Lots of mice in attic and upstairs bedrooms??

Hannaho

I've just paid a pest control company to 360 euros for two visits to set poison - they came out on a Saturday so extra charge. They put poison -Warfarin- down. Lots of the stuff taken by the mice upstairs but not downstairs. They are coming in on one side of the attic. I am end terraced. My neighbour has no mice. The lady behind me has 14 cats - so it's hard to believe that any mice would get past them. My teenage children - despite multiple continual arguing with them about it - left rotting food in upstairs bedrooms. I think there may be some in the attic, but I work long hours and as I am a bit phobic about mice, I just can't bear to go through all the stuff in the attic to see if any food there, but will do so on Monday. However, the guy from the pest control place said he will come back next week for a 3rd visit - after being paid, I hope he comes back - insisted on being paid mid way. He then says if no more bait taken they will block the holes, then he said that I would have to get contractors in to take off slates insert steel in places the mice were getting in and then put the slates back on and this could cost me 600 euros - were they scamming me, or does this kind of stuff happen when trying to get rid of mice.

policarp

Take off slates, steel plates, sounds very much like a scam.

Stigura

Hannaho; They're taking ye to the cleaners. Stop throwing money at them.

That said? Ye story's so inside out, I barely even know where to start. Frankly? Not at all sure I even want to get involved.

Can't help but ask though; " Warfarin "? I'm taking it ye got this from the countersigned report sheet this operative left with ye? Something very much like this?

That's a generic, commercially available one. I'd be curious to see a (Suitably redacted) copy of what ever ye man left you.

flanna01

There's some method in the madness here... The standard rentakill bloke will inspect the property for entrance points, these are usually at ground level, generally openings in the wall were the pointing has perished,

He lays bait into the attic, hopefully the mice take it back to their nests and kill all their next of kin..

Once the bait stops being taken, its generally a sign that all the mice have copped an unfortunate one, and its safe to seal up the entry points (holes in the wall / perished pointing etc..)

Never heard of the business of steel clad slates..?? But as the poster above stated, any reputable guy will provide you with a detailed work document and show you photo's of whats in the attic (before & after).

The call out charge is indeed around 350 for up to three visits over the time frame of 4 to 6 weeks.

My advice - Query the slate business, seems odd to me (I stand to be corrected). Get everything in writing including monies paid for exactly what sevices / work done. A genuine professional will have no hesitation proving these documents for services rendered.

Irish_peppa

flanna01 wrote: »

There's some method in the madness here... The standard rentakill bloke will inspect the property for entrance points, these are usually at ground level, generally openings in the wall were the pointing has perished,

He lays bait into the attic, hopefully the mice take it back to their nests and kill all their next of kin..

Once the bait stops being taken, its generally a sign that all the mice have copped an unfortunate one, and its safe to seal up the entry points (holes in the wall / perished pointing etc..)

Never heard of the business of steel clad slates..?? But as the poster above stated, any reputable guy will provide you with a detailed work document and show you photo's of whats in the attic (before & after).

The call out charge is indeed around 350 for up to three visits over the time frame of 4 to 6 weeks.

My advice - Query the slate business, seems odd to me (I stand to be corrected). Get everything in writing including monies paid for exactly what sevices / work done. A genuine professional will have no hesitation proving these documents for services rendered.

Flanna, i didnt realise that part of the bait poison idea was the hope mice took it back to the nest for next of kin. Do mice actually take back food in their mouth cheeks for their young? I was always under the impression female mice fed their young milk from their teets. Or is the idea the female eats the poison and it goes into the blood stream then gets into mothers milk?
At work we had a vermin company in and whatever posion they had in their traps was powerful stuff the mice actually never made it back out of the container! When we went into work Monday after bait boxes laid on the friday. On Monday in all 3 of them all we could see were tails sticking out of the entrances to the boxes so whatever poison it was killed them stone dead:cool:

IAMAMORON

Get a cat ?

( sorry i am just getting my coat, apols etc )

2011

There is no way on earth I would let someone take slated off my roof unless it was to repair a leak. If mice are really entertaining the house this way then put something to block them on the inside of the slates via the attic. Once you open a roof up there is the risk of creating more problems than you solve.

€360 is a lot of money to put out some bait! I would be surprised if the bait cost more than €20. I have lived in many houses that had mice as I grew up in the countryside. For use the solution was to continually put out mouse traps, seal the bins well in suitable containers and not to leave any food around.

ted1

policarp wrote: »

Take off slates, steel plates, sounds very much like a scam.

Did the op say steel or steel slate ?

Could mean fill gaps with steel wool etc