Pest Control in Askam-In-Furness

Askam-in-Furness is a small town on the west coast of the Furness peninsula, looking out across the vast sands of the Duddon Estuary. The town grew up around the iron industry and the terraced streets that run up the hillside from the shore reflect that industrial past. Those terraces are the same age and construction as the ones in neighbouring Dalton and Barrow, with shared walls, shallow foundations and old drainage that all create pest problems. Rats are common in Askam, coming in from the estuary shoreline and the fields that surround the town on three sides. The Duddon Estuary at low tide is a huge expanse of sand and mud that attracts birds but also supports rats along the higher ground above the tideline. We deal with rat control calls from Askam regularly and the streets nearest the shore and the fields behind the town tend to see the most activity.

Mice are just as much of an issue in the older terraces. The shared walls give mice routes between houses and the gaps that develop in old stonework and around pipes and vents let them get inside easily. Mouse control in Askam needs to include proofing work because without it the mice move back in from neighbouring properties. The newer houses on the edge of town are less prone to mice but they still get them, especially in winter when field mice from the surrounding farmland look for somewhere warmer.

Wasps nest in the roof spaces and outbuildings across Askam each summer and the exposed position on the coast means the town also gets seagull problems. Herring gulls nest on rooftops and become aggressive during the breeding season, swooping at people and making a mess. Askam is a small community but the combination of estuary, farmland and older housing means there is always pest work to be done here.