Pest Control St. Ives

Pest Control in St. Ives

St Ives is a historic market town on the River Great Ouse in Cambridgeshire and that river dominates both the character of the town and the pest challenges it faces. The Ouse flows through the centre of St Ives, crossed by the famous medieval bridge and the water meadows and flood plains on either side create ideal habitat for rats. They live along the river banks, in the vegetation around the backwaters and in the embankments that protect the town from flooding. From there they move into the gardens and outbuildings of the older houses along Bridge Street, The Waits and the streets closest to the river. After heavy rain or when river levels rise, rat activity in these areas tends to increase as the animals are pushed out of their bankside burrows.

The town centre has a lovely mix of period buildings around the Market Place and along the main streets, with Georgian and Victorian facades hiding structures that go back even further in places. These older buildings have all the character that comes with age but also the gaps that mice exploit. Worn pointing, cracks in rendered walls and spaces around door frames and window sills all provide entry points. The pubs, restaurants and food shops around the Market Place need to be careful about waste management, because mice are quick to find any food source in a building with these kinds of openings. Newer housing estates have spread out to the east and south of the old town and these areas see different pest pressures. Field mice moving in from the surrounding farmland are common in the first few years after an estate is built.

Wasp nests are a summer regular across St Ives, nesting in the roof spaces and wall cavities of the older buildings in town and in the garden sheds and fascia boards of the newer estates. The river and the surrounding countryside support the insect life that keeps colonies growing through the season.