Is the cat in the roof? Is it a ghost? The wind? Nope, it’s just those pesky rodents having a party in my roof again!

Not only are you feeling the cold, but so are a lot of the winter pests. Rodents look for warm shelter during this time of year, unfortunately this can mean inside your roof cavity, walls, sub-floor and even throughout the internal of your home!

Mice are a lot smaller then rats, this means it doesn’t take a big gap for them to get into your home. Both mice and rats can use tree branches and power lines to gain access into your home. They are also quite the athlete and can jump over 1 metre.

Fast Facts!

·         Mice and rat tails can grow as long as their body!

·         They can carry diseases, such as Salmonella!

·         Age expectancy is between 6 and 36 months. During their life span they can have up to 6 litters of 6-10 babies!

·         A mouse will eat 15-20 times a day, this means they won’t travel too far from nests.

·         You may even find them having a swim in your swimming pool, as they are excellent swimmers!

 A lot of our customers don’t realise they have cracks or holes around the house, until they notice rodent droppings or see a sneaky mouse running from the TV unit to under the couch! They aren’t the most ideal flat mate either, leaving droppings, urinating on insulation (which causes a horrible stench), gnawing through wiring and pipe work and keeping you awake at night running from one side of the roof cavity to the other at 2am in the morning!

Visit the rodent section on Bug Kings website for more information on where and why mice and rats are found in the home http://www.bugking.co.nz/rodents.html

Most of our customers call to inform us there is a noise in the roof and there is a family of rodents living in there. While most of the time this is the case, it can also be birds on the roof outside too! Birds will also make noises which will seem like its coming from inside the roof cavity. The way to decipher if it is birds or rodents is by the time of day the noises are occurring. If it is early morning as the sun is rising and during the day, there is a chance it could be birds. If it is late at night and early morning while it is still dark, the problem is definitely rodents.

Bug King also offers rodent control for commercial properties. See http://www.bugking.co.nz/commercial.html  for more information.

If you would like proofing advice or help to keep rodents out and away from the home, get in touch with Bug King to help give you some peace of mind. We are always happy to help.