We are receiving more and more calls for rat control these pest two weeks. The reason being, is these cold temperatures we have been having.
In the last 5 days we only made it to 60 degrees once! Which for us in So Cal thats COLD! I’m sure our transplant to So Cal are laughing at that temperature. But us native Southern Californians aren’t and you know who else isn’t?….The rats!!!
Just like us, they are looking for a warm home. This warm home they find is likely your attic or garage. Eliminate harborage points outside your property, which in turn will eliminate the the chance of you getting those rats in your home. So lets talk a little bit about where those harborage points may be.
Fire wood stacked outside: Keep your stacked firewood 2 feet from the ground, rats have a decent vertical jump. Keep the fire wood 2 feet away from the house. Rats have sharp claws to help climb the side of a stucco house with ease. Keep bush’s and other shrubbery as thin as possible and
at least 2 feet away from your home. Rats like thick foliage to hide in, they feel safe and protected. Even if bush’s are far away from the home, it is still a good idea to keep it thinned.
Keep trees well trimmed especially if the tree is next to the house. Keep trees trimmed 2 feet away from the house. Never allow tree limbs to touch the house or roof. Rats can find they’re own way into your home or attic. Leaving a tree limb resting on the roof is a simple run way for the rat. If you have palm trees, keep those well maintained. If there is a build up of dead palm prawns, this will create a great nesting spot.
Eliminate standing water in the yard as much as possible. Remember rats need drinking water. Things like kid pools, swimming pools, ponds and standing rain puddles among others will be a great drinking water source. Keep your swimming pool covered when it’s not in use.
Keep all other debris out of the yard. Also keep the garage as cleared and debris clear as possible. This will make your wife happy if she’s not looking at the mess, plus it will keep the rodents away. So, it’s a
win, win.
Now you may keep your yard well manicured and your garage may be incredibly clean and yet you still may have rodent activity. Simply put, there is no way to keep rats from being around your property. They are like any other pest, they are here and no matter what we do they will
always be here. But like ants and other insects, there are measures that we can take to be less inviting for them.