RATS

Habitat/Harbourages:

The rodents that are of the most concern in the urban pest control context, not just in Australia but in many parts of the world are.

•Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)

•Roof rat (Rattus rattus)

The Norway rat is very widespread and is possibly the most economically detrimental pest rodent in Australia.  They can infest warehouses, factories, flour mills, garbage dumps, shops supermarkets, domestic dwellings, grain storage facilities, sewers and other locations that may offer shelter and food. Rats are omnivorous in their feeding habits and will eat all human or animal foods and feed stocks (E.g. Meat, Cereals and fish).  Rats often carry food away to their nesting sites.

They need regular access to water. Rats are regarded as very adaptable, omnivorous scavengers.  They are very agile animals and mostly nocturnal, but they may range and feed during the day, particularly if the population is very large or food is short.

The constant gnawing of rodents can be the cause of serious damage to a range of materials like doors, skirtings and other parts of buildings, upholstery or machinery, electrical wires.  Rats are very much creatures of habit, they use the same routes of travel to and from food sources. They are referred to as being “neophobic,” suggesting they have a fear of new objects. They have poor sight , but good hearing and sense of smell and taste. They are also very good climbers.

Get a good understanding of the habits of these rodents, so an effective solution can be found to help rid them from your home. This may mean setting traps that need to be collected at a later stage or stick pads. These are used near the entrance way to a possible nest that is hard to get too such as behind walls or under a house. The rat/mice will run onto these stick pads and be stuck until removed. So if you have any rodent problems in your residential or commercial premises just give Best 1 pest control a call to help you.

Rats can be found in various places around the home. Most people hear them in the roof or walls during the night. Scratching sounds from the roof void are a sure sign of a rodent problem. Rodents can do lots of damage to the wiring of homes and commercial premises. Having a professional deal with time in a timely manner will prevent serious damage from occurring.

What can you do to help prevents rats or mice?

In and around the home, there are all sorts of places rodents like to call home. The best thing to do to help prevent them from making your place home is to remove rubbish from around the yard and disused items, like old roof sheeting or pieces of wood. Make sure your wheelie bin is cleaned on a regular basis.

If you own chickens, their pen can become a breeding ground for rats. During the night, the rats will come out and feed off any food scraps that the chickens haven’t eaten. It’s a good idea to put the food out for the chickens in the morning only. This will give them enough time during the day to eat it all and leave none for the rats.