Rat Control 101: A Complete Guide For Hickory Property Owners
October 1, 2023
Welcome to Rat Control 101. With this guide, you’ll be able to make the right choices to get rats away from your house for good. Rats are common in Hickory; that’s just a fact. As you’ll see in just a bit, rats are definitely not harmless pests. They’re capable of damaging your property and spreading germs. Keeping them away makes your home not only safer but healthier, too. We’ll begin by laying out some of the most common signs of rat activity, and then we’ll talk about rat-based health risks, effective rat prevention tips, and the role of professional pest control in Hickory.
Signs Of Rats In The House: Identifying Rat Activity
Rat droppings are one of the most common signs that rats are present, but they’re far from the only sign. You should also stay alert to potential nests, which rats typically build out of paper, fabric materials, or dried plants.
Of course, one of the main reasons that rats invade human homes is to gain access to food. Check the areas where you keep your food, especially dry-stored foods with long shelf lives. Look for signs of damage to the packaging.
Also, similar to mice, rats like to create their own entry points to different parts of your home, so check baseboards, floorboards, and walls for newly formed holes. If possible, close up these openings or have them professionally repaired.
Lastly, it’s possible to identify a rat infestation by listening. During quiet times of the day, listen carefully. Rats are sneaky, but they do make noise, so you might be able to hear them running around behind the walls or in other areas where they like to hide.
Rat-Borne Diseases: Common Illnesses Transmitted By Rats
There are quite a few diseases rats carry that cause significant concerns for humans. This is just one of the reasons why rat control in Hickory should be prioritized, and it’s also one of the most important reasons.
For example, rats are known to spread germs that can lead to leptospirosis, rat-bite fever, tularemia, salmonellosis, jaundice, cowpox virus, and trichinosis. If you know that there are rats in your home, or if you’ve had direct contact with rats recently, you should pay special attention to your health in the coming days and weeks. If you experience any unexpected symptoms at all, contact your doctor or another qualified healthcare professional as soon as possible.
Ultimately, all of these health risks we’ve mentioned can be avoided by removing rats from the home and preventing their return.
Top Rat Prevention Tips: How to Keep Your Home Rodent-Free
On the topic of how to prevent rats, there are several key tips that you should try to turn into habits for your home, including:
- Make sure that food is put away in airtight containers. You should also make sure that your garbage cans stay closed, especially overnight.
- Remove any sources of standing water. These can be caused by rainwater collecting in containers or clogged gutters.
- Keep the area surrounding your home clean and tidy. Rats can find shelter in areas of clutter.
- Close up any openings in the exterior walls of your home to keep rats out.
- Try to keep shrubs trimmed so they don’t make contact with the walls of your home.
- If you grow fruits or vegetables in your yard, pick or remove them as soon as possible.
- Plant some mint herbs in your garden or near your home. Rats are deterred by the smell.
Maintaining your home this way reduces the odds of rats finding food or shelter on your property, which means they won’t be enticed to stay.
Call The Rat Control Experts: Ensuring Safe And Effective Elimination
If you see rats in the backyard or somewhere inside your house, then it’s time to call a local pest control company that offers rat control.
Experts can offer you useful advice for keeping rats away. Of course, we can also provide comprehensive rat control services that will resolve the issue quickly.
Reach out to Go-Forth Pest Control today for help with rats and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Hickory.
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