As pest control for rats, it is important to know that an infestation means you have an incredible amount of them breeding in your home. These little critters can cause a lot of damage to your property, leaving their dirty little droppings everywhere. In addition, if you are sensitive to rats, the noise of them running around at night can be very unsettling. If you have a rat infestation, you need to take action as soon as possible. The longer your pest problem lingers, the worse it will get. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the rats will just move on when they have found enough food. The following article will tell you what you need to do to get rid of those rats once and for all. When it comes to getting rid of rats in your home, it’s important to use a rat control methods that is effective. Many people make the mistake of doing nothing which can lead to these pests becoming a bigger problem. To stop rats from gathering around your home, you need to get rid of their food source and seal up your home. This guide will help you with both of these tasks so you can prevent future invasions.<…>

Best Pest Control For Rats

What Kind Of Damage Can Rats Cause In The Home?

For such a small animal, rats can cause significant damage to a home. In addition to spreading diseases and threatening the health of everyone who lives in the house, rats can…

• Cause structural damage to wood, drywall, insulation, and other building materials
• Chew through electrical wires and increase fire and electrocution risk – experts estimate that damage from rats and mice causes about 20-25% of undetermined house and structure fires each year in the U.S.
• Ruin furniture by burrowing into cushions and ripping out batting
• Destroy books, papers, and clothes
• Create noise that makes it difficult to sleep or relax in your home
• Nest in walls, below the sink, or even in appliances – like the back of the refrigerator or underside of the washer

While no rat damage is good, large rat populations can quickly cause expensive and irreversible damage in the home.

How To Get Rid Of Rats In The House Fast

Nobody wants to live with rats. Fortunately, these tips can help you figure out how to get rid of rats in your home:

1. Inspect The Home

Before you can get rid of rats, you need to conduct a full home inspection to find out where they’re coming from.

Inspect the outside of the house – pay special attention to damaged drains, cracks in your garage door, gaps around vents, and spaces in the foundation – for obvious access points.

Inside the house, look at the vents, drains, appliance lines, and other potential access points. Once you know where the rats are accessing the house, you can seal the entry points and set traps.

2. Seal The Gaps

Rats don’t need a large entry point to get into your house. In fact, they can squeeze through any hole that you can stick two fingers through. With this in mind, seal any gaps in your interior or exterior walls.

For lasting results, fill these gaps with wire wool, metal kick plates, cement, or caulk. Check them a few times a month to make sure they’re well-maintained.

Tip: If you can’t identify entry points, contact Smith’s Pest Management for an expert analysis of your property. We service homes and businesses in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast. 

3. Clean Up

Rats love shelter and places to hide. One of the best ways to get rid of rats without poison is to eliminate their hiding places. Clean up the clutter in and around your home and move objects away from the walls.

Keep all trash and food in closed bins, clean up any spills rapidly, and keep your pipes and drains clean.

4. Consider Trapping

As rodenticides and harsh poisons have fallen out of favor or been outlawed (as they were this year in California), trapping has become the most effective way to eliminate rats; it is what kills rats fast and effectively. Trapping is a poison-free method of reducing rat populations.

If you’re going to place your own traps, be sure you use plenty of them and that you position the traps in high-activity areas. Use peanut butter, unsalted seeds, bananas, or apples as bait.

Tip: If you prefer not to set the traps on your own, contact a professional pest management team to do it for you. 

5. Use Natural Deterrent Methods

When it comes to getting rid of rats, a few simple, natural ingredients can go a long way.

Try these natural options:

• Spread peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, black pepper, or cloves around the home’s exterior to prevent the rats from entering the house in the first place. Apply your substance of choice generously along the line between your foundation and the ground.
• Sprinkle crushed pepper (or spray pepper spray) near rat openings and holes. This will irritate the rats’ noses and airways and discourage them from reentering your home.

6. Call A Professional Pest Management Company

If you have rats in the walls, contact a professional pest management company in your area to help you eliminate them.

They will help identify the entry points for rats, locate their nesting and food cache areas, and get them out of your walls without causing more damage to your home.

Professionals can also help you identify the root cause of the infestation and keep rats from coming back in the future.

How To Get Rid Of Rats Outside Your Home

Even if you get rid of rats within your home, it won’t last long if there are still rats outside your home. This is especially true as the winter months draw near, and rats start to enter homes to seek shelter and food.

With that in mind, here are our top tips to get rid of rats around your living space:

1. Keep Your Garden Clean

Rats dislike open spaces, so keep your lawn and garden trimmed, clean, and clutter-free; this is the best way to discourage them from setting up shop. Trim your grass often, remove piles of wood or leaves, close and lock all storage sheds and patch any holes in the siding and seal exterior garbage bins. Finally, make sure rats don’t have access to food outside your home. Clean up fallen fruits, vegetables in the garden, or pet and bird food.

These simple tips will go a long way toward reducing rat populations.

2. Call In The Birds

Rats have plenty of natural predators and inviting those predators to your yard is a great way to get rid of rats. Owls, for example, can eat dozens of rats or mice in a single night. To attract owls and other birds of prey, focus on creating suitable habitat. Add a water source (like a birdbath) to your garden and consider building a nest box.

Tip: Avoid putting out bird feed to attract birds. In addition to the fact that the rats are food enough, placing bird seed, suet, or other materials outside creates another food source that may draw more rats to your property. 

3. Use Dry Ice

One effective way to get rid of rats without poison is to use dry ice. Dry ice produces carbon dioxide, which anesthetizes and kills rats. For best results, place the dry ice at the entrance to burrows. Be sure to use gloves and other protective gear since dry ice can damage the skin.

4. Set Traps

Traps are one of the most effective ways to get rid of rats fast. For best results, consider using snap traps, which are a fast method to kill rats instantly.

To prevent other animals from getting into the traps, place them inside a box or under a milk crate. Bait the traps with peanut butter, which is cheap and attractive to rats.

If you notice rats eating something specific in your home, you might consider baiting the trap with that instead. For example, rats eating apples off the counter may respond well to a trap set with sliced apples.

5. Use Baits & Poisons Outside

Baits and poisons should only be used outside the home, as they are powerful chemicals that can be dangerous. If you place poison inside the house, rats can spread it around, making your home hazardous for all human and animal inhabitants.

If you plan to use baits or positions, be sure to carefully read and follow all label directions. Always keep rat bait in a fully enclosed bait station, where kids, pets, and other animals can’t reach it.

Because there are so many caveats to using baits and positions, be sure to read and understand state and local laws. Rodenticides were just outlawed in California, for example.

Tip: If you prefer not to use these chemicals, work with a company like Smith’s Pest Management, which never uses poisons. 

6. Contact A Professional Pest Management Company

Pest control services are effective inside the home, but they can also help you manage rat populations outside the home. Smith’s Pest Management uses various eco-friendly methods to control outdoor rat populations, including trapping and deterrents.

Contact our team today to learn more about how we can help you keep rats out of your home.