Noises from the attic

We often get calls from people asking us to investigate noises coming from the attic, often these noises are an indication that they have a pest in the roof space.

These noises are usually as a result of one of three pests  usually indicating mice, rats or squirrels, occassionally they are caused by bats, birds or wasps.

The mice, rats and squirrels are very destructive and all carry disease.

Mice often sound as if they are as large as rats or squirrels, there are two main types of mice found in the attic, the house mouse, which we don’t come across as often as you may expect and field mice which usually come into the home at the end of the good weather, looking for shelter and safe harbourage, at which point they become a pest.
As a result of their need to gnaw to keep their constantly growing teeth sharp they can be very destructive and can be the cause for house fires and floods as a result of gnawing on electrical wires and water pipes.
Mice constantly urinate and leave about 80 droppings a day and are carriers of many diseases and illness.

Rats don’t generally nest in the roof space but gain entry into a building through the eaves or soil and vent pipes, similarly they need to gnaw to keep their constantly growing teeth sharp and are carriers of many diseases.

Squirrels are extremely destructive and the only reason they enter your roof space is to nest and breed. It is important to remove and permanently exclude squirrels from your roof space as soon as possible.

It goes without saying that bats are a protected species and should not be disturbed. They are unlikely to cause any damage and are not really a pest unless of course you need to do some work in the attic space.

Birds can often gain access to a roofspace and build a nest there. Dependent upon the bird type it may be best to wait for the birds to raise their chicks and then deny them access once they have fledged.
Pigeons can be more of a problem because of their ability to breed all year round and the volume of guano that they can produce.  Please see our  bird problem pages for more information on removing and proofing your property against birds..

Occasionally you may hear noises from an insect infestation;  English Wasps like to build their wasp nest inside a structure, and wasp nest activity in attics can sometimes be heard as a result of the wasps scraping away at the plaster separateing them from your living space.   This needs urgent attention as it may not be long before they access your living space, for further information visit our page on wasps and bees.

Vale Pest Control offers pest control to Barry, Penarth, Cowbridge, Pontyclun and all of the Vale of Glamorgan, so give us a call on 02920 552243 so that we can help.

The Vale of Glamorgan area is covered by Vale Pest Control, including Barry, Penath, Cowbridge and surrounding areas, to speak to a qualified and fully insured pest controller call 02920 552243