hear the rats screaming. He kept coming back so frequently that he said he was concerned that the grain might be attracting other rats displaced by local construction work.

The poor woman had the drains inspected. She would only use the loo on the third floor of the house after her Polish cleaner told her that rats can go around the toilet U-bend and lift the toilet seat. Fortunately, the rats were too fat to actually get any further than the floor cavity.

She considered moving but after doing the figures it was cheaper to move out for 3 months and get a firm in to lift all the floors and back fill with concrete. From memory, the building works cost over £10k (about 15 years ago).

 

[dan2002]

Why not purchase some wire wool and stuff it in to any holes larger than the diameter of a pencil. Mice wont chew through wire wool because it cuts their nose.

Looks like I will have to listen to your advice and purchase some wire wool.

Yesterday the mice chewed through my carpet by the skirting boards and it is looking horrid.

They have been doing this since I extended my living room. They chew through the carpet and it looks so nasty now

 

[opps]

Looks like I will have to listen to your advice and purchase some wire wool.

Yesterday the mice chewed through my carpet by the skirting boards and it is looking horrid.

They have been doing this since I extended my living room. They chew through the carpet and it looks so nasty now

Very deep cavities- I use expanding foam and wire wool. BTW, radiator tails are often a potential point of entry. Sometimes the carpet masks the size of the hole.

I have lost count of the number of kitchens on suspended floors (in older buildings) that had massive gaps where the floor boards meet the plaster (hidden by the floor cabinets). On those jobs I purchased tubes of expanding foam that do not need to be held upside down.

 

[dan2002]

Very deep cavities- I use expanding foam and wire wool. BTW, radiator tails are often a potential point of entry. Sometimes the carpet masks the size of the hole.

I have lost count of the number of kitchens on suspended floors (in older buildings) that had massive gaps where the floor boards meet the plaster (hidden by the floor cabinets). On those jobs I purchased tubes of expanding foam that do not need to be held upside down.

Mate look what damage they do around my living room! I actually can’t stand them and they are so grim

 

[dan2002]

I think this is a form of wire wool. I use this to clean dishes etc.

Would this work fine?

 

[opps]

It will work but would be expensive.

Something like this would be much cheaper.

Oakey Medium Steel Wool 200g - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. For general purpose cleaning, surface preparation and the removal of paint, varnish and rust. Suitable for use with a chemical stripper. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

You rip the roll apart and spread it out and then stuff it in to any mouse friendly holes. Wear gloves though, it can be rough on your fingers. A packet that size will go a long way. I cannot tell you how many you will need though. Looking at your carpet, it might be the case that you have big gaps under the skirting. It might make sense to pull the carpet back to check.

 

[dan2002]

It will work but would be expensive.

Something like this would be much cheaper.

Oakey Medium Steel Wool 200g - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. For general purpose cleaning, surface preparation and the removal of paint, varnish and rust. Suitable for use with a chemical stripper. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

You rip the roll apart and spread it out and then stuff it in to any mouse friendly holes. Wear gloves though, it can be rough on your fingers. A packet that size will go a long way. I cannot tell you how many you will need though. Looking at your carpet, it might be the case that you have big gaps under the skirting. It might make sense to pull the carpet back to check.

Will give those wire wool a go because I have it at home and its spare. Should hopefully do the job?

Would these wire wool be fine from eBay if the ones I have at home don’t work?

24pk Steel Wire Wool Pads Quality Grade 0 Fine For Rats Mice Smoothing Sanding | eBay

EXCEPTIONAL VALUE - Grade 0 Steel Wool. Flexible and reusable. The fine steel wool easily removes stubborn stains from pots, pans, utensils and dishes (not suitable for ceramics and non-stick). They are perfect for cleaning jobs as the steel wool 0 pads are flexible to reach in and around...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[opps]

Will give those wire wool a go because I have it at home and its spare. Should hopefully do the job?

Would these wire wool be fine from eBay if the ones I have at home don’t work?

24pk Steel Wire Wool Pads Quality Grade 0 Fine For Rats Mice Smoothing Sanding | eBay

EXCEPTIONAL VALUE - Grade 0 Steel Wool. Flexible and reusable. The fine steel wool easily removes stubborn stains from pots, pans, utensils and dishes (not suitable for ceramics and non-stick). They are perfect for cleaning jobs as the steel wool 0 pads are flexible to reach in and around...

www.ebay.co.uk

Medium wire wool is normally recommended. I honestly don't know if fine wire wool will work.