Rats are everywhere – they are born survivors and often use drainage systems to navigate. Rats are also intelligent, adaptable and live in family groups. They will eat almost anything, and can survive some of the less robust rat poisons and rodenticides available off the shelf. If they survive eating these rat baits then they will likely become immune, making it harder to deal with a rat infestation if you find you have one in your home, garden or workplace.
If you have rats in your house, they usually get into your house at ground level, often coming onto your property using damaged drains outside and then finding ways to get into the wall cavity. Air vents and holes in the brickwork around plumbing and pipework are common rat entry points. Garden decking is also often used by rats for shelter, so it’s very common to get rats living under decking.
It’s important to get rid of rats that are living in your garden or house, they carry disease and will chew anything so wiring can get damaged which is expensive to repair and increases risk of fire. The longer a rat infestation is established, the more they will travel around your home. We get phone calls from people who have suddenly seen a rat in their kitchen or running under their sofa. The rats have normally been living in the house for some time, however no one has noticed until the rats well established and moving around confidently.
Before blocking rat holes, or doing any rat proofing and prevention, the rats need removing otherwise they can get blocked inside so will do damage trying to get out and can become more of a problem in the living areas as their regular travel routes and rodent pathways are blocked off. It is normally quicker, easier and much more effective to use professional pest control services, with a good rat pest control program.
Some pest control companies offer a three visit rat control program to start with. We usually start with a two visit rat control program, as this can be enough to finish any rat problem. If rat additional rat pest control visits are required after two visits these can then be booked on a per visit basis, so you only pay for what you need.
Once the rat infestation has ended, its then advisable to undertake rat prevention and rat proofing measures. If rats have been using the drains to get into the house, then a drain survey may be needed. Repair work or rat drain gates can be fitted which will stop rats getting into your house via the drains. Air vents should be covered with rodent proof mesh, and holes sealed professionally – expanding foam will not stop rats in the long term.
Our pest control technicians are trained in assessing how rats are getting into a property, and they will undertake a full inspection on visit one, when they can recommend any rat prevention steps that may be required for a more long-term rat proof solution once the rat infestation has ended. We can also quote to do the work for you, or if you prefer to undertake the work yourself we are very happy to discuss our recommendations with you and advise only.
