Typical wild animals in spring
Rat infestations happen more often than you might imagine. Rats may really be found almost anywhere, including the countryside and suburbs, despite the fact that many of us associate rat issues with large cities like New York. In addition to being an unwanted Diamond pest services guest, rats may harm your house and transmit parasites and infections, including fleas, rat bite fever, and salmonellosis. Additionally, if you are not well informed about typical warning signs and preventative strategies, the infestation may seem to arise out of thin air and quickly worsen.
Fearful yet? Never be. Any form of infestation may be handled by Black Diamond’s skilled pest control staff. To learn all you need to know about controlling rats, keep reading.
Are all rat species the same?
The Norway rat or roof rat makes up the majority of the rats that live in the wild in the United States. It’s interesting to note that these two species are known to battle each other to the death. Norway rats commonly burrow and are typically bigger than roof rats. If they are present in structures, they are often found on the first floor and basement areas. Roof rats are more often seen nesting in higher places, such as attics and areas along the roofs of houses, dense pest control in London undergrowth, trees, and bushes. Norway rats have more of a brown or gray tint, whereas roof rats have black hair and lighter bellies. Both kinds of rats may be quite destructive and are often spotted in people’s houses.
standard rat behaviour
Being nocturnal, all rats prefer to sleep during the day and emerge at night. Despite having poor eyesight, they have keen hearing and a strong sense of smell. Rats do create noise, but they usually do so at a pitch that is inaudible to humans. If you hear a rat, it will probably be chewing, gnawing, or rummaging for food and creating a nest. Rats are believed to be far more aggressive than mice, despite the fact that they usually have a dread of humans. They often move quite quickly and are great at swimming, climbing walls, and leaping.
Why are there rats?
Rats and other rodents often reside outside in wood piles, shrubs, garbage cans, and long grass during the warmer months. When it becomes chilly outside, they seek refuge in warm, dry places like your home. In actuality, your basement’s dusty cardboard boxes and the insulation between your walls are a rat’s dream.
The availability of food is what drives a rat problem to a full-blown infestation. Finding crumbs, spilt oil, or a piece of loose cereal may be more than enough to raise a rat family from scratch. A female rat may have up to 7 litters every year, averaging 6 to 20 offspring per litter. Rats also achieve adulthood in a month, enabling them to establish their own families. In other words, rat populations may expand swiftly.
Infestation Symptoms
The existence of a nest is one of the key signs of a rat infestation. Rats will gnaw through almost anything to create a nest, including soft concrete, electrical cables, newspapers, clothes, and even drywall! Take action if you see bite marks, holes, or other undetectable damage to things in your house that could indicate the presence of rats.
Urine, greasy, black streaks on surfaces, and droppings are other indications of rat infestation. Look for droppings beneath appliances, in cabinets, and on food packages. Rat excrement is approximately 0.75 inches long, which is three times the size of mouse excrement. Although it may be more challenging to observe urine, it usually has an unpleasant or off-putting odour.
Keeping Infestations at Bay
Preparing your house and garden will help you most to lower the likelihood of a rat infestation.
Cleaning up possible food and water sources outside, such as bird seed, overgrown berry and fruit trees, compost bins, birdbaths, and standing water, is a good idea. Remove any possible nesting areas, such as mulch, hay, and leaf piles. The better, the more upkeep your yard receives. Along with closing gaps and holes, there are other rodent-proofing construction methods you may use, such as sealing around windows, doors, fireplaces, basements, crawlspaces, etc.
You may take action inside by using steel wool to seal up any poorly ventilated gaps between walls and floors. Additionally, keeping your kitchen clean is essential. Put pet food away, clean up spills, shut your trash bin correctly, and store food in sturdy plastic or metal containers.
Managing Infestations
I hate rats! You’re being infested! Fortunately, the pest control experts at Black Diamond can handle any size rat infestation with safety and efficiency. We take great satisfaction in providing quick, individualised, and efficient service as one of the biggest pest control businesses in the Kentuckiana area. Give us a call at 877-DEAD-BUG right now to receive assistance!
Our goal at Black Diamond is straightforward: to provide the finest pest control services in the business while maintaining the greatest level of client satisfaction. With more than 135 service trucks and close to 200 staff, this goal has helped our flagship location—the Black Diamond headquarters in Jeffersonville, Indiana—grow into one of the biggest pest control businesses in the nation. Black Diamond, an organisation that is always expanding, presently has offices in Northern Kentucky, Elizabethtown (KY), Evansville (IN), Columbus (IN), and Murfreesboro (TN), as well as franchises all across the mid-west and southern United States.