Mice in the loft

[hifi_dave]

Through the Summer, I have been inundated with Mice in the Loft. Apparently, they have been a big problem for many people and may have something to do with the vanishing hedgerows I asked about on another thread. Their habitat has disappeared, so they invade our's.

Anyway, I have poison bait in trays and 10 Mouse and Rat traps in the loft and catch, on average, one Mouse per day. It's a bloody nightmare, because I have to get them out of the loft before the Bluebottles lay their eggs in the body. I inadvertently left a body for a week, on a couple of occasions and the result was not pretty.

The Rentokil man came today and showed me with his 'special' torch, which shows up the luminous dust he had put down, where the little buggers are getting in. This is a very narrow gap between the lined roof tiles and the flooring in the loft. I would like to block some of these gaps but not sure what to use. The Rentokil man suggested "wire wool" but not sure how I would cut this and get it in the gaps, which are difficult to access. It needs to be something the little buggers won't chew at.

Any suggestions ?

[struth]

copper wool mixed with some caulking. cement might be better. if you can get someone with a ladder you might get at it easier from outside for that. wire wool they are inclined to eat through.

[Pieoftheday]

Through the Summer, I have been inundated with Mice in the Loft. Apparently, they have been a big problem for many people and may have something to do with the vanishing hedgerows I asked about on another thread. Their habitat has disappeared, so they invade our's.

Anyway, I have poison bait in trays and 10 Mouse and Rat traps in the loft and catch, on average, one Mouse per day. It's a bloody nightmare, because I have to get them out of the loft before the Bluebottles lay their eggs in the body. I inadvertently left a body for a week, on a couple of occasions and the result was not pretty.

The Rentokil man came today and showed me with his 'special' torch, which shows up the luminous dust he had put down, where the little buggers are getting in. This is a very narrow gap between the lined roof tiles and the flooring in the loft. I would like to block some of these gaps but not sure what to use. The Rentokil man suggested "wire wool" but not sure how I would cut this and get it in the gaps, which are difficult to access. It needs to be something the little buggers won't chew at.

Any suggestions ?

My mum's got them at the moment,though they seem to be getting in via air bricks, grills have been fitted. Could you use something like poly filler?

[Sherwood]

copper wool mixed with some caulking. cement might be better. if you can get someone with a ladder you might get at it easier from outside for that. wire wool they are inclined to eat through.

I had big problems with mice when living in a dilapidated Victorian house in East London as a student. They were entering through a chewed hole in the kitchen skirting board. I used a combined physical/chemical attack. Some Brillo pads infused with "cement" made of Polyfilla and crushed paracetamol tablets. Did the job!:deceased:

[Yomanze]

My wife has a Yorkshire Terrier with a lot of ratting experience from clearing out stables, best method going. She is relentless!

It is instinctive for them, they used to brought into cotton mills to keep the mice and rat population down during the industrial revolution.

[Pieoftheday]

My wife has a Yorkshire Terrier with a lot of ratting experience from clearing out stables, best method going. She is relentless!

It is instinctive for them, they used to brought into cotton mills to keep the mice and rat population down during the industrial revolution.

Aye send a Yorkie up, not mine though,soft as a brush:doh:

[Sherwood]

The Patterdale Terrier is often cited as the best ratter though their instincts make them suspect as pets. I seem to recall one killing a child a few years back. In earlier years there used to be "ratting clubs" where owners would take their dogs out for a day's hunting, often accounting for hundreds of rats in a single day! Whatever happened to "What Ratter" Magazine? :scratch:

[Ninanina]

Colin used one of these electronic devices when he had mice in the kitchen
http://i.imgur.com/Qv71FFS.jpg (https://imgur.com/Qv71FFS)

Available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Control-Instant-Electronic-Mouse-Device/dp/B0146COH92/ref=sr_1_8_mimg_1_lawn_and_garden_display_on_websi te?ie=UTF8&qid=1509125759&sr=8-8&keywords=electronic+mouse+trap

And very effective it was. Just don't get your fingers anywhere near the plates as it gives you a very nasty shock

[struth]

The Patterdale Terrier is often cited as the best ratter though their instincts make them suspect as pets. I seem to recall one killing a child a few years back. In earlier years there used to be "ratting clubs" where owners would take their dogs out for a day's hunting, often accounting for hundreds of rats in a single day! Whatever happened to "What Ratter" Magazine? :scratch:

The farmer used to do that when I was young. had a meet with a number of dogs and then lift the hay bases... rats everywhere.. some huge

[mikeyb]

My dad had a friend who had a mouse that would come into the living room via a hole in skirting Tom & Jerry style.

He sat waiting on it one night and shot it with his .22 rifle [emoji23]

[walpurgis]

A shotgun is effective. Just be aware that the loft timbers and ceiling plasterboard may need repairs afterwards. :guns:

[mikeyb]

A shotgun is effective. Just be aware that the loft timbers and ceiling plasterboard may need repairs afterwards. :guns:[emoji23]

[Yomanze]

Just don’t forget to take the shot out of them before throwing them on the grill.

[Ninanina]

Just don’t forget to take the shot out of them before throwing them on the grill.


:rfl::rfl:

[struth]

Ive got birds in mine. I just leave them now. Got fed up trying to find where they get in

[Sherwood]

Just don’t forget to take the shot out of them before throwing them on the grill.

In Malawi kids stand by the road to sell "Malawi Sausages" to passing truckers. They hold up a batch of five "sausages" on twigs like Satay chicken treats. The difference: in Malawi the sausages are grilled field mice! Yummy!

[Sherwood]

For those interested, check out the music of the Malawi Mouse Boys. Charming, but a bit too Christian for me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTEhdJGs0_I

[Nigel]

Dave, just wondering how they get in the loft. Can they climb up the outside of the house? Do you own a cat? Our cat regularly leaves dead mice outside the back door but I have never seen a live mouse inside. I wonder if they could possibly sense a cat and stay away.

[hifinutt]

Colin used one of these electronic devices when he had mice in the kitchen
http://i.imgur.com/Qv71FFS.jpg (https://imgur.com/Qv71FFS)

Available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Control-Instant-Electronic-Mouse-Device/dp/B0146COH92/ref=sr_1_8_mimg_1_lawn_and_garden_display_on_websi te?ie=UTF8&qid=1509125759&sr=8-8&keywords=electronic+mouse+trap

And very effective it was. Just don't get your fingers anywhere near the plates as it gives you a very nasty shock

yes i have used one of them too with good effect . incredible to think so many in the loft dave . and some very useful suggestions . a good number of folks i know like in terraced houses near here and the main complaint is mice . many folks get a cat of course but not much good in the loft

[hifinutt]

For those interested, check out the music of the Malawi Mouse Boys. Charming, but a bit too Christian for me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTEhdJGs0_I

enjoyed that . thanks so much , lovely to see their faith some good friends set up an amazing charity in malawi and have some brilliant ideas . just 2 ordinary folks and they have tried to make it sustainable

http://www.aid-africa.com/home.html

[Sherwood]

On one of my projects in Uganda a health clinic was badly affected by a bat (i.e. flying mice) infestation. The infestation was so bad that the bat droppings had damaged the roof in the delivery room and bat shit was falling on women during delivery. Apart from the general infection risk there are several zoonoses associated with bats in East Africa. The clinic head officer dealt with the infestation by putting a ferocious moggie in the roof space and the problem was eliminated.

Geoff

[hifinutt]

wow , some years ago i went to pakistan to look at TB health promotion and i spent a long time preparing to work there but it never came to be , amazing experience . you must tell us more of your experences one day .

[RobbieGong]

Hi Dave,

The fact the Rentokil man showed you where they are getting in means you are half way there.

A lot of people just focus on killing the mice and not blocking the point of access so the problem never really goes permanently.

All you need to do is buy a tube of ready mixed filler and mix with some cut up wire wool then fill the area well.

Use a sharp pair of small scissors to cut the wire wool but be very careful as the small cut up bits become mad sharp like little razors - ooucchh!! :eek:

I can assure you that if this is the only point of access they wont get in.

Curious though as to how they are getting so high up into the loft :scratch: because if you can suss the point at the lower level that would be great too.

[struth]

just watching a program on honey badgers... boy they are nasty buggers.:D

[Sherwood]

How can mice get in the loft?

https://pestrevenge.com/can-mice-climb/

[Sherwood]

just watching a program on honey badgers... boy they are nasty buggers.:D

I wouldn't say nasty but they are ferocious and fearless. On one occasion, in Botswana, we heard a noise near the waste bins. Six of us went to see what caused the disruption.It was a particularly muscular honey badger getting an easy meal on food scraps. It would not be put off by the crowd around it. It made a number of lunges to get us to back off before resuming its scavenging! I was impressed!

Geoff

[hifi_dave]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

The building is a single storey barn, possibly 300 years old. They are climbing the timber cladding outside to make entry into the loft. They don't appear to be doing damage there as it is full of boxes and cartons for my stock and none have been chewed - I haven't even seen any poo. They just appear to enter, eat the poison bait or peanut butter in the traps and go, unless the traps get them.

There are numerous points they could enter by as it is an old building but the ones highlighted are just 3 or 4. I will attempt to fill them later today with wire wall and plaster as suggested but they are not easy to get to.

I wouldn't mind if it was just 1 or 2 mice but there must be hundreds. Apparently, the females are often born pregnant and if you leave just that one alone in the loft for a year, there will be 300 of the little sods..:eek:

[struth]

got these for the boy when he had mouse trouble after some digging work down the road. these killed the buggers stone dead, mostly still in the bait box. can be used a few times.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Centurion-90102-PSF135-Action-Killer/dp/B000TAY2HI/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1509192785&sr=8-9&keywords=mouse+bait+traps

[hifi_dave]

Thanks for that.

There are 3 of those, or very similar, in the loft. The Rentokil man put them in and they are loaded with a poison bait, stronger than normal. The boxes are tamper proof because of the strength of the poison. I'm sure that they, the poison seeds and traps are killing them but there is an endless supply of Mice.

[Spectral Morn]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

The building is a single storey barn, possibly 300 years old. They are climbing the timber cladding outside to make entry into the loft. They don't appear to be doing damage there as it is full of boxes and cartons for my stock and none have been chewed - I haven't even seen any poo. They just appear to enter, eat the poison bait or peanut butter in the traps and go, unless the traps get them.

There are numerous points they could enter by as it is an old building but the ones highlighted are just 3 or 4. I will attempt to fill them later today with wire wall and plaster as suggested but they are not easy to get to.

I wouldn't mind if it was just 1 or 2 mice but there must be hundreds. Apparently, the females are often born pregnant and if you leave just that one alone in the loft for a year, there will be 300 of the little sods..:eek:

Piss is the big problem with mice, they pee everywhere, trails of it. Get a black light or UV light and be prepared to horrified. Basically it will look like there was a pee explosion.

[Nigel]

Do you own a cat, Dave?

[hifi_dave]

No I don't. My Wife really doesn't like cats and I'm more of a 'dog person'. I talked with a neighbour who has 2 x feral cats, who live in his shed. That would be acceptable, so long as they don't venture into the house. Not sure how effective they would be against mice in the loft though ?

[Sherwood]

No I don't. My Wife really doesn't like cats and I'm more of a 'dog person'. I talked with a neighbour who has 2 x feral cats, who live in his shed. That would be acceptable, so long as they don't venture into the house. Not sure how effective they would be against mice in the loft though ?

The cats don't necessarily have to hunt the mice ......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10117428

Geoff

[Nigel]

Cheers for the link, Sherwood. I suspected a mouse might be able to sense a cat living in a house and make the sensible choice to stay away.

[Stratmangler]

Cheers for the link, Sherwood. I suspected a mouse might be able to sense a cat living in a house and make the sensible choice to stay away.

Mice aren't bothered by dogs living in the house - many years ago my son had pet mice, and a wild field mouse found its way in to where they were caged.
The wild mouse was far more interested in the girls in the cage than he was bothered by the extremely quick and aggressive GSD that was in the same building.

I managed to catch the field mouse, took him 3 miles away from home, and released him.

[struth]

Mice are able to sense cats and rats by a protein In Their saliva. They are terrified of both so get some saliva lol

[Sherwood]

Mice are able to sense cats and rats by a protein In Their saliva. They are terrified of both so get some saliva lol

Or pee!

[hifi_dave]

Well, I filled around 20 small gaps under the eaves with wire wool and also some internal gaps. Fingers crossed, it might stop some entry, though if they want to come in, the rest of the roof has similar gaps and holes. If all else fails, they can get in under the wood cladding.

[Sherwood]

Well, I filled around 20 small gaps under the eaves with wire wool and also some internal gaps. Fingers crossed, it might stop some entry, though if they want to come in, the rest of the roof has similar gaps and holes. If all else fails, they can get in under the wood cladding.

I would still get a stinky old tomcat and stick him in the loft for a few days. I have a feral cat that thinks my garden is his toilet and hisses at me if I dare to venture outside. I am willing to check if DHL will deliver!

Geoff

[struth]

Or pee!

yup rat pee is a really good deterrent/ guessing cat pee too. but the protein in the saliva actually instills terror

[hifi_dave]

Not sure I want to install a cat in the loft but some cat pee would be acceptable. Is it available to buy, do you think ?

[Sherwood]

Not sure I want to install a cat in the loft but some cat pee would be acceptable. Is it available to buy, do you think ?

Have you tried peeBay?:bog:

[struth]

http://homemate.co.uk/spray-away-mice

[Macca]

I hate those meeces to pieces.

[walpurgis]

We get no mice here. The rats kill them all.

[struth]

my cat used to strut her stuff and i never saw a mouse, but she's been dead for some time. a few neighbours cats now come over here and spray so that may scare off any potential visitors. I liked a cat in house.

[CageyH]

I have just heard a little furry visitor exploring the roof space.
It is getting cold, so they make their way indoors.

The traps are down, armed with dairy milk chocolate.
The same pieces last several years, as I drilled a small hole through the middle and superglued it in place.
Traps are the best way for me, as they don't crawl off to die in an inaccessible place in the roof.

[struth]

i get birds in my loft. stopped bothering these days. never managed to find how they get in. Cant see any light but they do get in. Mind you its not much warmer up there but its dry

[CageyH]

i get birds in my loft. stopped bothering these days. never managed to find how they get in. Cant see any light but they do get in. Mind you its not much warer up there but its dry

I used to get the occasional bird, but now we have fitted a screen under the tiles, they have stopped getting in.

[walpurgis]

I used to get birds in the back of my van. Had about a dozen notches filed on the drivers door handle ;))

[Macca]

The traps are down, armed with dairy milk chocolate.
.

Crikey, do you give them ten bob an all? Bit extravagant isn't it?

I'd have ate the Dairy Milk myself and found something else. What about a bit of speaker cable? There always chewing into wires aren't they? Cost you nothing.

Having said that you'd probably bait them with Nordost...

[Oddball]

I think as a householder you might find it difficult to buy really effective mouse bait?
Try and find a friendly farmer that can issue you wih some proper bait and use it in a bait box and check refill every day or so till the buggers are no more!
They may have found a food source in your loft ,so let them eat bait as Marie Antoinette might have said

[struth]

The stuff I got in the pre baited tamper proof traps killed them mostly as they are or just out of the box. They would just freeze in the position. Very weird