Having rats in your yard is a very common problem. In fact, it’s become more problematic for homeowners in recent years. The reason is that temperatures in the normally cold winter have risen. These warmer temperatures have reduced natural winter kill rates.
If you have rats in your yard think about this. Do you also see more squirrels, chipmunks and moles? These rodents are also prospering due to warmer weather conditions.
A two fold problem
The first reason rats are a problem is that something is keeping the rats in your yard. Typically, what we find around homes that have rats in their yard are overflowing bird feeders, fruit trees, gardens that haven’t been properly maintained, feed from outdoor animals and most importantly standing water. Rats need regular access to water and must drink daily. Without water they’re done..
The next problem with having rats in your yard is that they may get into your home. You have to remember rats can climb, swim, dig and jump. If there’s an area where rats can get in, they will.
The most common areas to gain access are worn garage doors, under enclosed porches, through the roof line where there may be ready access to a claimable material and gaps in the foundation.
Getting rid of rats
The problem with rats is that they likely won’t leave on their own. In order to rid your yard of rats you must reduce dense vegetation that allows the rats to hide unseen within it, remove ALL food sources by cleaning up spent bird seed, picking up fruit that may have fallen from fruit trees and removing food left over from the summer garden.
Professional pest control
A professional has many options for getting rid of rats. They’re as follows:
- Exterior stations with a poison bait inside
- Dust burrows with a properly labeled product
- Hide snap traps in protected plastic stations.
Having rats in your yard is never any fun, but with the right management techniques they can be gotten rid of before they make it to the house.
If you need help, please call Envirocare Pest Control, LLC at 1-888-879-6481.