Summer will soon come to an end in Australia and once the temperature starts to cool, creatures begin looking for a warm place to reside during winter. Rats and mice do a lot of unseen damage in wall cavities during the winter months, so if you suspect that vermin have already infiltrated your home, then you want to get rid of them before they attract more of their kind. Rat control is best left to the professionals so that all creatures are removed, but there are things you can do to assist your pest controller. Here are some dos and don'ts of rat control.
Do Remove Food Scraps
Rats have likely moved into your home because they want warmth. However, once settled in, they need food and water to survive. Therefore, the first mission is to make sure you are not inadvertently feeding these pets. Unfortunately, it is not only accessible rubbish bins that provide nourishment to rats. Open cereal packets in the pantry or spilled chip crumbs in bedrooms are also an enticing food source. Therefore, do a full sweep of your house to remove all food scraps and secure open food packets wherever they are stored. Ask your pest controller for further tips about where rats source their food.
Don't Ignore Tree Trimming
Tree trimming is not a task often done at the end of summer, but it does have a link to rats. During the summer when your tree growth has been at its highest, the branches of your trees have spread out. Those branches may now touch the roof and sides of your building, providing an easy access point to your home. Rodents can climb the tree, use the branches to get over to your dwelling and then look for an access point to get inside. Trimming tree branches removes a way for rats to get inside your home.
Do Look For All Entry Points
A key component of rat control is making sure they do not come back after they are removed. Therefore, you need to carefully examine your home to find all entry points a rat can enter. This means looking for holes in the exterior walls, gaps under the garage door and loose roof tiles as these are all key areas to a rat gaining entry. Pest controllers can help identify other entry points if you need assistance.
At the end of the day, for rat control to be its most effective, rats need to be removed and not allowed to return. Talk to your local pest control company about the best way to achieve this. They can provide additional information regarding rat control.