For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This sentence has been engrained in my mind since school, but don’t worry I am certainly not about to launch into a blog about Newton’s laws of motion – science was never my strong point.
But it is a phrase that pops into my mind whenever I hear one of our technicians say that a drop in temperature leads to a rise in rodent activity, especially during the cold winter months.
Anyway, moving away from science, it is always sensible to remember, on top of everything else going on in our hectic lives, that one guest you certainly don’t want to see around your Christmas tree this year, is a mouse or a rat. Kennedy’s recent blog on mice in a shared flat shows how unnerving the very thought of mice in your home can be.
Unlike Father Christmas, whose preferred entrance is down a sooty chimney, rodents are quite content to squeeze through the smallest of spaces to get inside your home. Young rats can get through holes of less than 1cm. They like to come indoors for warmth and food (the very reason I like being indoors too!)
And with all the extra food in the house during the festive season (most families buy more food than they can possibly eat), who are we to blame the mice or rat, who may want a slice (excuse the pun) of the food action.
Simple, easy-to-follow rules can help to prevent mice and rats in your home in the first place:
- Don’t leave food around
- Sweep up crumbs
- Mop up any liquid spillages
- Keep food waste in suitable bins with a closed lid
- Seal gaps to prevent easy access indoors
- Fit bristle strips to protect doorways
- If you have a cat flap consider temporarily sealing the flap, at least during the winter months (that’s what I do!)
“May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white”….and pest free!
Happy Christmas to everyone and all their invited guests!
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