Protect your home now from predicted mice plague in Victoria

With predictions of a mice plague across parts of Victoria, now is a great time for home owners to ensure they are not unwittingly laying out the welcome mat for these pests, according to Weepa Products.

Weepa Technical Officer Mitch Flint said according to the CSIRO, mice have started breeding earlier that usual in early August in the Mallee region.

“According to reports, mouse numbers are expected to increase throughout summer and autumn, particularly given the good supply of food from bumper crops and favourable weather conditions,” Mitch said.

Mr Flint said the risk was greatest in the grain growing areas and more regional communities. Although, they might not be causing trouble yet, the mice that are breeding now will be seeking food and dry warmth indoors as the temperatures cool down.

“This means now is the perfect time for everyone to take some simple steps to keep mice out of their home.

“Figuring out how pests are getting into your house can be frustrating and exhausting. Generally, people think of doors and windows but often overlook the weep holes in their brick walls.

“Weep holes are important and allow for drainage and ventilation but they are also an entry point for pests including mice, rats, snakes, cockroaches and other creepy crawlies.

“Once inside pests will happy live inside your wall cavities, making excursions into every room of your home whenever they want through access points such as vents, poorly sealed cupboards, light fittings and piping penetrations.

“By stopping them coming through weep holes, all this can be prevented quickly, easily and cost-effectively.
Weepa Protector Weep Hole Screens are made from 316 Stainless Steel and can be quickly and simply installed by the home owner using the applicator included in the back – as you can see from this video – https://youtu.be/28YxkLPM1zM.

“The openings in the screens, which are less than 1.4mm in diameter, will keep out a huge variety of insects while allowing the critical airflow into your walls. Weepa Protectors are also bush fire compliant so they stop embers from entering your wall cavities and catching fire,” Mitch said.
Weepa Protector Screens are available from Bunnings and all good hardware stores. For more information about Weepa Products and the Weepa Protector, and stockists, visit their website – www.weepa.com.au.

Other tips for ensuring you are protected include checking your windows, doors and screens, storing food and food waste in secure containers, removing stagnant water from around the home and checking and sealing open beams and eaves.
Established in the early 1990s, Weepa Products’ focus is on developing innovative-patented products to solve particular problems with weep holes.

Weepa’s commitment to research and industry consultation has seen it grow into a specialised dynamic company making an important contribution to ‘best practice’ in the building industry.

Weepa also supply weep hole formers and covers for installation during the building process to create highly functional and attractive weep holes in cavity brick walls and rendered panel.