Rodent Control

Get rid of mice, rats and squirrels quickly and effectively. Barricade rodent control covers Edinburgh and the Lothians

Edinburgh comes complete with rodents, with Rats and Mice being a common pest in tenements, homes and businesses. Sometimes a mouse trap isn’t enough to keep these pests at bay.

A rodent infestation can disrupt your daily routine as well as cause great inconvenience to you and your property. Not only do they carry disease, rats and mice breed very quickly and also destroy your fixtures and appliances. An infestation could cost you hundreds of pounds in the long run.

Squirrels are a also common rodent pest in Edinburgh. Although they can be cute and entertaining to watch, squirrels do cause damage to property and gardens, and can carry and spread diseases. Find out more about Squirrel removal.

---

You need rat control if you have noticed any of the following:

Key signs of rodent activity:

• Droppings:
  

  Mouse droppings

  Mice – Small black/grey, like a grain of rice but usually smaller in size and are pointed at each end. Rats – Dark in colour and can look wet when fresh. 3/4 of an inch long,1/8 in width and sausage-shaped. When rat droppings are old they will be grey and crumbly.

• Noise:
  Sounds of gnawing and scratching within walls or cupboards, typically at night or during quiet times. Signs of scratching or gnawing may also be found around skirting or furniture corners.
• Smear marks:
  Dark smear marks normally appear around entry points or regularly used runs throughout the property. These can usually be found on the kitchen plinths or skirtings, or next to pipes.
• 

  Mouse smear marks, caused by oil and dirt in mouse fur

  Smell:
  If you have come across an unpleasant smell within your kitchen or cupboards.

• Sightings:
  It is important to know if you just have an unwanted visitor or if you have an infestation taking over your home. If you see rodents daily, an infestation has most likely already taken place. If you’ve just seen the odd mouse that hasn’t been seen over a couple weeks and there are very few/zero droppings, it possibly won’t be back, but rodent behaviour is unpredictable so it’s important to act on any sightings straight away.

Have you noticed any of these tell-tale signs of rats or mice?
Then call Barricade Pest Control for Mice and Rat Pest Control services on 0131 659 9752.

---

Mice and Rats are agile, good at climbing, and can squeeze through very small gaps (as small as 1/4″ or 5mm). They often come through floorboards or walls where there is the tiniest opening, for a pipe for example. Once they have a way in, they’ll gnaw around the hole to make a bigger entrance.

They move around freely behind walls and under floorboards – in Edinburgh it’s common for mice to climb several storeys and have a network of tunnels within the walls of old stone tenement blocks!

If you spot any of the signs listed above, you can try our tips listed below such as securing all food and cleaning up mess. A DIY mouse trap can be bought from any hardware shop – but rats and mice are intelligent and they often spot a mouse trap and learn to avoid it.

How to prevent a mouse infestation

Always follow these basic guidelines to reduce your risk of being infested by mice, rats or other rodents:

• Use secure food storage
  Make sure ALL your food is stored above ground level, ideally in metal or glass containers with tight-fitting lids. Mice and rats can chew through plastic and cardboard! Don’t leave any food (including fruit) out on worktops and use wall cupboards where possible.
• Clean up ALL food waste
  Do not leave any crumbs, scraps or food recycling lying out. Remove all pet food when your pets have finished eating.
• Secure rubbish bins
  Always keep the lid on your bin and use a metal rubbish bin if possible. Don’t leave any bin bags lying around in or near your property. If you have a compost heap in your garden, don’t add any food waste to it.
• Remove potential nesting material
  Rodents love to chew and shred materials such as cardboard and paper to make a cosy nest. Don’t collect cardboard boxes or old newspapers.
• Keep your house and garden tidy
  Less mess equals less hiding places for rodents.

If you follow these guidelines it’s possible that your rats or mice will move on to somewhere else. However, don’t hang around if you think you have a rat infestation – it’s important to ACT FAST!

Call Barricade Pest Control for today on 0131 659 9752.

---

Rodent Proofing

Rodent proofing involves inspecting the whole property for visible points of entry. Mice can fit though gaps as small as the width of a pen therefore it’s important that we thoroughly inspect all areas of the property. Once entry points are found, we use products that rodents cannot chew through meaning they cannot re-enter through the same holes as before. This stops the mice from having a reliable food source as well as nesting materials which encourages them to relocate.

Find out more about our rodent proofing service.

When should you consider proofing?

• At the end of a pest control treatment.
• If you have seen the odd mouse
• New signs of droppings
• If you have a phobia of rodents
• If you have a recurring rodent issue

Humane pest control

Humane mouse traps are available from DIY stores and pet shops. We are also proud to be accredited members of the Think Wildlife scheme which promotes safe rodenticide use as a last resort. Read more about humane pest control here.

We follow the Think Wildlife code of best practice for the safe use of rodenticides

We keep our prices fair and will offer a quotation on site.

Call us on 0131 659 9752

We also offer insect control service

Bed bugs

Wasps

Ants

Fleas

Cockroaches

Hide/Carpet Beetles

Moths

Bird control

Bird proofing