Rats in our walls - advice please!

[JaneCS]

Hello

We have a rat/s behind our kitchen cabinets and have had the same issue a couple of times before so rather than simply putting rat poison down we really want to address the cause of the problem. A private pest control agency has laid bait and is suggesting they do a CCTV survey of the drains as a broken drain is the most likely route into the house. We are now trying to locate our manhole cover and have been going round in circles with Thames Water and the council who don't seem to have a map of the area. Has anyone managed to get hold of a drain map from the council before?

Secondly, has anyone ever had this CCTV service? Is it going to help or just be a massive waste of money? I'm getting a bit desperate as I have a young child and keep reading about all the diseases the rats carry.

Thanks v much for any advice.

Jane

[Louisa]

I've had an issue with rats before and they tend to come into the house via cracked drains or where there are lots of overgrown gardens where they can nest easily. My advice would be to get someone in to remove the cupboards in the kitchen and see if there are any holes in the walls and make sure they are cemented over after being stuffed with wire wool. This would certainly help, if I were you I'd also cut back any bushes or overgrown gardens. If there is an open drain nearby make sure it is covered with a solid mesh of some description. If after inspection it has been chewed on you will know where they are coming from. Make sure all possible avenues into the property are covered. Bait is probably not a good option with a young child around. I had a famous pest controller on the case for me and they charged an absolute fortune and in the end I had to get a builder out to cover holes which solved the problem. Investigate further before paying a fortune for drain CCTV. It's awful having a pest infestation, especially vermin. My thoughts are with you. Good luck.

Louisa.

[sandyman]

If you can't find your manhole that's probably because you share one with next door and it's in their back garden. We thought ours was under our patio and took up most of our paving slabs before we realised this!

Having said that, search the forum for pest control man Colin - he should be able to help without CCTV.

[slh2009]

Agree re Colin, he got rid of ours after a thorough search of the house and garden

[HHBilly]

Hi

Colin is great.

Colin of K and O Pest Control for all matters rodent 0208 778 1557

HhBilly

[Tom491]

Not heard of that CCTV thing before...I tend to just stick traps down. Live traps are good if you don't fancy killing it. http://www.victorpest.co.uk/shop/rat-control/live-traps

[Annette Curtain]

Urg - but I feel for you

Rather than rip out the whole kitchen you should be able to get under most cabinets by removing the front plinth. Or take the work top off. Most kitchens have a space behind the cabinets, some larger than others.

When pesky mice and once a rat came in during building works (eeekkk) I located the hole by using my i phone on video mode, as I couldn't get my head near the gap. I shoved a light into the gap and then the phone, slowly surveying the space. Turned out the plumber had broken through the wall near to a large pipe, leaving enough space for a larger rodent.

We plugged the gap with cement mixed up with a good amount of crushed glass. Never seen the pesky rodents again.

Good luck tho.

[unlurked]

Vermin are attracted to food sources, so clean regularly and they should not be attracted in. They could be gaining entry via the loo, despite the trap. If they are nesting in your walls then they are also probably breeding. Remove the attraction, stop them getting in, and poison the ones already inside. Best to use professionals for this. Good luck.