Pest controllers in the Puget Sound are fielding an increased number of calls as rodents leave their traditional burrows in favour of cosy wall cavities and ceiling insulation to combat the colder-than-usual winter nights. Stop Bugging Me Pest Control said at least six people were contacting the firm each day for advice on treatment for mice and rat invasions.

The company was sending out crews on a daily basis to bait and seal homes and commercial premises. Homes with outside debris, dog or cat food left outside or simply close to forrest land were the worst affected. Although their reproduction slows down in the cooler months, they still feed at virtually the same rate, so we still have the ability to seal them out of properties. If they smell a food source they want, they will do anything they can to get to it. We have seen cases where they have chewed through steel mesh to get to food. Anything they can get their head through, they can get the rest of their body through.

Stop Bugging Me urges residents to keep an ear out for suspicious scratching or scuttling sounds in their roof or walls in winter as rats and mice were not only a pest, they could become a safety hazard if they took a liking to your electrical wiring. They seem to love the plastic wiring casings and because they have to keep their incisors down, they chew through them all the time just for the sake of it.  The result is often that homes have exposed wiring, which can and does spark house fires.

Stop Bugging Me Pest Control services can be booked at 206 749 BUGS (2847)