Those dirty rats

Apartment Living: Rodents invading your apartment block? Edel Morgan on what to do

Pest control expert Danny Proctor is regularly called to the scene of rodent-infested apartment blocks.

Recently he was on the case of a bad rat infestation in the basement car-park of a building where domestic refuse was spewing from untied sacks.

"The situation was so bad the binmen refused to take the rubbish and we had to kill the rats as we removed it. Often the problem comes down to bad housekeeping."

Once rodents squirm their way in, they effectively have the run of the entire apartment block, says Proctor, MD of Combat Pest Control, which is based in Parkwest.

A common method of entry is through ESB switch rooms, or gas meter rooms where they often squeeze under doors that are not flush to the floor. Once in, they can get to the main apartment block by following service ducts and cables. Communal bin rooms where rubbish is not properly tied up or kept in wheelie bins can also be a magnet for rodents, particularly when winter sets in and they scramble to get out of the cold.

Swift action is crucial because they reproduce at an alarming rate. A female mouse, for example, has between five and 10 litters per year with about five or six pups in each litter and the young are capable of reproducing at the age of six weeks.

Calling in a pest control company is probably the best option if you are overrun, as service ducts, basement areas and apartments may need to be treated.

If the infestation is confined to a small area it is up to you - or your management company - whether you choose the old fashioned rat trap or the more humane live-trap option, which allows you to release the little offender unharmed. Success lies in the way you bait and set the trap, says Proctor.

"I was in a house recently where they were using a piece of bacon rind nearly as wide as the trap and the mouse was after half eating it. It's no use using a block of cheese either, it's better to rub some peanut butter between your thumb and forefinger and smear some on, barely covering but leaving a smell."

He recommends that the trap should be facing the wall. "Rodents have kinaesthetic memories and move by feel and touch running around the perimeter, so it should be flush up against the wall."

He doesn't rate ultrasonic deterrents although has come across people who swear by them.

For those who can't bear the thought of harming a mouse, it may be worth trying to repel them by laying peppermint leaves around the areas they hang out.

It is also important to fill in cracks and openings in foundation walls and look out for possible nesting sites under decks.

In a properly managed block, however, infestation need never occur. "Hygiene around the grounds of an apartment block is 99 per cent of rodent control. Also it is essential to make sure they can't get under the doors of service and utility rooms. If you have a good property management company, you are laughing and the situation is improving with many managements now putting ongoing pest prevention and control high on the agenda."