Installing roof insulation in our single storey dining room revealed heavy rat infestation in the past. Entry point is clearly via the outside downpipe and then under the pantiles through the plastic stuff to prevent birds going in. I obviously need to block off this access route. I could push scrunched up chicken wire into each of the arches formed by the tiles, but as there are rather a lot of them I wondered if there was any proprietary product that was available to do this. Any thoughts?
Sounds a good plan - am not aware of anything better. As you probably know, it's important not to block off the airflow, so something like chicken wire is a good solution. Will clearly need to be something like metal or it won't stop the little buggers.
Screwfix do something called "soffit mesh", as well as "eaves comb filler" which you probably already have. The mesh is available in stainless steel, which might avoid any rust-staining you could get as the chicken wire rots away. Could it be cut into a comb?
Could it be furry-tailed rats, aka squirrels, that have been invading?
Rat crap is about the shape of a date stone but smaller and black. Poison is not really satisfactory as they usually die in the loft and stink as they rot. Short and intense in the summer. Less odorous but longer in the winter.
I had a bad problem and having pantiles could not physically stop them. With a lot of scepticism, I tried out an ultrasound repeller. I have now had three years without rats. Occasionally I hear one come in and then go once the sound and the mains-borne noise hits it. 100% success so far. You have to have a mains supply in your loft though. With part p that is now more of a problem than it used to be. You are allowed one extension off a socket.
Interesting - I spoke with a pest control person about these and they were pretty sure they didn't work - mainly because the rats got used to them. She said if they worked successfully they'd be selling them! But are you saying you only switch it on when you hear rats though? A friend of a friend has a rat problem which was solved very quickly with one of those in that they left pronto. But perhaps leaving it on all the time wouldn't work. I'd be interested to know which unit you use.
Pest control person I spoke to says they can climb pretty much anything. I reckon mine went up the downpipe 'cos the entrance hole through the eaves filler is just above it and the dining room is only single storey. She also said that having climbing plants on your walls very much increases the chance of them getting into lofts.
I'd mis-remembered the title slightly it's actually "Mammals of Britain - Their Tracks, Trails, and Signs"
Squirrel turds are about 1/4inch diameter, roughly spherical to vaguely potato-shaped (but vary according to diet). Rat turds are, as others have said, shaped like date stones, about 1/4" diameter and up to 3/4" long.
I'll have to look up the source of the devices. They've been in a while and not in my current file. I was *very* sceptical. Snake oil and so on. All I can say is they work for me. A bad problem - two or three nests a year followed by poison and pong - now none for three years. I tried one then bought two more as I have three lofts. Even works with heavy glass insulation (25 cm). I thought the little (sorry big) buggers would hide under it and not hear the sound.
The devices stay on all the time but the sound changes periodically so they never get used to it. The devices also send an electromagnetic signal down the mains leads that radiates and disturbs them. I had severe doubts about that. I expected to get Serenade for Roland Rat Opus
3 coming through my audio system. But no.
Yippee just found the details. Pestguard PST093 from Group 55 Ltd, 2 Sherdley Road, Lostock Hall, Preston Lancs PR5 5LP. 01772 310200. No doubt others supply it, or its successor. Cost me £35 including carriage.
In answer to another message, rats seem to be able to climb anything. I passed a nearby stable to see a row of blokes with guns. Turns it that this was a rat shoot (after moving the geegees out!). You could see them (rats that is) zooming up walls and up from drains. Rushed home to borrow my son's 22 but didn't get back in time. Normally I respect life but rats are revolting. What makes it worse they are intelligent as well and incredibly adaptable.
That's why I mentioned poison, and *outside*. My mothers house was plagued with rats; for a numbers of years I attacked them with relentless poisoning from late August onwards --- until April or May (?), and the problem disappeared.
Granted the house is 300 years old and thatched and has wooden floors in some rooms, so there are a multitude of possible entry points. There did tend to be more evidence of them in the attic --- maybe they liked to 'live' there for the peace and quiet.
We did have one of those ultrasound machines, but there is no reason to believe that it did any good. In any case, I'm convinced that once they are inside, rather like burglars, the battle is mostly lost.
Peter, Apologies, I hadn't read *your* messages properly at all. The shambles that was our loft (*), plus all the different compartments and only one with power and moderately easy access, means that we didn't give it a real chance and so my comment hadn't any general worth.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.