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.
