There are many people who think that only dirty and filthy buildings attract rats, but that’s simply not the case. There are several situations in which rats are found in clean and neat homes and gardens. The reason for this is simple – rats need shelter, warmth and food. If these criteria are met, they can live anywhere.
Rats and mice must be controlled because they are disease carriers and they can cause significant damage to any type of building. Proper cleanliness and housekeeping is the best way to save your property from rat infestation. Another good tip is to secure any place in your home or garden that can be used as a nesting location to stop them from coming. This could mean sealing off any gaps or holes that you have in your brickwork.
In addition, don’t forget that if you place food in your garden for squirrels and birds. that you may be attracting rats too so be mindful of this when you are creating food stations. All these tips are useful for homeowners with their own property, but what happens if you see rats in your neighbour’s garden?
If you only notice one rat in the garden of your neighbour then there’s no need to panic. Rats often pass through gardens when they are on the hunt for food. To reiterate, if you or your neighbour are leaving food for birds and squirrels it is very likely that some rats will come to see what’s going on as well!
However, if you see rats in your neighbour’s garden more than once and in numbers more than one you should definitely talk to them. They might have already taken certain measures which you are not aware about or they may not know that this problem actually exists. If they don’t know how and why they should deal with rats, then there are plenty of websites and articles that you can point them to so that they can understand what a potentially damaging problem this really is.
How to get rid of rats in the garden
Gardens are wonderful, they are a piece of nature that bring you and your loved one’s peace as you stand to look over it. When spring approaches, people many people start preparing their gardens so they can bloom with beautiful flowers or any plantation, unwanted leaves and deadwood are cleared out so that the garden is made ready. However, at Pest Busters we recommend it’s important to check for unwanted pests as well, especially rats. These creatures are experts in hiding, you may not see them as you clear out your garden, therefore it is important to know how you can recognize and get rid of them before they ruin your precious garden.
Rats love settling in gardens, no matter how small or big your garden is, rats can inhibit it and start breeding, and this is something you do not want because once these creatures multiply, they become destructive and can even enter your home and damage your properties. Your bin will make sure these creatures don’t go hungry and become a banquet for these uninvited annoying guests while trees and other wooden structures will provide them with a good playground. So, how to get rid of rats in the garden?
There are several types of rodents that could inhibit your garden, they include brown rat, house mouse, wood mouse, field vole, and bank vole. All these creatures are destructive and having them in your garden is bad. Therefore, it is important for you to find means to get rid of them before they breed and attack your home as well.
How do you know if you have rats in the garden?
Since rats are good at hiding, it may be difficult to know if you have them in your garden or not. However, once you know what you are looking for, it’s quite easy to see the signs of these annoying creatures. Yes, rats are nocturnal, but it’s very possible to see some signs of their activities during the daytime, especially when they can’t get access to food. Therefore, you need to keep a close eye on waste areas around your compound, check your bins, compost piles, pipes, and firewood stacks and you will definitely see signs that these annoying creatures were moving around. You might notice small bites on wood or paper or your discarded food may not be found where you left it. Take a close look at these little signs and they will let you know if you’re dealing with rats.
These creatures stick to the same habit always, so they use the same way each time when looking for food, so once you know where they like to get their food, so look out for rat droppings, if you notice that they are still moist, it’s a sign that they have passed by recently. And since they like nesting near their source of food, it’s possible that you find them near your rubbish beans where you throw away food.
Burrows & Holes
Rodents will hide in burrows and holes because they are located in isolated places and are usually near food. So once you suspect that there are rodents in your compound, these are the first places you should check out.
Runs and tracks
Once you notice track marks covering walls, banks and hedges and through vegetation, it’s a clear sign that you have a rodent infestation. Rodents are creatures of habit, they always use the same path when going to look for food and when going back to their shelter. If you also notice smear marks along with stone, wood or metal, such as on steps, fencing and gate posts, it’s are another sign that these uninvited guests have a home around your compound.
Rat Droppings
If you notice rat droppings that are 10 to 20 mm long, cylindrical, flat on one end and often pointed at the other, it’s a clear sign that rodents are living around your compound. These creatures can leave up to 40 droppings a day so it’s easy to notice them.
Suspicious damage
These creatures always gnaw to have their incisors short. Therefore, you are likely to notice damaged areas and even holes in floorboards and walls. They will also chew soft metal
What damage do rats cause in your garden?
Having rats in your garden is bad for your plantation and for you and your loved ones as well. Once these creatures have invaded your garden, it’s quite obvious that they will invade your home as we. These annoying creatures are dangerous because they carry diseases such as salmonella, wail’s disease, trichinosis, rat-bite fever, and hantavirus.
Rats can damage your garden in many ways. For starters their burrows can cause holes in your garden resulting in uneven surfaces, this can make your garden look unprofessional and your flowers or crops will not grow well. And when these creatures gnaw to have their incisors short, it destroys the wooden structures you might have in your garden, if you have containers and other things you keep in your garden, it will attract the rats’ attention and be destroyed as well. If you suspect that you have rats in your compound, you should avoid leaving your valuable things everywhere or else the next time you look at them they will be chewed, and also make sure you avoid leaving pet food unattended in the garden.
Eat Garden Grown Vegetables
If you’re planning to plant crops such as carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes in your garden, they will all be eaten before they are fully grown. And if you also have a storage area where you keep fruits and vegetables, it will be a target of the rodents, they will not leave a stone unturned in search of food and that’s why they even manage to locate it. If maybe thinking that your fruits are safe in the storage not knowing that the annoying creatures have already started eating them and leaving their disgusting prints behind.
Eat feed put out for the birds
If you’re keeping birds as pets, be careful on how you feed them because you may be thinking you are feeding the birds only, not knowing you’re feeding rodents too and encouraging them to breed. So make sure you avoid placing the food on the ground, but the food on bird tables or in hanging feeders and clear the feeding areas daily at dusk so when rats pass to look for leftovers, they do not find anything. If you like feeding your birds on the ground, then you’re making a terrible mistake and should change that habit as soon as possible.
Can cause structural damage
Rats cause structural damage by burrowing and gnawing, undermining building foundations, paving in patios and paths, causing settling, and damage earth banks. All these areas will require repairing and make you spend a lot of money. So to avoid such things, you will have to find out if you already have rats’ infestation, if you do, then it’s important you look for professional help as soon as possible before any further damage is done and you’re forced to spend more money repairing your properties. Rodents are dangerous in many ways and should never be ignored once noticed.
Can damage electrical wires by gnawing on them
The teeth of rats, mice and all other types of rodents are always growing and therefore the need for continuous chewing is natural to these creatures. This can be a huge problem because without protective insulation, once chewed electric wiring can easily spark a home electrical fire. Electrical damage that’s caused by rodents chewing wires must be identified and corrected quickly before the damage is too big. But in most cases, the damage is noticed far too late when an accident has already occurred because. These incidents occur when rats nest around wiring and chew whenever they want to.
Call Professional Rodent Control
Rodents like rats are common household pest invaders in the UK but unfortunately, they are also one of the most dangerous and damaging. These pets carry various dangerous diseases and giving them the freedom to breed and multiply anywhere around your home is dangerous for you and your family because these creatures cause a lot of damage apart from spreading diseases. Therefore, once you suspect that you have a rodent infestation, it is important to call for professional rodent control, only professionals can help you get rid of these pests completely without them coming over again because they have better tools and more experience that they can use to quickly treat the entire rodent infestation.
Pestbusters is a company that offers effective and efficient rodent control service to industrial, residential, commercial and retail premises throughout Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton the Midlands, and the West Midlands area.
One of our effective methods in getting rid of rodents include:
- Applying traps safely and effectively to hit the rodents at their heaviest area of activity
- Monitoring the rodent activities both in your home and compound in order to know if they are truly all gone
- Cleaning up any hazardous leftovers
If you’ve noticed signs of rodents in your compound and are looking for a professional way to get rid of the annoying creatures, our team of qualified experts with years of experience in this field are ready to help you any time. Pestbusters has dealt with such cases for many years, we know how sensitive problems with rodents can be and that’s the reason why we are renowned for our efficient and fast vermin control services. Apart from rodent problems, we can also help you with insect control, bird control, and fly control throughout the areas across the West Midlands.
Report rodent problems to us for competitive prices, pest control advice, and future care measures regarding food and other rodent temptations. If you’re experiencing rodent problems or fear you might be, don’t wait till a lot of damage has been made, contact us today and we will be there to send the rodents packing.
We are pest control services specialists that follow regulations set by the British pest control association, so when dealing with us, you’re assured that you’re dealing with the best.
No job is too big or small for Pest buster’s pest control and we will work closely with you to ensure that your rodent problems are eradicated with an effective solution so that you can get on with your life normally. Our team of experts are able to discreetly and swiftly remove the problem and make sure that you can enjoy a rodent-free environment.
How to get rid of rats in your garden without poison or traps
When getting rid of rodents in your garden, you should avoid using rat poison or traps because they are a risk to your children, pets and native wildlife. So you should look for permanent solutions that will not pose a risk. Below we have listed some natural methods that you can use to get rid of rodents in your garden, they include peppermint oil, catnip, removing food and water sources, keeping your garden clean, soil netting, sealing gaps, moving things around, protecting your compost bin, etc. take a look at these in detail.
Peppermint oil
Rats can’t tolerate the smell of peppermint oil, therefore, using it to drive them away is effective and works quite well. However, you should make sure to use 100 per cent pure peppermint oil. The method involves moistening a cotton ball with peppermint oil and placing them in various places around your garden and all the areas that you suspect might have rats. Once the rats smell the peppermint oil, they will flee from the place and try to find other hiding places, but make sure all the places that have rats have the peppermint oil cotton.
Catnip
Rats hate the catnip plants as much as they hate cats, and therefore, planting it in your garden can send the rats packing. Cats are attracted to this plant as well, they love rolling around it, playing with it, chewing it, and so forth. So don’t be surprised to see several cats around your compound once you’ve planted the catnip plant. Otherwise, you should be happy about it as the cats will send the rats packing effectively. Remember to plant the plant strategically around your garden so that it can work effectively in driving the rats away.
Remove food and water sources
Removing food and water sources is one of the most effective ways of getting rid of rodents in your compound. Rats move to certain locations to have access to food, water and shelter so if you make sure these are beyond their reach, they will move from your garden to another location. You need to make sure your outside bin lids are always closed properly so that the smell of thrown away leftovers do not attract the rats, this should be done especially in the nighttime because that’s when rats come out to feed. Rats also love compost, so make sure such things are not found anywhere around your compound, bury your organic material. Also, make sure you remove all the sources of water, these can include containers, water bowls, and water dripping tape. Overall, just make sure you remove all the sources of water and food so that the rats could starve and move somewhere else.
Keep your garden clean
Keeping your garden clean is the first step to preventing rat infestations. Remove all the weeds and trim plants so that the rats do not find a hiding place anywhere around your garden. Rats like staying in hidden places, so when you remove all the possible places where rats can hide, they will not be attracted to your garden. Make sure you pick all your fruits and vegetables in time and get rid of over-ripened or spoiled fruit it’s time as well before rats can get attracted to it. Another important measure to take is sealing gaps and blocking nooks and crannies in external walls to protect the inside of your home from infestation. Taking all these measures ensures that rats do not feel comfortable anywhere around your compound, they will not have a hiding place hence they will not feel safe.
Soil netting
Rats are a problem to gardens because they like burrowing into garden beds and feasting on the crops. They particularly love the stem bases of mature crops. You can stop this by using a layer of netting just under the soil to prevent burrowing. Rats will give up when the netting has been put.
Sealing gaps
If your home has many small gaps, know that those that pathways for rats to enter your home. Therefore, once you suspect that you have a rat infestation in your garden, should make sure all these gaps are sealed. You should use appropriate sealant to block any nooks and crannies.
Stop feeding wild birds and animals
When you feed wild birds and animals, you attract rats too. All the leftovers that fall down will build and attract rats to the site. Therefore you should stop feeding birds and animals the minute you suspect a rat infestation.
Move things around
If you have a lot of unwanted things in your compound or around your garden such as piles of wood, you should move and get rid of them. Rats love hiding in such places and once you leave such things outside, you’re creating a breeding zone for rats and in no time they will find a way to enter your house as well.
Block access to decking
The space beneath the decking is the perfect shelter for rats because it also provides a perfect hiding place and also food scraps call fall between the plants. Make sure you block all the access to decking and remove all the food that falls over after you’re done eating.
Block access to garden buildings
If your garden has doors, walls and a floor, make sure you seal any hole that might give rats access to your garden. There are many ways in which you can do this and prevent the rats from having access to your crops before it’s too late
Protect your compost bin
The main reason why rats move to a certain location is food, and the biggest source of food in your compound is your compost bin. So you need to make sure it’s sealed all the time to prevent it from attracting rats, the smell of rotting leftovers is enough to have rats flocking to your compound.
Keep an eye on crops
Rats will eat anything you plant in your garden, whether it be sweetcorn, pumpkins, squash, root vegetables and apples, they can eat it all, therefore, if you suspect a rat infestation, do not eat our crops until you’ve monitored the garden properly, rats carry diseases that can harm you and your family.
Get a pet.
The biggest enemy of rats is a cat, so getting a cat can also help you get rid of rats in your garden. Pets are a good deterrent, they are a disruptive force in your garden, and they make the rats fear coming out from their hiding places. They feel threatened and would rather vacate instead of facing the pets.
Use Certain Plants to Repel Rats from Coming Back Again
There are several plants that repel rats from coming back again, these include lavender, rosemary, onions, grape, garlic, marigolds, black pepper, daffodils, oregano, etc. If you plant these around your garden, rodents will fear coming back again.
Mints for Deterring rats
Rats in the garden hate the smell of peppermint oils so if you have it around your garden, they will stay away from it.
Balsam Fir for Deterring Rats
Balsam fir oil helps to repel rodents by emitting an odour that is offensive to rodents but not to you and your pets.
Sagebrush for Deterring Rats
These plants emit a pungent scent that effectively repels rats.
