Now, obviously I’m going to say this… I’m in the business, However there are several genuine reasons why using professional pest control is recommended. Hey, some DIY pest management for ants in the porch, fill your boots but when it comes to rodent control its the professionals I would always recommend.

It simply is not a case of putting poison down and forgetting about it, some of the things I have seen some customers do before calling me are not only incorrect but in many cases absolutely horrendous. And in many cases costing the customer twice. Traps for mice in the shed, of course, you go for it but when you have a internal rodent infestation within the property there are so many things to take into consideration. Target pest, level of infestation, origin of infestation, resistance, environmental impact to name a few, and if you do manage to gain safe control how do you stop it from happening again…?

Method selection in pest management is based on the results of several assessments carried out on site by Pest Controllers and in many cases the use of anticoagulant rodenticides are not always required, after all there have been many recent studies carried out confirming the fact that traces of anticoagulant baits have been found in birds of prey and other none target predators. This can be devastating to the wider environment not just whats in your garden.

None Bioaccumulation baits can now be used in areas where previously they could not be, these products require extra certification to use so are not available to the general public. Then we have traps, if placed and baited correctly will almost certainly assist in the control of a rodent infestation, very effective for external use, like rats in a garden where there are many secondary risks to be considered, not so effective if there is internal rat problem that is originating from a drainage issue. Ultimately identifying the points of entry and correcting them in many cases removes the requirement for repeated rodenticide use and trapping.

These methods in nearly all cases are used to assist in identifying the points of entry if you know how to apply them and not just to bait indiscriminately. Saturating your home in brightly coloured rat poison is not the way forward.

Any pest controller worth his certificates should put animal welfare front and foremost when assessing the situation and providing treatment plans going forward. While we obviously take into consideration the customers dog or tiddles the cat we also have to think of the kindest and most controlled way of dispatching the very pests we have been called to eradicate.

Glue Boards…

Imagine walking into your home and stepping onto thick glue, as you take a further step forward you fall and land on your hands…. feet and hand stuck fast, over time you become tired to the point of exhaustion, you pass out and hit the glue face first, in shock you come too, through fear and shock you attempt to lift your head resulting in your eyes being pulled out of your skull and you skin ripped from your face.

As you are stuck face down in excruciating agony your lips seal shut through the glue and the mucus blocks your nasal passage, If you are lucky your heart will burst through the stress your body is going through, not so lucky you will slowly suffocate.

Young rat left alive on a glue board for two days because the customer didn’t know what to do with it..!!

Glue boards even when used as instructed are in my opinion simply the worst methods of control, they are inhumane and indiscriminate, I have seen garden birds and domestic animals stuck to these things when customers have used them incorrectly. Putting them down around the home where their pets reside, in gardens where they feed the birds which have contributed to the very rat issue they are trying to control. Putting glue boards at the base of a bird feeder is not the brightest thing to do.

Its one thing gluing a animal to the floor… but to then let it suffer is not only inhumane but vile. luckily glue boards could soon be a banned product and no longer available to the professional industry or the domestic customer.

Rats or Mice in the home, call the experts, field mice in the shed, tidy the shed or catch and release (A drive out will be required) a few miles should do it, tidy excess bird food at the end of the day, rats under the decking, set a few covered traps. You don’t always need poison baits and you certainly do not need industrial glue.

Non return valves are fantastic bits of kit if you know what you are doing with them, how they work, what they are for, where you can and should fit them, how to fit them and are you fitting the right type. Me, I will only use ‘Ratwalls’ they really are the best in my opinion.

Recently i was involved in a rat infestation in Solihull, West Midlands, which had been on going since the customer had had his extension built, not by builders may I add, lets just say it was a family project.. (Everyone in the family had a trade) so they pooled together and got on with the job. As soon as the last brick was laid noises were heard in the loft space. The customer was in complete denial and would not except that something must have not been capped off or blocked off correctly allowing rats to get in.

A CCTV survey was carried out and there we have it.. they’d only gone a built over a inspection chamber, which was now covered in posh marble tiles. In moving the toilet around they had run a new 110mm external poly pipe along the side of the building to a newly installed pre-formed chamber in the garden, what they didn’t do was cap off the original line correctly, rats had found a weak point and breached.

At this point options were to take up the beautiful newly laid marble floor, excavate the concrete, expose the chamber and fit a £12.99 bung in the line.. it would cost hundreds if not a couple of grand to carry out these works. Or the installation of a NRV is undertaken (These should never be used as a permanent solution, but will give much needed relief until a more permanent fix is carried out)

I explained that I would only use a certain type and that is all I would recommend especially with the fact that it would need to be fitted in 110mm Poly and not 100mm Clay. I gave my quote (very competitive might I add) which was promptly dismissed as he said he would order one of a rain forest website and fit it himself. With a grand saving of £34.00 excluding my service charge.

Two weeks later…. my customer incensed with rage calls me, I was wrong, there was nothing wrong with his drains, I didn’t know what i was talking about..! I don’t know my job..!! he was still hearing noises, they were worse than ever, the rats had gnawed at the kicker boards in the kitchen and cause lots of damage. We all make mistakes, we all miss things, we all get things wrong. “I can not apologise enough Sir, i’ll get straight back”

I moved some calls around and promptly re-attended the property apologising as I entered the house. Again I was told that I was wrong, he had spent unnecessary money on buying the ‘ratwall’ and he wanted compensating for the damage done by the rats as I had incorrectly identified to source of the infestation.

Scratching my head whilst being shouted at as i walked around the detached property looking to see if I had missed the obvious my years of experience and gathered knowledge which I had collected from some very experienced PCT’s on my time (one of which could catch his dinner (RIP John L)) once again lead me back to the drains.. I referred back to my recording, was I wrong.. I was sure I wasn’t after reviewing the footage.

I asked the customer if he had fitted the NRV..? yes was the annoyed reply.. so I lifted the chamber lid and there it was in all of its glory.. A cheap, incorrect sized, incorrectly fitted NRV.

The only thing this was any good for was given the entering rat a nice back scratch as it passed under the central flap as the NRV had been fitted backwards and was designed for a 100mm diameter pipe not a 110mm poly pipe. He’d essentially blocked his drain to downstream flowing foul waste while leaving the flap free to open up once a rat pushed agains it. As it was a cheaper unit the central flap there was also a degree of backward swing on the flap so even a fair sized rodent could have pushed on through whilst getting a massage..!!

I then promptly fitted my Ratwall.. and proudly took another picture displaying the difference..

Now you can see why I only fit the best (in my opinion) unless vermin arrive with high octane cutting equipment they ain’t getting through these things. ** Please note that it is important that the information card supplied with the unit is clearly displayed confirming the installation of the NRV in the event that the drain blocks up. Rods or a jetting hose could get stuck on the ratwall when pulling back.**

However, sometimes you just can not help some people. Unless I supplied and fitted the NRV completely free of charge to compensate for the customer buying and incorrectly fitting his own incorrectly sized NRV then he would leave me a bad review. I promptly removed my new shiny Ratwall. Sorry sir, I don’t do threats.

We reached a agreement based on trust (I’m far to trusting for my own good) I fitted my NRV correctly, he paid me for my time and the Ratwall on the understanding that if he had any activity after 7 days I would return his money (7 days would allow for the rat(s) to pass through the NRV and not be able to return if there were any in residence at the time of fitting) This would either be disproven or proven by me providing a food source and Saturn Dust to a area known to be frequented by the rats..

Its been three weeks, no angry phone call, no noises, no activity, and no apology… lets hope he’s polite when I book the appointment to go clean the dust up, free of charge I might add.

Rattraxs Pest Control Services will provide all necessary reports for yourself, a third party builder or drainage company of your choice and reports of insurance companies.

Rattraxs Pest Control Services has no direct connection with any third party builder, drainage company or insurance companies and will only provide this information as per our findings. We do not use sub-contractors. All works carried out by Rattraxs are in accordance with the codes of best practice as outlined by the Pest Control Associations for which we are members of or hold certification for.

While we can provide the information and in cases quotations for works deemed necessary or requested we can not and are not in a position to confirm wether further works of any kind are covered under the home owners insurances policies. In many cases extra ‘Rodent‘ cover is required.

If there is a intention for works to be claimed on insurance policies it is advised that all information is gathered before works are authorised. We at Rattraxs reserve the right to not carry out any works unless authorised directly but the customer whom initially booked the enquiry with Rattraxs Pest Control Services.

Its either poor practice, poor knowledge, or the unwillingness to simply carry out a full and comprehensive survey (Possibly all three) that leads to a infestation so extensive that you are left with no other option but to quote for the extremes.

For over 5 years so i was told by a recent customer in Lincoln that she had been experiencing repeated rat infestations within the loft space. The rodents had never breached into the dwelling but could be heard in certain walls and roof spaces from the first ground floor ceilings upwards. In all of the years she had never once noticed a rat in the garden or around the property and was at her wits end when she contacted me.

After a full external site inspection which flagged up no obvious areas of concern i then conducted my loft inspection…. In conversation with my customer my thoughts were directed to the drainage but its always good to keep a open mind, within seconds of entering the loft space it became obvious to me that the next point of inspection should be the foul drainage system. The extent of the infestation was overwhelming, the odours knocked you back, runs and grease marks through out, on lifting areas of insulation nexts and latrines were identified.

Apparently neither of the three companies called over the years to deal with the issue never once mentioned the drains as a possible point of entry. One of the companies thought it a good idea just to leave the baits down indefinitely and set up a regular visit program based on the customer calling him when she heard noises… only one winner there, it isn’t the customer..!!

After explaining my thought and methods going forward i carried out a quick drain survey to the base of the SVP (Soil Vent Pipe) as the gully waste was pre-formed and in excellent condition i thought the stack to be my best bet, that and the fact that the noises heard in the wall were on the same elevation as the SVP.

And there we had it… the 90 degree bend at the base of the SVP where the material changes from plastic to clay had come apart allowing a biting point for the rats to gnaw away giving them access straight into the cavity wall and upwards into the loft space. After a conversation with her home insurance it was deemed to be movement or old age / wear and tear, thus not a insured concern.. wouldn’t you know it..??

To be honest, the customer was just so relieved that the point of access had been identified (All of the drainage was surveyed to confirm and no other defects were noted) that after consulting a specialist local drainage company the correction works were carried out promptly. She also wanted her home back.. her words “I feel like my house has not been my home” and asked if i could arrange for the loft space to be cleared, cleaned and re-insulated.

A quotation was provided, accepted and works have now been completed. No more noises heard, baits placed in the event that any rats were still in the fabrics of the property removed. Loft cleared, sanitised, cleaned insulation collected by a local skip company, and re-insulated to industry standard… all done in under 10 days.

No more repeated re-visits, no baits left in the loft space unchecked, no noises, the stench has gone and my customer has her home back…. and all for just simply doing what we should do as pest controllers, listen to the customer about the history, carry out a full site survey, provide a method and ultimately a solution. The service Rattraxs Pest Control Services proudly provides.

Rattraxs Pest Control Services can provide CCTV Survey reports to industry standards, reports for third party specialist drain companies of your choice or recommended, quotations for loft clearances, disposal of rodents bodies, full clean throughs and re-insulation to original or industry specification.

Please feel free to contact us direct here.