Pest Control in Abertillery

Abertillery sits deep in the Ebbw Fach valley in the South Wales Valleys, a town that grew up around coal mining and is now finding its way in a changed world. The valley is steep and narrow here, with terraced houses climbing the hillsides on both sides of the river. These terraces were built quickly during the mining boom and many share drains, retaining walls and back lanes that create easy routes for rats to move between properties. The hillside location adds another challenge because water runs downhill and gathers in the lower parts of town, bringing damp conditions that rats find attractive.

The Ebbw Fach river runs through the bottom of the valley and the smaller streams that come down from the hillsides create a network of watercourses that rats follow into the residential areas. Properties on the streets closest to the river and the steep back lanes where rubbish can accumulate tend to see the most rodent activity. Mice are common too, getting into the older terraced houses through gaps in stonework, around pipe runs and through ventilation bricks that have cracked or lost their mesh covers.

The hillsides above Abertillery are a mix of rough grassland, scrub and woodland and this wild land comes right down to the backs of many houses. Field mice and voles from the hillsides move indoors when the weather turns cold and grey squirrels from the wooded areas above town get into loft spaces where they can cause damage to wiring and insulation. Wasp nests are found regularly in the roof spaces and outbuildings of properties across the town during summer and the stone walls and old coal sheds that are still a feature of many back gardens provide perfect sheltered spots for nesting.