Problems Caused By Rodents
Rodents, and rats in particular, do spread diseases. Rodents are continually searching for food and will invade buildings, gnawing their way into the tiniest of spaces in their search. Their droppings spread diseases and pathogens such as Veils disease, typhus, rat-bite fever, and in times gone by, the Bubonic Plague. Rats also carry disease spreading parasites and are responsible for the spread of salmonella and ringworm.
Not only this, the damage to property caused by gnawing rodents can be enormous. Cupboards, cables, packaging and bins frequently bear the brunt of the teeth damage. Rats tend to use the same access routes, known as "rat runs" and these can become smeared and infested with droppings and urine crystals. |
Rodent Species Identification
There are 15 different species of rodent resident in the UK including squirrels, rats, mice, dormouse and voles. Essex Green Shoots pest and vermin control can protect your property against any of these, and we specialise in the three most common pests. The other 12 species do not cause any major problems to man, although they can be a nuisance.
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The Brown Rat
The Norway Rat, (also known as the Common, Sewer or Brown Rat), has only been recorded in Britain since early in the 18th century. It is thought to have been introduced in shipping from Russia, and did not originate in Norway, despite one of its common names. The Norway rat's origins are thought to be in eastern Asia.
It is now by far the more abundant of the two rat species in Britain and is widely distributed in both urban and rural areas. The Norway rat is essentially an outdoor living animal and if it is found indoors will usually have originated outdoors. Norway rats in loft spaces for instance usually originate from drainage defects and this is also the species associated with sewer systems.
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The Black Rat
The Ship Rat, (also known as the Roof or Black Rat), probably originated in Southeast Asia and was thought not to have reached Western Europe until the Middle Ages, possibly returning with the Crusaders. However remains have been discovered in Roman deposits in York and London dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries.
Although once the dominant rat species in this country, it is now rare and if it does occur is most likely to be found in Port areas. It may be found very occasionally in some inland towns, especially those linked to ports by canals. In Britain it lives only indoors and is rarely found in sewers.
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The House Mouse
The House Mouse has been identified from pre-Roman Iron Age deposits and is believed to have arrived in Britain around the 10th century BC. It is likely that it was once a wild species somewhere on the borders of the USSR and Iran, and gradually spread with the practice of agriculture.
It is common in a wide range of urban and rural buildings all over Britain. Although mainly a house dweller, it may sometimes be found living outdoors, particularly in dry warm weather. It is not found in sewers.
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