Greedy stockpilers face invasion from rats, mice and ants feasting on bursting cupboards – how to keep your h – the sun, thesun.co.uk
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THINK you’re alone in lockdown? Greedy stockpilers may be unwittingly welcoming a grisly cast of creepy critters into their homes that are hungry and riddled with disease.
“People have got lots of rice and pasta and they’re putting it in places where they wouldn’t have stored food before – the under stairs cupboards, loft spaces, places like that, says Peter Higgs, who runs
PGH Pest Control .
“Because they’ve got so much of it, vermin are going to get in – and a lot of the time people won’t notice.
“We often find that they get into cereal packets and people don’t even know.
“As they run over it and poop in it, it sinks to the bottom, so you don’t always know you’ve got a rat problem or a mouse problem until it’s too late.”
Cupboards full of food can lead to nightmare infestations of rats and mice (Credit: Facebook
wants to return to being an air ambulance pilot to ‘do his bit’. The death toll in the UK now stands at 1, A – year-old girl became the youngest person to die from the coronavirus in Europe.
People most at risk are those who work with or near animals, or near water. So farmers, vets, and butchers are at risk, along with pest controllers, sewer workers and people who take part in water sports.
If you develop a flu-like illness seven. to 64 days after contact with fresh surface water or with rats, visit your GP and explain you may have been exposed to the disease.
“Mice in the UK have been found to have that virus.”
People infected with hantavirus will show symptoms including fever, bleeding and kidney damage, according to experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Early symptoms can also include exhaustion, vomiting and reddish cheeks.
“On top of what’s going around at the moment, it’s even more important to eliminate rodents and not let them run riot, “Peter says.
“If you get coronavirus and then get something from rats as well, it might be trickier to cure.” Spiralling waste
Wheelie bins overflowing with fresh food – huge amounts of extra household waste are being generated as many people are isolated or working from home Credit: @AtwalAjit
. Plagues of ants come creeping inside in search of high sugar food in suburban areas Credit: Getty Images – Getty
But it’s not just rats and mice that you need to keep an eye out for if you ‘ re stockpiling.
Armies of ants will be drawn to the food and there’s a particularly high chance of that happening as the weather gets warmer.
“Surplus food can attract ants as well, while it’s also likely that warmer weather is creating favorable conditions for insects,” says Paul Blackhurst, Head of the Technical Academy at Rentokil Pest Control
.
“Most garden ants are content living outside, where their main food source is sugary secretions from sap-sucking insects like aphids.
Ants will often emerge between the cracks to find and carry food
Paul Blackhurst, Head of the Technical Academy at Rentokil Pest Control
“However, some may enter houses in search of sugary deposits from fruit or food.
“This is particularly common in urban areas, where ants tend to build their nests outside buildings.”
Paul recommends finding out where the insects are emerging and then tackling them with poison if you have a problem.
“Most patios are laid on sand, and ants will often emerge between the cracks to find and carry food,” he says.
“By watching where the ants disappear into the crack, you’ll be able to locate the nest – and have a place to aim that ant killer powder before the problem escalates any further.”
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