When choosing a method of rat extermination, it is essential to have a clear idea of what you’re up against. To eliminate a rat infestation, you’ll need to do much more than simply laying traps around the house. Rats are cunning, breed prolifically, cause major infrastructure damage, and spread disease. With a basic understanding of rats themselves as well as of methods to get rid of the infestation, you’ll be able to solve your rat problem safely and efficiently.
Before considering rat extermination methods, one must know a bit about rats and how they operate. Firstly, a rat infestation must be taken care of as soon as you discover the first sign, because they breed extremely quickly. Rats are capable of reproducing at around 35 days old, and birth litters of at least 5. The maternity period is only a few weeks, so they can get pregnant about once a month. Once the rats begin reproducing, the population grows exponentially. Thus, the longer you wait to get rid of the rats, the more rats you’ll have to contend with—and the more rats you need to eradicate, the more difficult the task becomes.
Rats must be gotten rid of as quickly as possible not only because of the exponential rate at which they reproduce, but also because of the serious dangers they pose. Rats are host to microorganisms that cause deadly diseases to humans and livestock. Some of these diseases include the black plague, food poisoning, Weil’s disease, and toxoplasmosis. Thus, any food that the rats have gotten into must be disposed of immediately. On top of this, rats can cause serious damage to your home and property. Because their teeth continuously grow, rats must incessantly gnaw and chew things to keep wearing down their teeth. Rats often chew electrical wiring, which puts your home at an extreme risk of a house fire. They also cause property damage by gnawing at wood sheathing and are known to chew and rip up clothing and shoes to line their nests with.
What to Do at the First Signs of a Rat Infestation
Signs of a rat infestation include small footprints of either four or five toes, black droppings, food debris, gnaw marks on packaging and wooden furniture, and urine (which glows under a black light). Be sure to handle the evidence with caution and make sure to wash your hands extremely well afterward.
The first step toward successful rat extermination is to cut off their food supply. Rats are omnivorous and will get into anything that isn’t in a tightly sealed plastic or tin container (important: plastic or foil bags do not count as tightly concealed containers!). All food must be well-contained, even flour and cornmeal. Don’t forget to sweep underneath the refrigerator and in all the nooks and crannies in your kitchen to ensure that the rats won’t even have access to small bits of food that may have dropped onto the floor. Also, be sure to store any fruits and vegetables in the fridge. Next, remove all garbage from the house and make sure that your garbage cans are also sealed (including the ones located outdoors!). If your garbage cans have no lids, it is well worth it to purchase some that do for any trash cans that will have discarded food in them.
Next, clear away any clutter inside the house, as well as outside; rats commonly take shelter in such areas. If the infestation is outside of your home, it is key to maintain any shrubbery or trees; if these are overgrown, they provide a haven for the rats to live and multiply—if left unchecked, it is only a matter of time until the rats find a way into your home—they can squeeze into openings as small as half an inch! A clean environment is an essential element of rat extermination, since these rodents prefer to live in unsanitary conditions.
After you have secured the food and cleared the clutter away, check for any small openings rats could use as an entry point to the building. Keep in mind that rats can get through holes and cracks as small as a half an inch! Seal each hole you find with tamper-proof materials (such as metal or mortar) so that the rats cannot gnaw their way through. This ensures that rats living inside the walls of your home have no entry points into the house. Since rats tend to make their home in quiet, dark places, it is extremely important to not forget to go through any storage area, closet, attic, or the like. To seal off entry routes from the outside into the building, be sure to check the roof as well, as rats are known to be extremely good at climbing. Metallic mesh should be placed over drainage system openings, including the gutter, as these are also ways that rats can enter your home.
Rat Extermination Methods
Successful rat extermination also depends on method(s) of killing or causing the rats to vacate. For this, there are a handful of options. The methods involving discouraging the rodents from living in your home will be discussed first, and the options involving exterminating the rats will be outlined afterward.
Firstly, you may opt to try natural repellents. One of the most effective is peppermint oil; simply soak some cotton balls or rags in the peppermint oil and place in the areas of suspected rat activity (such as places you found footprints, urine, or feces). In addition to peppermint oil, you may want to sprinkle some cinnamon, pepper, and cayenne in such places, to further discourage the rodents. Since this may not get rid of the rats entirely, it is best to use this option as a supplement to other forms of rat extermination methods, especially if your residence is home to a large infestation of rats.
Some other methods found to be effective for some people are ultrasonic and strobe rat repellent. Ultrasonic rat repellent uses high frequency sound waves that rodents shy away from. Strobe rat repellent, on the other hand, is a strobe light that fatigues the rats’ eyes, making them want to make their home elsewhere. Both of these rat extermination options range from inexpensive to quite pricey (for a higher-quality, long-term method of rodent control).
If you’re looking to exterminate the rats, you can, of course lay snap or glue traps. However, if the infestation is large, this rat extermination method will not be enough in and of itself. Firstly, rats tend to be quite clever and can often detect any poisons that the traps may have, and secondly, a large amount of rats simply won’t be gotten rid of simply by setting traps. Despite this fact, baited traps are a good option in combination with other methods.
Many people also turn to chemical means of rat extermination, but use caution when using rodent poisons, as these are also deadly to humans. Also keep in mind that if you spray rodenticides within the house, you are not only putting yourself and all the other residents at risk if you don’t know what you’re doing, but poisoned rats may die within the walls of your house and cause extreme stench. When you opt for chemical rodent extermination, it is best and safest to leave it to a professional rat extermination service.