Noises in the attic can mean trouble for your roof

If you start hearing strange sounds in the attic or loft – scratching, humming, buzzing, wings flapping – then you almost certainly have some unwanted guests. 

In an earlier blog we looked at ways of getting rid of squirrels, bats and wasps. But unfortunately they are not the only intruders you will have to deal with. 

These pests typically enter your home through holes in the roof’s soffits, fascia and barge boards, or through spaces left by damaged tiles or slates.  

As part of our wash and refurbishment service we carry our essential roof repairs and we can locate and seal the gaps in your house’s defences.

Let’s take a closer look at these nuisance tenants and find ways of ejecting them for good.

Pigeons

Often called ‘rats with wings’, pigeons – and their nests – can damage tiles and slates, as well as creating mess, health risks – and a great deal of annoying noise. 

Although it is illegal to disturb an occupied nest, once the chicks have flown then the nest can be removed and any entry points blocked off. 

For protecting the house exterior, gutter guards, netting and bird spikes are useful anti-pigeon devices.

Flies

The type of fly that you’ll most likely encounter in your attic are cluster flies, so-called from their habit of forming clusters when they hibernate. 

When the temperature falls in the autumn they crawl into your attic through spaces in roof tiles and other gaps in your roof to spend the winter. They are most common in rural and semi-rural areas. 

Blocking off entry points in the roof is recommended as are DIY insecticides such as smoke bombs when fly clusters are discovered. If this doesn’t work, then professional help should be sought.

Mice

These extraordinary but troublesome creatures enter houses through the smallest of gaps, and they can climb up into our attics along vents and pipes we are usually unaware of. They are even able to scramble up exterior pipes and brick work. 

Poison and mouse traps are readily available from the High Street and are generally effective; but if a mass infestation has taken place then this may be a job for a pest controller. 

Rats

The thought of rats inside your home will send a shiver down the spine of most people. But these rodents are an ever-present threat that must be dealt with as quickly as possible, especially as they are carriers of nasty diseases, such as Salmonella, Listeria and Weill’s disease. 

They also inflict serious structural damage, not least chewing through electrical cables – which, according to the insurance industry, is responsible for 25% of all domestic electrical fires in the UK. 

Like mice they crawl through tiny holes to enter your property before taking up residence in the attic or other enclosed area. Blocking up these access routes is essential after the actual infestation has been dealt with – either with special rat traps or poison.

Find out more

As we have seen, sealing your roof area against these intruders is vital – a provision we offer as part of Improve a Roof’s cleaning and inspection service. 

We would be delighted to provide you with an entirely free, no-obligation cleaning quotation. 

Contact us

We provide roof cleaning services in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, North Wales, Derbyshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire. Improve a Roof also offers additional, complimentary services to enhance your home further.

Call us NOW on: 0800 046 9686