Rodent Control

Well, there may not be a way to conjure up the Pied Piper, but you certainly can take some steps to rid your house of rodents. Though rats and mice may make cute pets, they can be terrible pests to have running around the home. Nothing can be more distressing than to see a well-fed rodents in your very own house and that too, right under your nose. Letting them rampant in your house raises serious hygiene and safety concerns. They can chew through electrical wires, food, clothes and even furniture and wreak all sorts of structural havoc. You are mistaken if you consider these rodents just as pests. They are pests no doubt, but they are pests no less than a menace. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, a minimum of thirty diseases can be caused by rodents. This is because they carry harmful bacteria in their hair and spread them into your house along with polluting the place with their urine and poop which you can very likely breathe in and ingest. Rats are known to have caused various diseases by coexisting with their human hosts. Rats are nocturnal and extremely adaptable and prolific breeders. If poison-killing them makes you squirm, banish those rats with the help of tips given in the information below.

How To Control Rodents

Surely you know that sanitation is generally recommended to maintain all-round hygiene and cleanliness. Hence, sanitizing your building can help a lot in preventing an infestation by rodents. Don’t expect foolproof results just by doing this. Sanitizing may not completely rid your house of rodents but it can most definitely discourage them from hanging out there. 

You must fortify your home to ensure that rats do not have easy entry points. Close even the smallest of holes that you spot in the foundation of your house. You also must eliminate cavities around or under steps, vents, pipes, windows, sidewalks or porches. Check all your doors. If you find any threshold gaps in them, close them immediately. Do not use wood or plastic to fill the gaps as rats can easily chew them to gain entry in your house. If your sump pump wall is not properly covered, provide a heavy mesh screen or a tight fitting lid over the outlets.

It is not sufficient to keep the inside of your house clean. It is equally important to keep the outside clean as well – doing this will make your house appear a lot less appealing to those rodents. You can keep the exterior clean by getting outdoor garbage cans with tight lids which do not allow rats to enter them. It is a great idea if you have a compost pit. Only remember to have it placed as far away from your house as possible. If you have outside eating areas, make sure that you never leave them unclean. Minimize spillage around the barbecue as greasy residue on a patio or porch can draw rodents. Keep your yard clean and mow the lawn regularly.

You sure love to feed your pet. But you may not realize that your pet’s food is also being feeding the rats. There are scraps of food left behind once your pet is done with eating. Remove all the scattered remnants from the floor and plate as rodents love to eat pet food. Never leave pet food outside for the night. You must keep the animal food in tightly sealed containers. If you have a birdhouse, place it on poles so that rats can’t access the seeds in it.

Traps can be quick and affordable ways of taking on the rat problems. You can place a mechanical trap by keeping bait in it in areas such as kitchens and trash cans, where rats make merry when you are away. You can also place them in the unreachable corners of home, away from children and pets. Once you have caught them, be sure to release them far away from home if you do not want it killed.

If you seek a safe rodent repellent, you can make use of an ultrasonic device that will deter rodents from milling about your house. The sonic sounds hinder the rodents’ desire to enter the house by sending a repetitive high frequency sound that only rodents can hear. Ultrasonic devices can be effective in safely tackling rats by removing them from your home, garden or any other area.

Using poison around a home goes beyond harming your family and killing the rat. It has negative environmental implications too. You can use organic rodent repellants which are safe to use with kids and pets around. These repellant pellets process the urine from animals such as cats, fox and coyote and combine them into granular tablets that can be placed in specific areas.