Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Mice: Harringay's other dirty secret
... the other one being cockroaches.
Everyone in North London knows the ladder/gardens is infested with mice. Despite living in some scummy lodgings in my time, I have never had them anywhere else (though we had rats in Shoreditch). So it's not my fault.
Anyway, it's a mousy time at home and they don't seem to be very interested in the large amounts of poisonous bait i have put down.
Do we think this is because:-
1) I have put the bait down in the wrong place.
2) The mice are coming into our kitchen because they are cold rather than hungry.
3) They are streetwise, urban mice who wouldn't be dumb enough to trough a load of poison.
C'mon gang, share your mouse-slaying tips. Humane tips not acceptable.
Everyone in North London knows the ladder/gardens is infested with mice. Despite living in some scummy lodgings in my time, I have never had them anywhere else (though we had rats in Shoreditch). So it's not my fault.
Anyway, it's a mousy time at home and they don't seem to be very interested in the large amounts of poisonous bait i have put down.
Do we think this is because:-
1) I have put the bait down in the wrong place.
2) The mice are coming into our kitchen because they are cold rather than hungry.
3) They are streetwise, urban mice who wouldn't be dumb enough to trough a load of poison.
C'mon gang, share your mouse-slaying tips. Humane tips not acceptable.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Hi Barbara, I followed this up. Calls to the number given on the Council's website -0208 489 5551 - go to Customer Services who do their best to answer basic queries. If that's not enough they have a contact person in the Pest Control Team who gives further advice.
I've asked - as a councillor's enquiry - for the latter to look into the lack of response to your emails.
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By the way, within my - perhaps too jokey - comments above was a serious point about the need for collective action. For example, tackling an infestation in a council-owned block of flats, Homes for Haringey will probably need to do a block treatment. Which means including every resident. In the same way, my own experience is that to get effective pest control in privately owned flats or homes in a terrace you need neighbours to co-operate. Otherwise mice-for-one-is-mice-for-all.
A few years ago at an area assembly, one resident got a huge laugh as she described reporting rats in her street. Haringey Pest Control wanted an address and - of course - someone to bill. The resident explained that this rat clan was homeless; and wandered through everyone's gardens and front yards as the fancy took them.
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Permalink Reply by Lauren W on
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Apparently the people who lived here before us had a problem with mice, and we've seen very occasional signs they might be around, but no serious damage. We have this excellent device that plugs into the wall which apparently emits a very high-pitched sound which we can't hear but they hate. Seems to work! I read somewhere that they can get used to the sound and tolerate it after a while, but you can buy these thingys with variable frequencies to prevent that. Anyway, clean and simple, it seems to me!
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Permalink Reply by TTTH on
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Fill all holes/ gaps with aerosol expanded foam (from Homebase) and the electric plug device - this has worked for me. 2 years and no mice.......sods law I'll walk into the kitchen tomorrow morning and one will be sitting up at the breakfast bar eating my cereal :os
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A small point about electric "high frequency" gadgets. We've never used them so I'm not writing from personal experience. But I've noticed a strong vein of scepticism from professionals in the field - except of course from the companies which sell them.
This link is fairly typical of the critical views. Though it's from a Florida commercial firm which provides its own competing service.
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Permalink Reply by NickH on
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Chocolate normally works best, mice and cheese is an urban myth: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article630644.ece
Although I had one mouse visitor that was not fond of chocolate and remained at large for a week. But had noticed he had eatten an entire bag of wasabi peas. Armed with this knowledge I set a trap with a wasabi pea and within the day I had caught the Japanese food loving mouse!
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Permalink Reply by RJBurgon (artist) on
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No.2 is a distinct possiblilty - especially with field mice (yes we do get alot of those in the ladder).
Re: No.3 - Yes most urban mice have learnt to detect poison by smell and will avoid!
Bait should be placed along the edges of the room - but I'm sure u knew that :)
Check around ur skirting boards - plug all holes up if u block their means of entry u also block their means of feeding and u can starve the buggers out!
Ensure all dry foods such as rice and pasta are stored in head height cupboards (mice can jump upto 3 and a half feet from standing)
The most effective way to catch mice still is the sticky traps - hardly humane but at least u keep track of the corpses rather than having them eat ur poison and sulk off to die behind the fridge/cooker/underside of work surfaces - which causes the worst smell in the world!!! Sounds brutal but quickest way to kill mice on the sticky traps is to behead them with a well aimed edge of a spade - provided it's a clean cut!
Good luck :)
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This is an Update on Barbara’s comment. As promised, I emailed a councillor Inquiry. On 27 February I got this reply from the service manager for Haringey’s Pest Control team:
”On investigation it would appear that there were a low number of emails that had been received in our pest control queries inbox that had not been responded to over the last 28 days. We have now replied to all the emails that were outstanding, giving an unreserved apology for the delay in our response. I have personally contacted Ms Kentish who has now been given advice regarding her mice infestation and will contact me personally if she requires a treatment in the future. I have instructed that the inbox is checked daily and we are in the process of updating our web site to provide more information online, hopefully this will cover the range of questions that are being asked electronically.”
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Can I add my own apology as a councillor to anyone who did not get a timely response. Though, frankly I find it dismaying not only that some emails 'fell through the net’ but that their inbox was not even checked daily.
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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This is quite unbelieveable. Probably under resourced. But to not have regular questions answered on their website (which I've never seen) is just plain daft!
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Matt, it may be helpful to separate two issues.
The Council’s website does have information about mice. There’s a downloadable leaflet here. But if Pest Control are updating this leaflet or other webpage information in response to residents’ recent questions, good for them. And positive for residents.
The second issue is about Pest Control not responding to some emailed inquiries from individuals during the last four weeks. I wrote that this is dismaying.
But let’s look at another positive aspect. I didn’t name the officer who emailed me as he replied on behalf of a large Department. But his approach actually deserves praise. He says, in effect:We messed up. No excuse. We apologise to everyone. I’ve spoken in person to the HoL member affected. And we’ve already changed the system to get it right.
If only I got such candid, honest and – above all - helpful replies every time I wrote to the Urban Environment Department or the “Cabinet” member responsible !
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Permalink Reply by Cml on
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MOUSEY UPDATE ... MOUSEY UPDATE ... MOUSEY UPDATE ... MOUSEY UPDATE ... MOUSEY UPDATE ... MOUSEY UPDATE ... MOUSEY UPDATE ... MOUSEY UPDATE ... MOUSEY UPDATE ... MOUSEY UPDATE ...
Thanks for all your advice.
For your information, I bunged up the gaps around our mouse-poo caked washing machine inlet pipes with scouring pads bought from Dostlar and have seen no mousey evidence outside the under-sink cupboard since.
Either I poisoned them or they ran away.
All quiet until cockroach season starts again. Give thanks.
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