PROTECTION FROM VERMIN

[peakpilgrim]

Hi

I am building an extension to an old house in the country.

i want to put in a flat roof but I am concerned about protection from vermin.
In particular rats boring through a timber and felt roof to get into the property. The house will not be occupied most of the time.

Does anyone have any suggestions

Kind regards to all

 

[skhudy]

Difficult keeping vermin away.. put wire mesh in any potential points of entry and they can't chew through that
I don't think rats will just start gnawing through a flat roof, they're looking for warm nooks and crannies
You can get these plug in deterrents which go in a plug socket and supposedly send a electromagnetic field of some sorts through the house wiring which is meant to deter them too (No idea if it works)
Owning a air rifle can be fun too..

 

[tony1851]

You read a lot about rats being able to gnaw through this and that, but they will almost always choose the easiest way to where they're going., and it's small holes they will go for. If there are ventilation slots, as said above cover with mesh.
With roofs (flat or pitched) you have to watch for the electric cables. Like all rodents, they chew on things to wear the teeth, and rats chewing at wires can cause fires.

 

[KenGMac]

peakpilgrim, Hi.

Rats are really clever, and can spot a trap a mile away.

As for getting in via a flat roof, never seen that, as previous posts they tend to use existing access holes as ducts into the property, if you cover even the air bricks with a firmly fixed wire mesh this "should" keep them out as well as [if the mesh size is small enough] deter [especially in late Autumn] Field mice who at that time of year in a Rural location go looking for "Winter - warm - accommodation"

As for what rats can and will eat? you name it ! I have seen an Electrical Cooker cable have its outer sheath totally stripped over a length in excess of 2 Meters. then the little brown furry beasties stripped the insulation from the cables themselves, but did not get harmed? [no corpses] what they did was to remove the insulation from the actual wires themselves, BUT on opposite sides of the cabling, leaving two layers of the insulation between each conducting wire, when the cooker was switched on ! BANG. the circuit tripped.

As a foreman on a 100 + year old brewery in Edinburgh I recall that all of the exposed ceiling ties were "rounded" on their top surfaces caused by the action of the rat population using the ties as a "rat run" over an area of floor. this is the only place that I have seen truly Feral Cats that were capable of taking on some of these lather large rodents, if anything the cats were worse than the rats?

Enough of this.

How about you place some external "rat bate traps" in secluded dry locations around the house? in effect creating a perimeter "barrier" to the rats [and field mice] once installed a quick look at them will tell you if they have been accessed by the rats.

As for using an Air Weapon? having had a recent rat "attack" myself an old building [derelict] was recently demolished so our furry friends "migrated" I saw a couple of them in my back yard, but, although I have a very accurate Air rifle, and regularly take part in air rifle competition's, because of Scottish Air rifle legislation I was not able to dispatch these furry pests, I had to subject them to poisoning, it worked but was not a pleasant end, even for a rat.

 

[skhudy]

Just to add, as for rat / mouse poison, I strongly recommend Flocoumafen Poison - a single feed one, much better in my experience than the other poisons which most makes use and rodents eat as if they are sweets! Unsure if I can post a link so will leave it for people to put into google

 

[skhudy]

Just to add, as for rat / mouse poison, I strongly recommend Flocoumafen Poison - a single feed one i.e they eat once and then expire, much better in my experience than the other poisons which most makes use and rodents eat as if they are sweets! Unsure if I can post a link so will leave it for people to put into google

 

[conny]

I was advised to put balls of wire wool in the holes of air bricks. Lets the air flow but mice/rats hate it with a vengeance.

 

[JulianP]

I have a very accurate Air rifle, and regularly take part in air rifle competition's, because of Scottish Air rifle legislation I was not able to dispatch these furry pests, I had to subject them to poisoning, it worked but was not a pleasant end, even for a rat.

4-10's are pretty good as they don't take chunks out of the buildings like a 12 gauge

I agree with the poison thing, it's a pretty horrible way to kill the bsuggers and I think there's some debate about owls and the like taking the almost dead rats and thus getting the poison in themselves, although I'm no expert.

 

[appsy]

Had a rat problem myself recently. I live in the countryside and theres a derelict barn in the field that my house backs onto so I'm assuming that's where they were coming from. Anyway, I put a couple of these down;

http://www.qvsshop.co.uk/super-block-bait-pre-baited-rat-station-02201-1499-p.asp

Had 4 victims within a week, and they're refillable as well so seem fairly cost effective.
Horrible creatures, have no moral problem with dispatching them with poison.