Rats and mice

Rats and mice are the call we take most, and most of them start the same way: a noise in the ceiling at night that was not there last week. They come in for warmth and food from October onwards, and a mouse needs a gap no wider than a pen to get through.

What we do on the first visit

The first visit is a survey as much as a treatment. We walk the outside of the building first, looking at air bricks, pipe entries, gaps under doors, the base of cladding and the line where the extension meets the old house. Inside we check the loft, the space behind the kitchen units and the void under the bath. Droppings, gnawing and smear marks tell us where they are running; the gap tells us where they came from.

Once we know the route, we treat on it. Bait boxes are locked and fixed down, placed where children and pets cannot reach them. In kitchens and living areas we prefer traps, so nothing dies out of reach under the floor.

Why proofing matters more than poison

Treatment clears the animals you have. Proofing stops the next ones. We fill gaps with wire wool and mortar, fit mesh over damaged air bricks and fix brush strips under doors. It is included in the price, because a job that leaves the hole open is a job we would be called back to in January.

The follow-up visits

We come back twice, usually at one week and three weeks. We check the bait, remove what has been taken, look for fresh droppings and confirm the proofing has held. When there is no new activity on the second check, we remove everything and give you a written report. If they return within 90 days, so do we, at no charge.