Rats are creatures of opportunity and the smallest of opportunities is all they need to invade your home, your business or your entire neighborhood. The following tips can help you prevent rat infestations, counter-attack new ones and stop them from getting out of hand. If you need a safe, environmentally clean way of getting rid of them, you should contact us right away…
Helpful Tips on How to Prevent Rat Infestations…
Be Aware of What They Need and How They Act
- Only need a hole the size of a quarter to enter a home
- Need only one ounce of food and one ounce of water a day to survive
- Use urine and pheromones to communicate
- Use pipes to move freely and can enter in pipe openings or electrical sockets
Active Rat Signs
- Feces/Urine (Rats may deposit 35-45 droppings over a 24 hour period)
- Rub/Smudge Marks (oil from skin)
- Runways
- Burrows in available earthen space
- Gnaw marks on wood or wires
- Holes in walls and sidewalks
- Live or dead rats are a “dead” giveaway that you may have a potential pest problem
- Numerous flies around windows may indicate something is dead
Where to Inspect
- Common areas
- Entry ways
- Basement
- Dumpster
- Trash chutes
- Yard/Green space/Planters
- Compactor room
- Anywhere there has been a complaint
Design a Pest Management Plan
- Don’t leave your doors open for extended periods of time
- Educate residents
- Clean garbage areas daily
- Plug up holes, seal up cracks and vents (Copper Gauze or X-cluder Mesh)
- Screen windows and seal doors
- Manage the garbage
- Work with pest professionals to apply pesticides
- Remove pests’ shelters (garbage clutter)
- Don’t feel the local wildlife (cat or pigeon feeders contribute to rat problems)
- Keep the garbage tightly covered
Things to Be Aware Of
Rodenticides won’t work unless other sources of food are removed.
It can also harm dogs, cats, and people.
It is possible to eradicate rats in a safe manner that is safe for people and non-target animals