Pest Control Knockholt

Pest Control in Knockholt

Knockholt is a village sitting high on the North Downs in Kent, near the M25 and the border with Greater London. The village has a green, a pub and a scattering of houses, with chalk grassland, woodland and farmland surrounding it on all sides. The elevated position means Knockholt catches its share of weather and the exposure loosens tiles, cracks mortar and opens up the gaps that pests exploit. Grey squirrels are common in the woodland and mature trees around the village and squirrel problems in roof spaces are one of the more regular call-outs. They chew through fascia boards and soffits to get in and cause damage to wiring and insulation once inside.

Brown rats are active around the farm buildings and along the hedgerows and ditches in the area. The farming activity on the Downs keeps rat numbers steady and they move into village gardens where compost, fruit and outbuildings provide food and shelter. Mice are equally busy, using the gaps in the older properties to get indoors. The chalk soil drains well, but the buildings on the hilltop take more punishment from the weather and gaps open up faster than in more sheltered locations.

The chalk downland provides good habitat for ground-nesting wasps and above-ground nests in lofts, sheds and garden hedges are common through summer. The south-facing slopes on the escarpment catch the sun and create warm, sheltered microclimates that wasp colonies thrive in. Knockholt has a quiet, hilltop village character with views across the Weald and the pest pressures from the surrounding Downs and woodland are simply part of what comes with that setting.