Pest Control (mice)

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I have a suspicion that I may have mice. I haven't seen any but have heard noises coming from behind a skirting board; so I called in pest control. He had a look around and said he found mouse droppings in an airing cupboard. I hadn't noticed them myself, and I just wondered if anyone has ever heard of pest controllers pretending to find droppings? I only ask because of a story a work colleague once told me about his experience with a dishonest pest controller.

Spendless

Are you aware of what mice dropping look like? They look like little shreds of carbon. A google image search will help you indentify if you aren't sure. I've had mice for the past 3 winters.:mad: I live doors away from a pest controller and put down poison I bought from him to get rid.

GreyQueen

This is what mouse droppings look like:



Mice are also incontinent, which means they're widdling everywhere and you can sometimes smell them as a fusty odour. It's hard to describe, being one of those things you'll experience and then always log in smell-memory.

Although it's theoretically possible that any person can be dishonest, you said that you heard noises behind the skirting board before you called out the pest controller, which suggests you do have a problem. Pest controllers will know likely mice habitats, which is why he checked you airing cupboard (warmth + textiles = des res for mice).

Mice can squirm through gaps no larger than the diameter of a pencil, which means that buildings can be pretty porous to them, and that they may have their main habitat in a neighbouring property/ outbuilding/ outside.

Mice, rats, and other verminous things, all need somewhere to live and something to eat. Homes can provide plentiful places to nest and lots of food supplies. If mice are nesting in your home, they'll probably be somewhere there are textiles to chew up - Mum had a mouse nesting in the pile of dusters in the cupboard. Have known pals who had them nest in the compressor of a freezer, too. If you see chewed textiles salted with those little rice-grain droppings, you have/ had mice.

If anyone thinks they have mice and doesn't have the means to pay for pest controllers, you can get them using the traditional spring traps. Best baits are chocolate and peanut butter, rather than cheese. We caught one with an Elizabeth Shaw choc mint crisp after it'd ignored the cheese.

I've RL experience of mice chewing through very heavy duty plastic containers to get at curry powder, eating cooking chocolate and also eating those flower bouquet preserving sachets in an undersink cupboard.

Contain as many food items as possible in glass and metal, be scrupulous about turning out cupboards and bear in mind the pest control mantra; No place, no face.

suki1964

Living in the country, mice are part and parcel of life, our garage homes plenty of them

We did have them in the home a few years back. Over run by the wee beggars, took months to eradicate them

You need to find how they are getting in. Ours were following the boiler ( in the garage) pipe to the hot water tank ( top floor of house). Those gaps were willed with wire wool and cemented over

We then had to put trays of poison in the roof space. Everywhere else we laid traps, they are very partial to peanut butter

The kitchen was sterilised ( mice wee carries all sorts of nasties) all food in packets was put into tins, and the kitchen was kept spotless, not a crumb left behind after food prep

Took a couple of months before the traps were empty and we haven't a problem in the house since

However the garage is a different matter but other then chewing up rags they haven't done serious damage and as I say , it's the country and mice are part and parcel so I leave them be

Gers

The other day I saw a tiny wee and very lovely field mouse in my living room. We are in deep country so am surprised about not seeing them before.

I've bought peppermint oil and put a couple of cotton wool balls with the oil on around the room. Mice are supposed to hate the smell. I don't want to kill it / them and if this method doesn't work will get a humane trap which doesn't kill.

Can't see any reason why your bloke would be lying - you heard noises from the walls.