Rats are the most destructive pests worldwide. Over 49% of businesses report huge losses incurred as a result of rat infestation. Most people mistake rats for mice but they are different. Rats are much larger than mice and some of them can be twice the size of mice. The most common rats have brown fur and hairy long tails while the sewer rat is darker.
Rats can pose a health risk to humans as well as affect the economy so it is better to make sure you secure your place, be it your home or business to be rat proof.
It is very difficult to keep rats away or block them from entering your premises but with due diligence, you can achieve it.
This article is mainly focused on how to control rat invasions, their habits, how to detect them, the damages they cause and how to get rid of them.
How to control rats?
Rats are attracted by a number of reasons into your place but the food is the major one. Roof rats often make their nests in your ceiling or make burrows along building foundations so look out for these places to see if there are any rats present.
Early detection can save you a lot of harm so you need to frequently check these places to prevent them from coming or multiplying if they are there.
Garbage dumps also invite Norway rats as they like to live in such places so make sure to burn or bury your rubbish and never leave rubbish heaps in your yard.
Store food in metal or glass containers so that rats won’t be able to get to the food or gnaw at the storage containers.
Rats also like to live under woodpiles or any other abandoned debris so clear woodpiles at your home and take care of all rubbles and throw them away if you no longer need them.
Never leave food crumbs on the floor and empty your trash cans as this will also attract rats in your kitchen.
If you are running a business make sure to keep your storage room neat and look out for shady areas where rats might harbour. Pack your merchandise in such a way that rats don’t have anywhere to hide and if possible seal the place carefully to avoid entry.
Repair cracks at your premises and secures your chimneys, attic windows or any other opening that rats might use to enter your premises.
If you have Blair toilets at your premises make sure they are always covered as sewer rats might come staring from these toilets into your food.
Use rat repellents if you can find them and always keep your place tidy.
Rats also like to make nests in shrubs and dense vegetation so cut long grass surrounding your place and trim all shrubs or get rid of them if possible.
Habits of Rats
Rats have an ever-growing pair of incisor teeth in both their upper and lower jaws. Due to this fact, they need to continuously gnaw at things in order to prevent the teeth from growing too long.
Rats are well known to be very smart rodents and can outsmart humans. This is because they possess brain cells which are called “place cells” which gives them an uncanny ability to remember places.
This means they can remember every spot in your home or storage room, where to find what and how to get out. This helps them in fleeing in times of danger.
Rats are very agile beings and their rib cages contract in such a way that they can fit in very tight places. Due to their agility, they can run on thin cables and rooftops. They can even slip through your legs if you try to catch them.
Rats are said to have communication skills in which they are able to warn others in cases of danger. If you catch one rat it can alert others to run away and they scurry away so it is very difficult to kill them all unless you find their nest.
Roof rats cannot swim but Norway rats can and that is why they are able to live in sewage. Roof rats usually drown to death when they fall into water-filled containers because of their inability to swim.
How to detect rat infestation?
Rats are very big so you can easily see them. Catching them though is a near-impossible task.
You can detect rat presence if you find burrows or nests in your home or surroundings.
Rats produce a very annoying squeaky sound so sometimes you can hear these sounds.
Whether they will be fighting or playing no one knows but one thing for sure is that the sounds are really irritating especially at night.
You can also know the presence of rats in your house if you find gnaw marks on plastic utensils, cables or any other thing rats can get their sharp teeth on.
Rat droppings are also one thing that gives them away. If you see any droppings in your area then know that you might be sharing your place with rats.
Damages caused by rats
Rats can cause massive damage to property or businesses.
If they get into storage rooms they can contaminate food resulting in loss on your business or having negative reviews if customers happen to consume contaminated food and fall sick.
Rats can bite people too, especially when they find you sleeping. They cause diseases like bubonic plague and rats can transport pests like lice into your homes too.
They cause power shortages and disrupt business activities by gnawing at electric cables breaking some of the wires.
This can also be fatal if the wires touch and there is an electric fire.
Rat droppings mixed with their urine can produce a foul smell in your house and can worsen the situation for sinusitis patients.
How to remove rats in your place
Rats are very difficult to eradicate due to their habit of warning each other when danger arises. If you catch one, the others will escape so it will be difficult to fully remove them.
You can use rat poison but that is also dangerous especially if you have children around. And if a rat dies in your house and you won’t be able to locate it, you will have one hell of a pungent smell in your home.
You can also use traps to trap the rats but that’s not very effective as rats are too clever. They can spite you by eating the bait but wouldn’t even get caught.
The most effective way to deal with rats is to involve pest control services. They can inspect your place and assess how serious the problem is and apply the best way to completely deal with the problem.
