Stop Being So Pesty!

Do you wish insects would just leave your home alone? You never want to see ants crawling across the floor again. Those cockroaches that keep appearing in the basement had better find a new place to live. Insects are gross and annoying, but thankfully, they are not that hard to get rid of if you rely on a professional pest control service. They can use the right combination of baits, traps, and sprays to get rid of the pesky insects. They'll leave your home alone just like you've always wanted. Read more in the articles to follow; we go into more detail.

Tips to Ensure Your Rat Extermination Efforts Are Effective

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Have you found rats in your home several times? If your answer to this question is "yes," then whatever you are doing in an attempt to get rid of the rats is not working. It's time to refocus and change your strategy. Here are some ways to make sure your rat extermination efforts are effective this time.

1. Don't forget to change outdoor conditions.

Oftentimes, rat infestations start outside. Then, once there's a big population of rats in your yard, one or two find their way into your house, and the rest follow. If you can keep the outdoor population of rats to a minimum, you're less likely to have rats invade your home. So make sure you keep the lids on your trash cans, trim back your plants to remove hiding spots, avoid putting out pet food, and pick garden vegetables promptly. All of these measures make your exterior less appealing to rats.

2. Make sure you use traps designed for rats—not mice.

Those little hinge traps work well for mice, but they are too small for most rats. You may catch a rat or two in them and falsely conclude that they're effective, but you're probably just catching the smallest, youngest rats while the older, bigger ones live on! So, invest in a few rat traps. Some versions look like mouse traps but are larger, and there are so-called "live" traps that are more like a cage that closes behind the rat.

Either is fine, but note that if you use live traps, you will have to go release the rats somewhere. This can be dangerous since rats do carry disease and tend to bite. Consider leaving the trapping to professionals if you want to go the live trap route.

3. Find out how they're getting in and put an end to it.

To keep the rats from coming back, you need to find out where they're coming in. This might take some investigating. Check the attic for cracks in the walls. Look for holes and gaps around doors and windows. Fill any of these gaps and holes, and also make sure there are covers on all of your vent pipes. Rats love entering homes through uncapped vent pipes!

4. Eliminate food and water sources.

In addition to cleaning up any crumbs or other food sources in the kitchen, make sure you eliminate water sources. Rats won't spend long in a place where they can't access water. Put a cover on your sump pump pit, have plumbing leaks fixed, and install a dehumidifier to keep your basement dry.

Exterminating rats is not always easy. Adhering to the above tips will help a lot, and you can always call an exterminator.

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9 December 2020