Households warned over ‘winter of rats’ influx after UK heatwaves spark breeding
Households are being warned over an influx of rats this year after summer’s soaring temperatures and dry weather created the perfect breeding conditions for rodents. Being hailed by experts as a “winter of rats”, infestations are set to explode as temperatures fall.
For rats and mice, the best place for them to shelter in autumn and winter is inside your home. Once they have scurried into your house, shed and garage, they can cause thousands of pounds worth of damage by chewing through wires and insulation and contaminating food supplies.
It comes after Kieran Sampler, the leader of the rat-catching group, warned over a particularly bad winter ahead for rat infestations.
He told The Telegraph: “It is going to be a bad winter for rats, and people don’t realise – it is going to be horrendous. There is always going to be a bad winter after a good summer.”
To rat-proof your home, you don’t need to spend thousands. In fact, Simon Wardle from Armstrong supplies has shared his top two ways to keep rodents out – and they’re both cheap and simple.
They’re also both humane and won’t kill the critters that have crept into your home – just turn them away in search of another, friendlier spot.
The first suggestion Simon has is peppermint oil. He said: “Using peppermint oil is one of the more novel ways you can keep rats at bay this summer. As rats have an extremely strong sense of smell, they find the strong scent of peppermint overwhelming, and it’s often enough to deter them from your property.”
The best way to use peppermint oil as a rodent deterrent is to soak some cotton balls with the oil,and leave them around the entry points rats might use. Good places are cracks and gaps in the wall, or windowsills.
Replenish the oil every couple of days to keep it potent.
Simon’s second tip is to use steel wool to keep rats and mice away. He said: “Both rats and mice are experts at squeezing through the tiniest holes. A mouse can get through a gap the size of a 5p coin, while rats can push through spaces as small as 2cm.
“But neither species can chew through steel wool, making it one of the cheapest and most effective barriers you can put in place.
“To use it, identify potential entry points around vents, pipes, floorboards or gaps in walls, and tightly pack them with steel wool. For added protection, secure it in place with caulking or adhesive.”
