By DoMyOwn staff
Learn how to get rid of rats yourself!
Rats are aggravating pests and can be difficult to get rid of. However, rat infestations can be eliminated by following three easy steps.
Step One: Sanitize
Rats need easily available food sources. Proper sanitation can make all the difference in eliminating them.
- Store food in sealed metal or plastic containers. This includes dry foods and pet foods.
- Remove clutter such as paper and cardboard, which rats can use to build nests.
- Properly trim shrubs and bushes to avoid places rats can easily hide. Be careful to clean up bush and grass clippings, as rats might use them to build nests.
- Store firewood away from your house.
- Discard any fruit or nuts which may have fallen from nearby trees.
Step Two: Eliminate the Existing Population
There are two popular methods to eliminating rats: Traps and baiting. There's variety of effective rat traps. These include: Snap traps, glue traps, and humane live catch traps. Traps should be placed in areas with noticeable rodent activity.
Baits come in many different forms. These include: Pellets, blox, cake, and liquid. Bait should be placed in tamper resistant bait stations away from areas where children and pets may go. Although baits can be placed inside, we don't recommend it. Rats can crawl into the walls or other hard to reach locations after taking the bait before finally dying.
Step Three: Rat Proof the Area
Rat proof the building or structure to insure a new rat infestation does not occur.
- Check the foundation and repair any large cracks or holes with copper mesh or sheet metal.
- Check all doors and windows and make sure they have a tight seal. Be sure to repair any observable damage.
- Check the roof. Be sure all features, such as shingles and roof ventilators, are secure and undamaged. Be sure to cap your chimney to avoid animal entry.
- Inspect utility entry points and fill large gaps or holes with copper mesh.
- Check pipes that run vertically up your house. If you feel a pipe may have been used to reach the roof you can paint a twelve inch band around the pipe, at least three feet from the ground, using clear, high gloss paint. You may also use a circular, metal rodent guard.
- Brick and stone houses are easy for rats to climb. As with the pipes you may want to paint a twelve inch band, three feet from the ground, using clear, high gloss paint.
Sanitize, Eliminate Existing Population, and Rat Proofing the Area. If you follow these steps, rat infestations can be easily avoided.
And it's that easy with the expert help from Do My Own Pest Control dot com!
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