When Langley City resident Danielle Arbour heard the scratching and tapping sounds in the walls of her unit in the Centennial Manor, she thought it was noise from a neighbouring suite.
In the 20 years she and her daughter have lived in the subsidized housing complex currently managed by the Langley Lions Housing Society (LLHS) in the 20600 block of Eastleigh Crescent in Langley City, they had never had a pest problem.
B次元官网网址淚 keep my place clean,B次元官网网址� she told the Langley Advance Times.
Then, about two months ago, mice appeared, running across her living room carpet.
B次元官网网址淲e found out [about the mice] from another neighbour who has had them for over seven months,B次元官网网址� Arbour recalled.
B次元官网网址淎nd by then it was too late and they were in our unit.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hey chewed a hole into my living room,B次元官网网址� Arbour elaborated.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 numerous holes in my stairs.B次元官网网址�
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She found a B次元官网网址渉uge nestB次元官网网址� behind her fridge.
After that, she said, cockroaches arrived from another suite.
For the last months, she and her 24-year-old daughter Elizabeth McCallum have been battling the infestation.
They estimate they have trapped more than a dozen mice over a two month period.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the stuff of nightmares and horror movies,B次元官网网址� McCallum commented.
Arbour estimates they have spent hundreds of dollars on cleaning supplies.
At least two other suites in the subsidized housing complex have reported similar infestations.
On the advice of a pest control company, Arbour is keeping all her food in glass jars.
Food for her elderly 14-year-old dog Shi Tzu Zoey is now kept in the fridge, and Arbour washes out the dish immediately after feedings.
Doors have been taken off closets, and mice have chewed holes in the living room sofa-bed, she said.
B次元官网网址淚 saved up four years to buy that couch,B次元官网网址� Arbour related. B次元官网网址淣ow, I canB次元官网网址檛 use it.B次元官网网址�
After a nest was discovered in a freezer, in the back where the compressor motor is, it was unplugged and now sits in her front yard.
Arbour said the infestation appeared to coincide with the recent demolition of some older townhouses on the same street.
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Jeanette Dagenais, LLHS executive director, said the society has received B次元官网网址渃onfirmed reports from sources that state that the increase in mice is most likely due to the demolitions.B次元官网网址�
Dagenais said the society has a pest control contract B次元官网网址渨ith a reputable company that we have been working with for years of whom we have every confidence on their ability to deal with rodents and pests such as cockroaches.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚n addition, our employees in the maintenance department have been working diligently to plug all holes and crevices with steel wool as was recommended by the pest control company,B次元官网网址� Dagenais said.
LLHS took over management of the 36-unit building in 2008 after it was approached by another society.
Carl Johannsen, Langley City director of development services, said the City has begun requiring what are known as B次元官网网址渞odent lettersB次元官网网址� from developers before any demolition proceeds B次元官网网址� a document that shows the premises have been inspected by a recognized pest control agency to ensure the the demolitions donB次元官网网址檛 displace rats and mice to nearby buildings.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 want to have problems with rodents,B次元官网网址� Johannsen commented.
At the time of the Eastleigh demolitions, letters were not an automatic requirement, but Johannsen said the developer has told the City that there did not appear to be a problem prior to the teardown.
Langley Township also requires rodent letters.
For Arbour, the stress of battling mice and bugs is taking an emotional toll.
B次元官网网址淚 feel like a complete failure and IB次元官网网址檓 getting severely depressed, and we are both struggling with severe emotional distress and anxiety,B次元官网网址� she expressed.
Arbour, who is on disability, said she and her daughter are trying to find another place, but there doesnB次元官网网址檛 appear to be anything in their price range.
This is a building with seniors, disabled and low income families mostly single moms and we can not afford to move,B次元官网网址� she said.
She has even, out of desperation, looked into staying at homeless shelters.
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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