If you’re scared of rodents, brace yourself. Pest UK has warned that three common animals are a particular nuisance in January and often linger in gardens or lofts.
Unfortunately, this does include rats, which are drawn in by warm compost heaps and under-porch areas for nesting. Once settled, adult females will then likely give birth to around six litters per year, encompassing six to 13 pups.
Rats and mice are also attracted to any available food sources lying around your property. In the winter, this especially includes seeds, nuts and other sources of protein that you might leave out to help local birds survive the frostier weather.
In severe cases, both animals may nestle in wall cavities too, following the routes of pipes to places where any snacks are located. “January is typically a slow month for pest control,” Pest UK explains. “Insect problems are not as prevalent, except for bedbugs which are not a seasonal pest. The most common pests in January are rodents, such as rats, mice and also squirrels.”
While red squirrels have protected status in the UK, grey squirrels are classed as vermin. In fact, the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) asserts that anyone who catches one is ‘legally obliged to humanely dispatch of it’ – or kill it.
Grey squirrels were deliberately introduced to the UK from North America during the Victorian era and have since outcompeted our native red squirrels for food and shelter, while spreading the squirrelpox (SQPV) disease. As of now, there are fewer than 287,000 red squirrels left in the UK, compared to 2.7 million greys, according to the Red Squirrel Survival Trust.
Like rats and mice, they are notorious for gnawing away at people’s homes as well, tearing up fibreglass insulation, woodwork and even electrical wires. Not only is this costly damage, but may deteriorate the structural safety of your home.
Guidance at Safeguard Pest Control echoes: “During the first two months of the year while the weather is cold, you can expect to encounter high levels of mice and rats as they love to seek out warm buildings to call home during the winter months….January also signals the end of spider season.”
If you’re keen to protect your property against pest troubles this January, there are a few things you can do. For rats, Gareth Davies, an expert at Pest and Property Solutions, outlined that storing food property and taking rubbish to the dump is a good start.
“I think it’s about being sensible and not leaving stuff out on the countertops,” he said in a previous interview with the Mirror. “When they get into your property and crawl over food services, the bacteria they spread is horrendous. Eighty percent of rats come from the sewers – we all know what’s in the sewers.”
Later, he added: “If there’s a hole you can see, crush up some broken glass and seal it with cement.” Sealing the gaps around pipework and keeping your lawn tidy can help to proof your home against mice and rats too.
For all three animals, experts suggest it may be worth rethinking your bird feeders as well. Advice from Pest Defence adds: “It’s best to try and squirrel-proof your bird feeder either through a metal cage that allows birds in or by greasing the pole which the feeder hangs from so that the squirrels can’t climb up.
“Another route to take would be to do away with a seed and nut feeder altogether and simply grow plants that birds like, such as crab apple trees and hawthorn. Essentially, anything easy for birds to grab that might not be as easy or as attractive for a squirrel.”