Rats & Mice - Rats and Mice and all things … not nice!  One of the most frequent reasons people call us is for the eternal pest - rodents. The traditional pest of 'The Rat Catcher' - a once revered and respected job - the most famous being the Victorian, Jack Black, and of legend, The Pied Piper of Hamlin, rats and mice are still the most common pest treated. Due to the changes in our lifestyle, rats are rapidly on the increase and becoming harder to control in some places. Whilst everyone seems to hate rats, their smaller cousins, mice, seem to also get a gentler approach - well by some. However, these 'cute and cuddly' creatures are not as nice as they may appear. Other than possibly scaring the pants off someone suddenly finding one, before rapidly disappearing, there are two major reasons why mice and rats need to be controlled - Damage and Disease

Mice and rats carry, amongst other things, the following: Fleas, Worms, predominantly Capillariasis, Dwarf and Rat Tapeworm and Toxocariasis (which can cause blindness in infants). Bacterial infections, including; Leptospirosis (Weil’s Disease – potentially fatal) Listeria, Pasturellosis, Meliodosis, Salmonellosis and Yersiniosis (all causing acute intestinal infections of varying degrees, to levels which can be fatal). Parasitic diseases, including; Toxoplasmosis (which can cause abortion or birth defects) and Cryptosporidios (severe intestinal illness). Viruses also include; Q Fever and Hantavirus (which though rare can be fatal). Apart from this, and the fact that Mice constantly urinate as they move across surfaces, spreading a number of these diseases, all add up to why rodents are one of the main pests which require strict control, even if simply for health reasons.
Then there’s the damage! Not only will rats and mice chew up anything to make a snug bed, and eat their way through anything simply to get to the edible contents inside, but because Rats and Mice are rodents, their teeth grow continuously. Therefore, in order to ensure they are kept sharp, all rodents gnaw - through anything - not only wood, plastic and even metal, but more worryingly, through water pipes and electric cabling, this being the cause of many barn fires in rural parts each year and even the occasion house fire, where often fire officers will find a 'fried' rat attached to burnt electric cabling.

In the UK there are a two breeds of rats found. Rattus Norvegicus – Common Names, include Norway Rat, Common Rat, Brown Rat, Wharf Rat or Sewer Rat. These are the most commonly seen rat, who is rapidly on the increase and the cause of most concern. It is claimed there are now more rats living in the UK then there are people and their numbers are increasing each year. They've been around since the dinosaurs and will no doubt still be around when the human race has long vanished!

Rattus Rattus – Common Names, include Ship Rat, Black Rat, House Rat or Roof Rat. This is the infamous cause of the Black Death, his fleas carrying the bubonic plague bacterium Yersinia pestis, which wiped out about 75 million victims in the 1300's. However, the Black Rat is now rare, like many creatures, pushed out by his more dominant cousin, in this case the Brown Rat, and now only found in a rare few places in the UK, mostly around dockyards and fishing wharfs. Amazingly, there have been some calls to protect this once hatred creature, so small are their numbers.

There are a number of mice breeds found in the UK, many of which live primarily outside and who rarely cross the boundary with humans and are often rarely seen. The most commonly seen mouse in the house is aptly named the House Mouse (Mus musculus) - which seems to live around, and in some ways depend upon humans, and of which one female can produce fifty offspring in a year. But other cousins include the Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) -  the UK's most common mammal, also known as the Long-Tailed Field Mouse, the Harvest Mouse (Micromys minutus) - famous for it's unique nest, and the Yellow-Necked Mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) - a larger version of the Wood Mouse

 

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Broadland Pest Management offer a wide range of services for the control of rodents, from simple domestic treatment for a small family of mice in a loft to a rogue rat under a shed. For commercial businesses, we offer a wide range of services, from short-term treatments to remove vermin from a specific area, to long-term contracts for public health requirements. All treatments are dealt with discretely, professionally and economically, offering an effective treatment specifically designed to suit the clients requirements.

 

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