The porch that swallowed a hatch to get to the rats!
Rats in the roof
In this job we carried out 3 visit, installed a loft hatch, carried out a deep cleaning including removing the rat soiled loft insulation and relayed new insulation.
All under one roof and all carried out in house. ApcUK Services can carry out a lot more than just pest control. We have a City and Guilds qualified carpenter in-house which means that we can offer a complete service. Perfect for our customers:
• Time saving
• Cost effective
• No shopping round for different tradesmen
• No need to get 3 quotes
• Trusted and qualified trades on site
Offering a complete service really can take the heartache out of a nightmare situation, as one of our customers in North London recently found out for themselves. Read on to find out how ApcUK Services turned a nightmare rat infestation into a distant memory and left the house with a zesty fresh smell, more storage and upgraded insulation!
The Survey
We had been called out to inspect a porch loft. There was no access to the loft, yet the owners had been hearing lots of scratching, there was a strong smell of urine ammonia and when the lights had been on for a while it smelt of burning. Access can often be an issue when treating rodents - rats, squirrels and mice can get into places where even the slimmest pest controller cannot go. And one thing you should know, the guys are ApcUK are not that slim!
With no way into the loft, we surveyed the outside area and found a tunnel that the rats had dug underneath a log storage bin. Cleverly, they’d then used the tunnel to gain access into the cavity of the porch. Once inside they had been able to climb up into the loft area.
The process
What we needed to do in the first instance was to stop any more rats getting into the porch. After filling bags with bait, we pushed the bags into the tunnel back filling it with gravel and stones. A week later we returned to check the tunnel. The rats had been busy. The tunnel had been reopened and the bait was gone. But this was good news. It meant we were gaining control.
We returned for a second visit. Following the same procedure as the first visit, the tunnel was re-baited and again back filled with gravel. There was still a strong smell of burning and ammonia, but the scratching sounds weren’t being heard so often. Even more good news!
An appointment was made for the following week, when we once again checked the tunnel. Great news! This time no bait had been taken, no scratching had been heard since our last visit and the ammonia smell had started to fade. The only nagging issue was that if the light was left on for a period of time, the burning smell was still detectable. Not happy with the burning smell we wanted to check it out further.
Call in the Carpenter
To get a proper look inside the porch, we removed a section of plasterboard. The rats had certainly been busy! In total we found three rats nests, a dead rat and enough droppings to fill half a bucket. And it wasn’t long before we found the cause of the burning smell. Using insulation, one of the nests had been made over a spotlight.
We set about removing all of the debris before cleaning and disinfecting the area. Once it was clean we laid trays of orange deodorizing gel and new 200mm up-graded insulation over the joists. We then returned for a third visit when we installed a new access hatch. Custom made, the framework for the hatch fitted in between the joists and was finished off with a surround to match the door surrounds. With the hatch door fitted our job was done, turning rat infestation nightmares into a distant memory.
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Your rodent checklist and proofing guide
If you've been hearing strange scratching sounds and are not quite sure what it could be or if you would like more information on rats, visit our rat control page. We have also produced a short Rodent Checklist and Proofing Guide to help you keep rodents out of your property.
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