Category: Pest Control

Air bricks, sometimes called air bricks or air vents, are special bricks containing holes that allow air to enter under the floor of buildings that have suspended floors. Cavity walls also need ventilation to allow airflow that will prevent moisture build up.

Traditionally air bricks were made of clay – a material similar to that used to manufacture bricks; later they were made from cast iron and now air bricks are made from plastic.

By having air circulating through air bricks into the cavity beneath floorboards cold or damp air does not remain in these spaces and the timbers used in joists and floorboards do not become damp and rot. In addition, the airflow created by installing air bricks provides ventilation for solid fuel fires and stoves and gas heaters.

Air bricks can help where central heating is employed: when central heating is turned off at night and the building cools the floorboards and joists become cooler than the moist air around them and water condenses on them. This can cause floorboards and joists to rot.

It is important that the holes in air bricks are not deliberately blocked or allowed to be blocked by leaves or soil. It is not unknown for people to block air bricks because they cause a draught to come up through gaps in the floorboards! Adding a conservatory to one wall of a house can result in air bricks on this wall to be blocked by the concrete slab on which the conservatory is built.

There is a potential downside to air bricks – the small holes in air bricks are large enough to allow mice (and other pests) to enter your home: mice can pass through a hole that a pencil can pass through!

If you baulk at the thought of using mouse traps, poison or glue traps there is a much more humane alternative that will stop mice from entering your home through air bricks: cover the air brick with wire mesh – do not use plastic mesh since mice will chew through it.

You can buy fine metal mesh and fix it over all your air bricks; alternatively there are ready-made air brick covers on the market that can be screwed or glued over air bricks.

These air brick covers will also prevent slugs, wasps and beetles from entering your home via air bricks – but be sure to cover every air brick, if you leave just one uncovered all manner of pests can still enter your home!

If you are building a new home you can choose to use air bricks with wire mesh covers already built into them so that there is no need to add air brick covers as an after-thought.

Purpose-built air brick covers are available with different coloured frames and make these mice-proof measures an attractive, as well as functional, addition to your home.

MouseMesh
Unit 3F Bounds Green Industrial Estate
Bounds Green Road
Ringway
London
N11 2UD
United Kingdom
Tel: 0208 368 5060
Fax: 0208 361 5011
https://mousemesh.com
info@mousemesh.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicholas_Elwin

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8531306

Compare MouseMesh with non-humane pest control devices.

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House mice (Latin name Mus domesticus) are well adapted to living within our homes, shops and factories. House mice will indeed very happily live and breed in our houses, garages, factories and any other place giving them extra protection from the cold, damp and wet. Our waterproof structures, especially cloches, garden sheds and similar shelters enable mice to have a free home and provide the necessities (and more!) that they require to prosper and multiply.

Mice only require adequate food (3 to 4 grams a day) a little water (house mice can get most of their liquid from their food) and freedom from cold and damp conditions. They are very used to living with humans and much appreciate the food scraps and crumbs left by people, the dry warm centrally heated houses and perhaps winning the war with Tom (cat). When house mice find an abundant source of food their numbers rapidly increase.

They are, however, a serious problem causing extensive damage to property as a result of their gnawing activities, and also by eating and contaminating food. Mice may carry a number of infectious diseases that can pose a risk to humans and animals. Where problems arise, it is important that mouse infestations are controlled.

Mice are highly agile and are able to squeeze through very tiny holes (a typical test for house mice access is to see if a simple pencil can enter the hole) if larger than this pencil then house mice will almost certainly enter. To keep house mice at bay we suggest the use of a mesh that covers any potential entrance hole.

House mice are extremely good climbers, and can climb walls, pipes, duct and cavities. A further problem is their very hard incisor teeth which can easily get through hard plastic, timber, and soft metals such as lead and aluminium. They can gnaw away electric cables and this can cause fires – they will even, over time, erode hard materials such as poor concrete.

House mice are a health hazard specifically house mice are carriers of diseases such as Salmonella (also found in poultry, eggs, unprocessed milk, meat and water). Salmonella attacks the stomach and intestines and, in more serious cases, can enter the lymph tracts and will attack all age groups and both sexes – it is a very serious infection.

Avoid using inhumane mice traps or glue traps – make a determined effort to prevent them entering our homes in the first place. This can be done by filling in all small holes and by covering air vents with MouseMesh.

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Probably the most common pest in this list is the common house mouse (Latin name Mus domesticus) that has become well adapted to living in our homes, factories, storerooms and shops.

All of these pests are a problem since they contaminate our foods and, in the case of mice and rats, can do physical damage as they chew plastic, timber and soft metals such as lead and aluminium. Mice and rats can gnaw away electric cables and this can cause fires – they will even, over time, erode hard materials such as poor concrete.

There are many ways to get rid of mice and rats once they are in your property:

• Mechanical Traps that kill or maim – leaving you with the problem of dealing with dead or dying animals.
• Glue Traps are mouse traps that contain a non-setting glue which traps mice when they run over them. Mice can be released from glue traps by pouring vegetable oil onto the glue around the mouse, so that if the mouse is not injured it can be released. In practice mice can injure themselves in the attempt to escape, or, if the trap is not checked often enough, can die of starvation or dehydration. Animal right groups consider glue traps to be inhumane and the problem of the removal of dead and dying animals remains.Glue traps are also called glue-boards and their main problem is that they work – trapping mice or rats which are unlikely to die immediately – glue boards are certainly not humane.
• Ultrasonic Repellent Devices: The effectiveness of these devices, which emit a noise that humans cannot hear but is claimed to deter mice does not seem to have been universally acclaimed. Some users claim success, others suggest that the frequency needs to be changed on a frequent basis for them to be effective but most people consider that they are a waste of money.
• Mice and Rat Poison: These poison do work but provide a hazard in homes containing pet and/or children – and again, there is the problem of dealing with dead and dying mice and rats.
• Humane Mouse Traps: There are traps that can trap mice without harming them – but there is then the problem of disposing of the trapped mouse: in a densely populated town or city releasing them away from your home may well introduce them to someone elses home! And yet again we have the problem of checking the traps frequently and the problem of mice dying before you do so.

The MouseMesh Solution

As you will have seen from the discussion above, getting rid of pests such as insects, mice and rats is problematic – it is much easier to avoid the problem by blocking the main entranceway into your property – the air brick.

Easily fitted in a few minutes, MouseMesh grilles will prevent mice and many insects from entering your premises and the stainless steel framed MouseMesh is rat-proof and will keep rats out too.

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Other Pests: Slugs

MouseMesh was designed to keep mice out of your home; with the advent of MouseMesh with a stainless steel frame we have a product that will keep rats out of your home – sometimes this is referred to as RatMesh.

It has also been acknowledged that the fine mesh of the MouseMesh grill will also keep insects pests such as wasps, cockroaches and beetles out of your home.

Now, thanks to a testimonial from a satisfied MouseMesh client we can add slugs to the list of pests that MouseMesh that can stop entering your home.

The article below has been published by a variety of article publishing web sites – the site we quote from here is MouseMesh:

Preventing Slugs From Entering Your Home

By Nicholas Elwin

Slugs like damp situations and live under stones. Unlike snails, which hibernate during the winter by sealing themselves in their shells, slugs are active throughout the year.

Slugs are mostly found in the garden where they can be a real problem for gardeners, munching away at their plants throughout the year but they are often considered a greater problem in the house.

Slugs in the home pose little health problems to humans though they may carry all sorts of viruses and bacteria. They may find their way into your vegetable rack and begin to eat your vegetables, thus spoiling them. Slime trails across the floor are unpleasant, unsanitary and unsightly – and it is horrible to tread on a slug, particularly if you are not wearing anything on your feet! Since slugs feed mostly at night they are often found in your home first thing in the morning.

There are two main ways to prevent slugs entering your home – one is to create a barrier of some sort – a copper strip or something that slugs do not like cross, such as dry grit, crushed eggshells or ash. The other is slug pellets, salt, or other chemicals. The caffeine in coffee has also been found to keep slugs and snails at bay. These do, however, pose the problem of poisonous materials that children and pets may find and it might be difficult to encircle your house with eggshells or ash!

The other is to block all means of entry.

Slugs can enter your house through holes under doorways, in gaps between bricks and through damaged fascias. These entry points should be discovered and blocked with cement, plaster or wood.

A more common entry point is the holes in the air bricks situated around your house. These are vital components of your house, allowing air to enter the cavity walling so keep it aired and damp-free and so it is essential that these holes are not blocked.

The solution is to cover the air brick with a fine wire mesh or purchase a purpose-made wire mesh cover that can be easily fitted over the air brick. This will still allow air to pass through the air brick but the fine mesh will prevent slugs entering.

Preventing slugs from entering your home is a much more humane method of slug control than using chemicals – leave it to the gardener to solve the slug problem in their domain!

Nicholas Elwin is a business advisor for Mouse Mesh and author of several articles relating to pest control.

He has been awarded Expert Author and Handyman Achievements by Ezine Articles

Article Source: Preventing Slugs From Entering Your Home

Testimonial from GDD Northern Ireland, April 2014

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House mice, as indicated by the name, have always had a close link with man. These fury creatures live in nests, which are often built in homes especially in the winter months. Our comfortable houses provide mice with the three essential elements they need to survive – food, water and warmth.

House mice breed fairly rapidly throughout the year, producing between 5 and 10 litters each of between 4-8 young, so you can see how you would soon have a worrisome pest control problem. Their body length is between 6.5 – 10 cm. They generally have brown-grey fur with lighter under parts.

There are many reasons why we do not wish to share our home with house mice, predominately:

• Food contamination – mice will contaminate their environment with urine, droppings and hair.
• Damage to property – may cause fire hazard by gnawing through cables.
• Health risk – Serious health risk including Typhus, Jaundice and Salmonella.

If there is any doubt as to whether you have a pest control problem, there are a few signs that can be observed:

• Mouse droppings – may be found in places where you store your food, like drawers and cupboards. May also be found in mouse runs, for example along beams, tops of walls, or behind sinks.
• Signs of nests – may find balls of shredded paper, fabric or furniture stuffing. These may be discovered under dressers, behind kitchen appliances or inside furniture.
• Nibbled food or food boxes
• Evidence of gnawing – mice will gnaw just about anything. Their teeth grow continuously therefore in an effort to keep them short you may find gnaw marks on hard materials such as chair legs!
• Odour – In a closed-up room you may detect a strong musty smell
• Scratching sound – Mice are normally most active at night. You may hear scratching sounds in the walls or ceilings but may never actually see anything unless you have a particularly large infestation.

There are various ways to get rid of mice which can be found in the marketplace today. Traditional mouse traps, although undoubtedly effective, can cause injury and therefore unnecessary suffering to the animal. Various poisons are also available but similarly these cause suffering to the animal an can also be a hazard to family pets and children if accidentally digested.

Humane mouse traps provide a way to get rid of mice without causing injury so that they can be released in the wild away from the home. These have the added bonus that you do not have to handle the animal or come in contact with it in any way! It should be noted that obviously these are live animal traps and do need to be checked often otherwise they stop being humane traps and become instruments of torture.

Insect Pests: Beetles

Different varieties of beetles provide three problems when they enter your home:

• Pollution of foodstuff, particularly dried food such as cereals, flour, grain, rice and nuts
• Damage to natural fabrics such as wool, cotton and silk – synthetic materials such as nylon, polyester and rayon are not normally damaged by beetles
• Damage to wooden furniture and structures such as beams and joists – and even lead!

Some beetles and the larva will cause problems in two of the above areas.

Careful storage in airtight containers will protect foodstuff and the whole home can be further protected by covering air bricks with MouseMesh: the grill size (2mm) will prevent most beetles from entering. Where dry foods are stored and/or processed the use of MouseMesh to prevent beetles entering is strongly recommended.

Beetles and Foodstuff

Below are just a few of the beetles that eat, and pollute, dried foods stored in the home.

Rice Weevil

Typical weevil with a relatively long snout projecting forward from the front of the head and with distinctly elbowed antennae. Brown to almost black in colour, usually with two paler marks on each wing-case (body 2-3 mm long). Found in granaries, bakeries and other food stores where it will attack all kinds grain and cereal products (maize, rye, wheat, millet, etc.) as well as rice.

Grain Beetle

There are several species of reddish-brown beetles, all very similar in general appearance – their body is 2-4 mm long. All are fairly common pests found in stored grain, flour, bran and other cereal products.

Flour Beetle

Reddish-brown, with a distinctive large tooth on each mandible (jaw), which gives the beetle a ‘horned’ appearance. The body is 3-5 mm long. Like the flour beetles, it occurs in stored cereals and cereal products. It is also found outdoors living under the bark of old deciduous trees, particularly that of elms.

Mealworm Beetle

These large beetles are entirely dull black in colour, with a distinctive tail-like extension of the wing-cases. The body is 20-30 mm long. They live in dark places in and around houses and other buildings, typically in kitchens, cellars, sheds, stables and barns, but may also occur in roof spaces where birds have been nesting. The beetles feed on any spilled or waste animal and vegetable matter, including badly stored grain, bran and other cereal products. When disturbed, these beetles have the interesting habit of adopting a sort of ‘headstand’, by extending the hind-legs and pushing against the ground, so tilting the whole body with tail-end upwards. If the disturbance continues, they can squirt a smelly, yellowish-brown fluid from the raised tip of the abdomen, sometimes to a distance of several centimetres. This fluid contains quinones, which are powerful skin irritants and provide the beetles with an effective defence mechanism to repel would-be predators.

Beetles and Natural Fabrics

Usually it is not the adult beetle that causes damage to fabrics, rather it is the larva of the beetles that are the real pests.

Fur Beetle

Blackish-brown with two white spots on its back. The body is 4-6 mm long, and covered with fine hairs. The larval stages can do severe damage to skins, furs, carpets, old blankets and the like. Also found in corn mills and grain stores.

Carpet Beetle

Brown or brownish-black, with relatively long legs and antennae. The body is 2-5mm long, and usually covered with fine hairs. They are found in homes and warehouses, often in large numbers. They feed and develop mainly on starchy materials such as grain and flour, but may attack all kinds of substances of both plant and animal origin. The larvae (often called woolly bears) often chew pupation-holes in wood and textiles and, likewise, may cause extensive damage to these materials. They can survive up to 10 months and will hibernate through winter.

Beetles and Wood

Again it is the larvae that do the damage – protect your home by fitting Mousemesh to prevent the adults entering through air bricks!

Khapra Beetle

Sometimes known as the Larder or Bacon Beetle it is black, with a broad, wavy, yellowish-white or greyish band across the wing-cases broken by several black marks. The body is 7-10 mm long, and is covered with fine hairs. When the larvae are ready to pupate, they often chew pupation-holes in wood, cork, paper, textiles, mortar and even soft metals, especially lead, and may cause considerable damage to these materials.

Furniture Beetle

The adults are 2-9 mm in length and are short lived and do not feed. Again it is the larval stage that does the damage.

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Insect Pests: Wasps

Wasps are common throughout Britain and really it is unfair to call them a pest since they do more good than harm – though they can spoil a picnic or barbeque and can cause alarm in the home. If they enter your home and build a nest in the attic or eaves you may need to call in professional help to remove it. Prevention is better than cure – fit MouseMesh grills over your air bricks to minimise the entry of wasps into your home!

There are several species of wasps and some of these are up to 30mm in length – easily big enough to be excluded by MouseMesh! There are six species of wasp commonly found in the UK but only two enter buildings. The most common species in the UK are the German and European wasps. Wasps can be seen throughout the country but the wasp ‘season’ tends to be shorter in the cooler north.

They are social insects forming colonies inside nests specially constructed in soil, barks, roof spaces and in cavities in trees and walls. The nests are made from a papery substance which is produced when workers mix wood scraped from trees, fence posts or materials scraped from dried grasses with saliva. A wasp nest survives only for that season as the nest dies off in the late autumn, and although they will never re-inhabit an old nest, they may build a new one directly beside an old nest. At the height of the season, there may be as many as 25,000 wasps in a very large nest!

The fertilised queen wasp emerges from hibernation around mid-April and searches for a suitable site for the nest. The Queen rears the first brood of worker wasps by herself and upon hatching these workers will carry on the building of the nest. The Queen, the only wasp able to lay eggs, will remain in the nest laying more eggs for further broods. A queen wasp can lay as many as 2,000 eggs each day. The more workers there are the quicker the nest will grow. The wasp larvae are fed on caterpillars, spiders and aphids, which the workers catch for them. Worker wasps also love to eat nectar or anything sugary, such as rotting fruit.

With cooler weather in the autumn the workers and males may become tired and aggressive towards anyone interfering with them. The cold winter weather kills off all the workers and males – only the queen survives.

In late summer wasps can become a real nuisance if you are enjoying a picnic or barbeque. Worker wasps are at their highest numbers at this time of year and they adore eating anything sugary. They seem to be particularly attracted to jam and beer! When they start to pester, the worst thing you can do is to wave your arms about and try to scare them away. This seems to attract more wasps and makes it much more likely that they will sting you. The best thing to do is place a plate of jam or glass of beer a short distance away from you. The wasps will quickly discover this and should soon stop pestering you.

Wasps are also attracted by windfall apples or other soft fruit. You can often find scores of wasps in orchards enjoying the sugary leftovers on the ground. If you do go gathering windfall fruit, pick up the fruit very carefully or wear thick gloves, just in case a wasp has got there before you. Otherwise, there is a chance that you might startle the wasp and it will sting you.

Wasp Control – Practical advice

• Destruction of a wasp’s nest should NOT be undertaken by untrained persons. If wasps are causing a problem it is advisable to contact the Environmental Health Department.
• Stings should be treated with antihistamine creams.
• Wasp stings around the throat can lead to respiratory obstruction which may cause faintness or vomiting. In these cases you should seek medical assistance.
• Repeated stings can cause anaphylactic shock. Symptoms include respiratory distress, swelling of the face and vomiting with abdominal pain. Medical assistance should be sought immediately where anaphylactic shock is suspected
• Leave wasp nests well alone. Only move them on when it is unavoidable. Make sure you demand that the bees are relocated. Pest controllers destroy most wasp nests as they are difficult to relocate – be sure this destruction of up to 25,000 animals is really necessary.
• Don’t swat a wasp. When having a picnic, put some beer or jam out for the wasps a short distance away. They will then leave you alone.
• Provide nectar and pollen rich flowers for bees. Plant wild flowers like foxgloves, knapweed or scabious and other plants which flower between early spring and late summer. Look out for the plants which attract bees and plant them.
• Leave areas of your garden undisturbed for bees to build a nest. They prefer rough ground, sheltered by trees and shrubs, which faces north-east. Old bird boxes or flower pots can even be used to give them something to build a nest in.
• Take care when dealing with wasps and hornets (a larger member of the wasp family) – they have a potent sting and can attack in large numbers if disturbed.
• A wasp trapped indoors can be dealt with using a Wasp & Fly Killer spray.
• If you are experiencing high numbers of wasps in your home or garden it is likely that there is a wasp nest nearby.
• A single nest may contain thousands of wasps which can swarm and attack if disturbed. If the location of a wasp nest is likely to put people at risk, then the nest should be destroyed.
• Fit MouseMesh Air Brick Vent Covers over all your air bricks

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Insect Pests: Cockroaches

Cockroaches are one of the most commonly found household pest insects in the UK and few pests conjure up such strong feelings of distress, embarrassment and disgust as do cockroaches. Chemical control may seems the obvious solution, and is still a common sight but method is not always necessary as some domestic cockroach problems can be controlled without reliance on pesticides. A better, and more humane method is to prevent cockroaches entering your premises in the first place by means of a MouseMesh grid covering potential entry points such as air bricks.

Some cockroaches have been known to live up to three months without food and a month without water. Cockroaches frequently live outdoors but although they prefer warmer climates they are resilient enough to survive occasional freezing temperatures. This makes them difficult to eradicate once they have infested an area – making the “cockroach-proofing” of your home with MouseMesh even more vital.

The two most common varieties of cockroach found in Northern Europe are the German and the oriental. The German cockroach is approximately 14mm in length, is light brown in colour and has two dark stripes on the section of the thorax behind the head. The female produces an average of four egg cases during its life-span. Each egg case contains between 30 and 50 eggs and the female carries the case until 12 days before hatching. It takes between three and four months for the egg to pass through the nymph stage and reach the adult stage. Adult cockroaches live for more than six month. Because of their small size, the large number of eggs per case and the speed with which they mature, the German cockroach tends to be more prolific than the oriental cockroaches.

The oriental cockroach is 32mm in length with a dark red-brown-black colour throughout and as an adult lives for between four and five months. It is usually found below ground level, in drains and sinks, and under refrigerators and washing machines. The female produces egg capsules at monthly intervals, each case containing up to 16 eggs. The cases are placed in debris or food under sheltered areas. It takes between 10 months to two years for the egg to reach the adult stage. Because the life cycle is so long, severe infestations should be avoidable with good hygiene practices.

Both German and oriental cockroaches are large enough to be denied access to a building by the 2mm grid of MouseMesh.

Cockroaches adulterate food or food products with their faeces and defensive secretions. They carry and often harbour pathogenic organisms, may cause severe allergic responses, and in extremely heavy infestations have been reported to bite humans. In addition, some scientists suggest that German cockroach infestations may cause human psychological stress and that the stigma associated with infestations can alter human behaviour – for example, people with infested houses do less entertaining, and avoid the kitchen at night for fear of encountering a cockroach.

Cockroaches seek cover during the daytime and are most active at night. Good hygiene practice is essential in the control of cockroaches, as is the reduction of access to food and water. Food should be stored in airtight storage containers and any crumbs, leftovers or food waste should be cleared up immediately. The same applies to household refuse-bins – those fitted with snap on lids will go a long way in controlling other pests such as ants and flies. Since cockroaches can survive longer on just water, as opposed to just food, reducing supplies to water is essential in controlling cockroach populations. Fix any leaks and sweating pipes, provide ventilation to moist areas, mop up any spillage’s, do not leave washing up soaking overnight and empty any pet bowls over night.

If the cockroach problem is in a block of flats or offices then screening the many ducts and vents that interlink the building is essential. Remove existing grillwork and place aluminium screening behind it, making sure to caulk around the edge. If the above methods are followed then at least one flat or office should have a much reduced or cockroach free environment.

Cockroach Prevention Tips

Follow the following tips to prevent household pests, pest infestations and the potentially dangerous health and property threats they pose. Find out how to prevent insects and rodents from entering your home and how to protect your family and property from disease and property damage.

• Fit MouseMesh Air Brick Vent Covers over all air bricks
• Seal cracks and holes on the outside of the home including entry
  points for utilities and pipes
• Store rubbish in sealed containers and dispose of it regularly
• Keep cellars and attics well ventilated and dry
• Store fire wood at least 20 feet away from the house and five inches
  off the ground
• Replace weather-stripping and repair loose mortar around basement
  foundation and windows
• Call a qualified pest professional for additional advice and
  treatment if necessary
• Keep tree branches and shrubbery well trimmed and away from the
  house.

Effective pest control is a requirement for most buildings and especially at home and those places where food is stored or prepared. Effective methods of control can employ high technology ultrasonic, electro-magnets or even electrocution methods! There are, however, many simple products and solutions to eradicate domestic pests e.g. rats, mice (especially house mice), moles and squirrels.

Once such pests have been eliminated it is wise to prevent their re-entry into a building. Blocking all possible entrances such as holes created by broken bricks and air vents is essential – and it is worth noting that mice can pass through a hole no larger than the thickness of a pencil! Carefully check all round your home for all the small holes that could be an entrance for a mouse.

Holes in brickwork can be filled in with cement or plaster and air bricks can be covered with wire mesh or a commercial product such as MouseMesh.

This preventative approach has the added advantage of being a humane way to avoid domestic pests since it obviates the need to use poisons and traps. Equally you do not need to experience the very unpleasant task of removing the dead house mice from mouse traps. If you use humane mouse traps you do not have to take the house mice the required two miles away from your home to ensure it does not scamper back.

Whilst we are often berated for closing the stable door after the horse has bolted it is good advice to bolt household entry routes after the mice have been routed!

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