How Does Pest Control Get Rid Of Rats?

How Does Pest Control Get Rid Of Rats?

One of the scariest pest problems homeowners or business leaders can encounter is rats. Not only do rats carry diseases, but they’re also incredibly

As leading providers of rat control across Milton Keynes, BH Pest Control understands how to get rid of rats quickly and efficiently. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide.

Issues Caused By Rats

Rats are highly destructive pests that can cause health risks and even a potential fire hazard. Here are some of the main problems caused by rats.

• Health Risks: Rats spread diseases, including hantavirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV), tularemia, leptospirosis, Weil’s disease, and salmonella, which can be fatal in some cases. As such, rats are a particular risk for homes with children, older people or anyone with a compromised immune system.
• Food Contamination: As they roam around your property, rats can contaminate human and pet food, as well as food preparation areas. Their paws and fur carry bacteria and they may urinate or defecate in food containers, causing further health issues for you, your pets and loved ones.
• Property Damage: Like all rodents, rats have front teeth that never stop growing, and they grind them down by chewing on walls, door frames, beams and other materials in your home. To make potential entry points, rats may even chew through brick. If they access your roof space, they can contaminate loft insulation and other materials with their droppings and urine.
• Fire Hazards: If rats chew through live electrical wires, then they could cause a fire in your property.
• Distress: Having a rat infestation can be deeply distressing, and cause other issues such as sleep deprivation. As rats are nocturnal, they’re most active at night, and can make it hard for you to rest.
• Reputation Damage: Even homeowners can get a bad reputation for being unhygienic if they have a lasting rat problem. Businesses can be shut down in some cases if they don’t get rid of rats quickly.
• Further Infestation: Once rats make their way inside, they use pheromone trails to attract other rats searching for food sources and shelter. Their entry points may also be used by other wildlife, such as mice and squirrels. Rats may also carry parasites, including fleas and ticks, which can spread to pets and livestock.

Rat Issues For Businesses

While rats can be a serious issue in homes, they are even more dangerous to businesses. That’s because there are legal implications to allowing a rat infestation to remain without doing everything possible to eradicate it.

Commercial property managers have a legal obligation under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 to keep premises rodent-free. Rodents pose a threat to those in the household and neighbourhood through diseases that may spread.  

Publicised rat problems with any companies and businesses in the area do heaps of damage to their overall reputation. A brown rat spotted running through a restaurant can put a swift end to that establishment. Rodents are filthy and carry diseases, and no one will want to eat in restaurants or stay in hotels or shop in malls where there is the danger of rats or threat of contamination with their food sources or products. You could also be breaching the Food Safety Act 1990.

There are also heavy fines for businesses found to have a pest problem, so you could run into monetary issues should you fail to fix any rat infestation issues. Repeat offenders are in danger of facing legal action; they could be sued or have their licenses extracted from them. Environmental Health Officers, who are part of your Local Council, can issue notices to any business owners and new potential business owners who don’t have adequate pest management procedures.   

As such, you need to make sure your commercial property doesn’t face a rat infestation. The most effective solution is to use integrated pest management services, like the commercial pest control offering from BH Pest Control. Our team can provide regular inspections to ensure your premises is safe and reduce the risk by sealing entry points.

Signs Of A Rat Infestation

Most of the time it’s relatively easy to notice rats, as they are distinctive, relatively large rodents. However, rats are neophobic, meaning they’re afraid of new objects and usually hide in roof spaces or wall cavities. Also, rats are nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night when most people are sleeping. Some other common signs of rat activity include:

• Footprints: Rats often leave prints in dust or dirt. To accurately check if what you find are footprints, lay down a thin layer of flour or Talc where you have found the markings. Within the following days, the prints reappear, its time to contact an exterminator.
• Rat Droppings: Rat droppings are dark brown and spindle-shaped, like tiny grains of rice. They tend to be dotted around in specific areas. Rats can produce up to 40 droppings per night in these locations. 
• Gnaw Or Claw Marks: Rats, especially black rats, are agile climbers and scratch their claws against any surface, object or material to dig in and get where they need to be. They also have a great habit of gnawing their teeth into wires, cables and any other items you may find lingering about your house, so look out for marks throughout your property.
• Rat Holes: Rats burrow their way into large burrow systems and homes. Most likely to build themselves a space near large objects and structures. They do this to retrieve or store food, build a shelter overnight, or raise their young. 
• Rat Nests: If rats are living indoors, they will make nests to raise their young in and keep shelter during cold weather. Rats can make their nests in wall cavities, lofts, attics and under eaves. They will shred any materials to build their protection, including loft insulation, cardboard and any materials that will allow them to lay a softer grounded nest for their young. 
• Greasy Smears: Rats have oily fur, and may leave smear marks on walls, door frames, skirting boards and other areas around your home.
• Bad Smells: A large rat infestation can cause a musky odour that doesn’t go away after even after cleaning.

How Pest Control Experts Remove Rats

When you’re wondering how to get rid of rats, it’s easy to think that you can carry the work out yourself. However, rats are afraid of new objects, and will avoid unattended bait stations, which could harm wildlife or pets.

Also, it’s not enough just to kill rats. You also need to rat proof your property to prevent rats from gaining entry.

That’s why it’s important to get expert rat control. Pest control experts like BH Pest Control use a range of techniques to remove rats. Here’s our rat pest control process:

• Identification: The first step is fully identifying the infestation. If you notice any of the signs mentioned earlier, rat droppings, footprints, rat holes, nests, or rub marks in your home or property, call us in, and we’ll work out if you have rats, mice or squirrels. Our professional survey highlights the extent of the infestation you are experiencing and accurately points out any potential entry points.
• Treatment: Once they’ve identified the infestation and entry points, our rat exterminators will use professional grade rodenticides and traps to get rid of rats humanely without causing them unnecessary distress.
• Decontamination: When all the rats are removed, we will also remove rat nests, droppings and other debris.
• Proofing: To finish our treatment, we will seal entry points and any high risk areas, such as plastic vents or gaps around pipes, to ensure rats can’t return. We can also provide advice on how to store food and reduce your risk of another pest problem in the future.

How To Prevent Rats

Rats are destructive, determined pests, but there are simple ways to prevent and deter rats, reducing your chances of an infestation. Some simple rat prevention tips include:

• Keep Your Property Clean: Crumbs and dirty plates can be a potential food source for rats, so it’s important that you regularly clean your home.
• Store Food Correctly: Make sure you keep food, including pet food, in rodent proof containers. Also, secure bird feeders and make sure they have tight lids, as rats eat almost anything and will scavenge for bird seed. They may also eat fallen fruit from trees in your garden, so if you see signs of rodent activity, make sure you clear up any fruit or bird seed.
• Rearrange Your Garden Furniture: As mentioned, rats are neophobic, meaning they’re scared of new objects. While it’s not a guaranteed solution, rearranging your garden regularly can deter rats and reduce your chances of unwelcome visitors entering your property.
• Let Your Pets Spend Time In Your Garden: While you should never get a pet just for pest control, if you have a cat or dog, you should consider letting them out in your garden regularly. Cats and dogs are natural predators of rats, so their presence can repel rats.
• Be Vigilant: Look out for tell tale signs of rats, such as gnaw marks and rat droppings, and call in a professional rat control company like BH Pest Control if you think you have a rat infestation. Early eradication will reduce the damage caused by rats.

Book Professional Rat Control Today

Now you understand how to get rid of rats, you’ll see that the best method is to work with professional pest controllers. BH Pest Control has extensive experience carrying out rodent control, removing all species including rats.

Whether you’re dealing with brown rats or black rats, we have the skills and equipment needed to get rid of them fast. Our pest technicians our RSPH Level 2 certified, giving them access to rat traps and other products that can quickly get rid of rats.

Our humane approach is effective and doesn’t harm non-target species or pets. As such, we’re the ideal choice for homeowners and business leaders in and around Milton Keynes.

To book your professional rat treatment, contact us on 01908 412488 or by emailing info@bhpestcontrol.com and our qualified technicians will be happy to help.