Sunday 28 April 2013

Pest control information

Posted on behalf of Jo Campbell:

As discussed at the meeting last Tuesday, I've put together some info on pests. I can't seem to create a fresh blog so if one of you clever folks can shift this to a more suitable place for me I would be very grateful.

Cockroaches are by their very nature difficult to get rid of, they can survive with very little food or water and they simply move between houses. I would welcome a targeted approach for each row of terraces because at least that way we would be killing them or stunting their ability to reproduce.

A professional will know where best to place chemicals, deep into the crevices if that's the approach you wish to take or you could try doing it yourself. There are DIY products available. I heard about a hormone powder that makes the females infertile from a woman in the pub who was a pest controller for many years.

To fill gaps (and to keep mice and rats out) you'd need to use wire wool or copper mesh packed into the hole/crack and then sprayed with expanding foam. The wire wool/copper mesh is not something rodents like to chew, they will soon give up and move on. The expanding foam seals the area and not even the most persistent cockroach will bother with that, they too will move on.

I would suggest pulling out as many appliances as possible and reaching as far behind the cupboards as you can, the further back you can keep them, the better as they give off a horrid smell. For your front and back doors, you could get draught excluders to close the gap, there are a few types, some have bristles on, some are thin foam strips, what you use will depend on how big the gap is.

For the roof a fine mesh will keep them out but still allow for ventilation, the mesh should be very small as mice can get through holes that are the diameter of a normal pen.

I have some links below, not managed to find the copper mesh in the UK. I really does work, I mouse-proofed my very old Bulgarian house in a rural village using this method and it's kept them out. You just have to be methodical taking care not to miss any gaps/holes.

Copper mesh http://www.amazon.com/Specialty-Copper-Mesh-FBcopper50-Stuff-It/dp/B004G6YL5E

Metal wool http://stores.ebay.com/SteelWool-biz/_i.html?_fsub=2110059013&gclid=CO_lqtHy7LYCFUXJtAodPg0A-A

Rentokil sell DIY products http://www.rentokil.co.uk/technical-support/our-products-and-services/insect-control/index.html

Good luck, just give me a shout if you need some help.