How do I know I have a squirrel problem?

The most common complaint about Squirrels is when they take residence in a loft space. They can make a tremendous amount of noise and usually are much more destructive than rats or mice. They will enter loft spaces for shelter or a breeding site.

Why should squirrels be treated?

When squirrels enter a loft space, they can cause structural damage by tearing up loft insulation for bedding, chewing timbers, pipe work and stored items, and posing a fire hazard by stripping insulation from electrical wiring. Insulation may be pilled into large balls for the nest or drey. They may also be very noisy, and if they drown in uncovered water storage tanks, may contaminate the water supply. For these reasons, it is important to keep squirrels out of lofts. Squirrels in gardens are also destructive pests, eating plants, bulbs, stripping bark and will eat bird's eggs and chicks. Grey Squirrels are classed as vermin.

Preparation Prior to Treatment

Don't attempt to block any entry holes prior to treatment. If you do this they may cause further damage trying to get back into their 'home'.

Treatment

The treatment of a Squirrel infestation is much more difficult & time consuming than the other rodent pests. Control of Squirrels in outside areas can be carried out in some circumstances but needs to be carefully considered. They will prey on birds nests, eating eggs & young. Feeding squirrels in gardens will increase the density of the population possibly harming other wildlife. Traps will be used to control the squirrel infestation and legally these traps have to be checked daily so can only be used if you are able to do so. If you see or hear an animal caught in one of the traps that is in distress you must phone our office. There are no guarantees for treatments 'outside' as squirrels killed are often quickly replaced but inside treatments are guaranteed to eliminate the current population but not any squirrels that arrive afterwards.

A Warfarin poison bait may also be used.

What do I do afterwards? 

If the problem is inside then after treatment has been completed it is important that the building is proofed as squirrels are territorial and other squirrels will soon move into the vacant territory. Squirrel control services are offered to domestic, commercial and agricultural customers

How do I know I have a mouse problem?

You may see, hear or smell a mouse problem or see other evidence such as burrowing in insulation or soil or see the droppings. They are commonly heard in loft spaces and will travel in the wall cavities to all parts of the house, especially to areas where food can be found. Mice are occasionally seen during daylight hours. You may hear them in the loft, particularly at night when it is quiet. Many people wonder what they eat in a loft space, they will eat spiders, woodlice & other insects as well as any air borne seeds blown into the roof space.

Why should mice be treated?

The are extremely adaptable, changing there behaviour to fit in with the environment they are in. House mice consume food meant for humans or pets. They contaminate food-preparation surfaces with their feces, which can contain the bacterium that causes food poisoning (salmonellosis). People are more tolerant of mice than rats although they can carry the same diseases as rats and are more likely to transmit such diseases, as they are bolder and more curious, coming into closer contact with food, cutlery, work surfaces, etc. Their constant gnawing causes damage to structures and property. Rodent damage to wiring has been known to start fire. The house mouse (Mus musculus) is considered one of the most troublesome and economically important pests in the UK. House mice live and thrive under a variety of conditions in and around homes and farms?

Preparation Prior to Treatment

There is not much in the way of preparation prior to a mouse treatment except for keeping food stuffs out of reach of mice if they are in these areas and keeping hygiene to a high standard. It is very important that people are aware of the disease hazard that they can cause. If you suspect they have been on work surfaces or in drawers containing cutlery or foodstuffs then these must be washed before use and foodstuffs destroyed.

Treatment

Effective mouse control involves sanitation, mouse proof construction and population reduction. The first two are useful as preventive measures. When a mouse infestation already exists, some form of population reduction is almost always necessary. Reduction techniques include trapping and poisoning. Trapping will only reduce a mouse population, rarely eliminate it completely and as they breed so quickly elimination is the desired result. Poison baiting is the quickest way to deal with a mouse infestation. The right type of bait has to be used or the mice, or not all the population, will eat it. The bait has to be put in the correct places, mice are territorial and if the bait is not in a mouse's territory then it won't take the bait.

Mice are generally harder to control than rats, being fussy feeders and surprisingly more resistant to poisons than rats or other rodents. Mice do not need much food and extract all the moisture from the food they eat. Mice eat only 1/20 th. to 1/10 th. of an oz. per day. These baits and poisons are widely recognised as the best available for the treatment and complete eradication of a mouse infestation. The technician will make at least 2 visits. On the 2nd visit he will pick up the bait & any available bodies for disposal. The treatment is guaranteed to eliminate the present mouse infestation as long as any advice given on proofing or other matters is adhered to. We cannot guarantee any mouse infestations that come in after this infestation has been dealt with. This may be more of a problem in terraced type houses/flats.

What do I do afterwards? 

After the treatment has finished the Mice usually die in their holes but there is still a slight chance of getting a smell. To prevent re infestation block up any obvious holes around pipes etc but proofing against mice is difficult as they can get through a gap of 1 cm. Removing vegetation growing on or near to the house may help. Feeding birds increases the mouse population making incursion into nearby buildings more likely

Basingstoke Pest Services offer a guaranteed treatment for moles using traps the price includes a minimum of two visits.

Agricultural, horticultural and golf course customers please contact us for one off and contract pricing for moles.

How do I know I have a rat problem?

Luckily most rat problems are outside and are usually caused by a food source, rats using an area for cover or a water source or possibly a combination of all three.

In domestic gardens bird feeding, compost heaps and animal droppings are the main causes. You may see rats during daylight hours but they prefer to operate at night. Runs are told by lack of vegetation, smear marks, footprints and packed down earth. Rats lie in burrows dug into the earth and can cause damage by collecting nesting materials, soiling food with urine, excreta and hairs. The burrows can resemble small rabbit holes. They may dig the burrows in earth or in compost heaps but they are adaptable and make use of areas under sheds or inside buildings. Rats are extremely intelligent, adapting to their surroundings. This is what makes them one of the most successful animals on the planet and makes controlling rats a difficult task. If rats are inside the building you may hear them in wall cavities or roof spaces. You may see their droppings or smell the urine. 

Why should rats be treated?

Landowners have a legal obligation to treat rats. They carry diseases, they can start fires & cause other damage by chewing through cables, water pipes etc, they kill other wildlife and an infestation will breed and spread rapidly.

Preparation Prior to Treatment

Keep a record of where you see rats, ask you neighbours if they have them. Leave any droppings or damage for the technician to look at.

Treatment

The rat infestation will be treated with a cereal based poison bait containing an anticoagulant. This poison usually requires that the rats feed several times before dying or if they consume enough poison to give them a lethal dose on their first feed they will not suffer any ill effects until some time after feeding. This ensures that they do not become suspicious and associate the bait with illness or death and a 'complete kill' takes place killing all the rats in the colony. It can take up to 7 days before the rats start feeding on the bait as they are suspicious of new objects. It is important to achieve a complete kill as they breed at such a rapid rate that any survivors soon replace the dead with their offspring. (A healthy female rat will live for two years and can produce up to 60 young per year). Rats live in colonies with dominant and subordinate individuals. In heavy infestations rats can be seen feeding during the day, these are usually the subordinate old and weaker animals that feed during the more dangerous hours of daylight to avoid the more aggressive dominant rats. Rats are attracted to the smell of other animals and their food, so particular care should be taken when feeding pets, wild birds etc., the storage of any foodstuffs and the disposing of rubbish, including animal droppings. Should you find any dead bodies they must not be handled without protection and should be buried or burnt. There is a slight risk that rats may die in places that their bodies may smell (i.e. under floorboards), if this happens it is unfortunate but we can accept no responsibility.

What do I do afterwards? 

If rats are getting into a building it is essential that the entry points are located and filled (you may need a builder for this) or the problem will repeat in the future. If you do not wish rats to return then you must address the reasons as to why you had rats in the first place. Rats need three things in life to thrive: food, water and cover. Gardens will often include all three and any attempt to eliminate infestations and keep from being re infested will fail unless these three problems are addressed. The main culprit is bird feeding as this supplies rats with a high energy food at regular intervals in a fixed location. Birds are messy feeders and small amounts of nuts pecked off a feeder will support a population of rats which will breed all year round and then push out its young to the surrounding area to start new colony's. Bird feeding can damage wildlife by increasing the amount of rats, mice & grey squirrels in an area to an artificially high number which all can be harmful to the natural wildlife population. Many people die each year after catching diseases carried by rats & mice. Compost heaps often provide a warm place to live in the winter with a regular supply of food if used at regular intervals. Rats are also attracted to the smell of rubbish (bins) and any other animals. This includes predator animals such as dogs. The reason for this is that in the wild rats would eat left over food & droppings from foxes & other animals. The same applies to chickens, rabbits & guinea pigs. So if you have pets clear up droppings, check that their food is stored in a rat proof container, that litter & droppings are not put on compost heaps & that hutches & runs are rat proof.

Basingstoke Pest Services offer a comprehensive control service for rabbits and use all methods of legal control available theses include:

Trapping, Snaring, Ferreting, Longnetting, Shooting and Gassing.

We also install rabbit proof fencing and drop boxes.

We offer a comprehensive control service for foxes in urban, suburban and agricultural environments. We use all methods available tailored to individual situations.

We offer a comprehensive control service for mink, we currently trap mink on the River Test and offer a control service to landowners, farmers, fisheries and home owners. We use both live catch and lethal trapping methods including the GWCT Mink Raft.