Rat Control

Whether you’re in a spacious rural area or a densely populated city, it’s likely rats are a valid concern. Most home and/or business owners have had a run in with these pesky pests. With thousands of recorded rat bites in the U.S. per year, keeping the proper distance between yourself, your loved ones, your property, and a disease-ridden colony of rats becomes of the utmost priority.

In the U.S. there are two common types of rats – the Roof Rat and the Norway Rat. The Roof Rat, also known as the Black Rat, is the smaller and sleeker of the two species with tails that stretch longer than their heads and bodies combined. This long tail provides the Roof Rat with the balance needed to traverse fences, tall tree branches, cable lines, overgrown shrubbery, and like their name suggests, roofs. Once inside your home or building, they prefer high up places like ceilings, attics, walls, and cabinets.

The Norway Rat, better known as the Brown Sewer Rat, is bulkier than its Roof Rat cousin and has coarse brown fur with a lighter underbelly. These rats thrive in large human populations such as densely populated urban areas. They can be found lower to the ground in such places as crawl spaces, sewers, basements, along building foundations, under woodpiles and most other dark, moisture-rich places.

Where rats are disease and filth are not far behind. Rats leave an abundant supply of droppings (fecal matter) and urine, and we can become exposed to contaminated dust particles of infected rats which is a risk to our health. If your crawl space or attic becomes contaminated it can create an unhealthy environment in the rest of the home or building. Rats are a sponge for pathogens, diseases, and bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Salmonellosis, Plague, Rat Bite Fever, Weils Disease, Hantavirus, and Leptospirosis. All of which can cause serious health problems, and in some cases, death.

In addition to the health risks, rats gnaw to keep their teeth sharp so structural damage is an immediate threat. Rats gnaw on wood and electrical wires increasing the risk of fire in your home and/or building.

Here are some of the most common signs that rats have made their way inside:

• Scratching, clawing or scurrying sounds in your attic, walls, ceilings, and/or floorboards.

• Droppings – generally ranging in size of half an inch to an inch.

• Foot marks, tail marks, or grease stains along base moldings or dusty areas.

• Claw, tear or visible bite marks in wiring or wood.

• Burrows around or under gardens, sheds, and compost piles.

• Nests made from shredded materials in dark areas.

If you think you have a rat infestation, please do not hesitate to call the professional rat control technicians at Upper Left Pest.