If there’s one thing rats hate more than anything it’s the chill of winter, which is why they tend to head indoors to ride out the poor weather when it comes. Unfortunately, for homeowners, that often means finding sanctuary in residential homes.
A female rat can produce 84 rat pups every year, and if you’re cold, they’re cold! To ensure you don’t bring them in, here are some handy tips to help keep them out.
Winter Blues
The further north you live, the warmer it gets, which may make you a bigger target for rats when the temperature starts to decrease. You may love the subtropical climate that living in Brisbane delivers, but so do the rats.
Food sources for rats are scarce following the autumn harvest of many local crops (fruits, vegetables, and sugar cane), so they naturally move closer to humans for scraps and shelter and then push into homes when winter truly arrives.
North Brisbane, in particular, is also currently undergoing heavy development, which displaces a lot of the local wildlife, including rats, and with that displacement, they run for cover.
Heavy rain also drives all burrowing animals out of their hiding holes, so taking steps to protect yourself against rats will help you avoid other pest infestations.
Don’t make yourself an easy target!
Prevent a Rat Infestation Brisbane
Start with a home inspection – possible points of entry include slight holes or gaps around the foundation, cracks in the garage, and loose roof tiles. Rats can squeeze into tight spaces, so it’s better to be safe than sorry when taking preventative action. So, deal with gaps and cracks around piping, sheds, and the foundation. Ensuring drains have covers can also help to prevent access.
Garden care and landscaping are also crucial steps in the prevention of pest infestations. Overgrown plant life, debris, wood, and compost piles are ideal nesting spots, so make sure you keep the area clear. Replace broken bins, ensure lids are in good condition and secure, and clean them regularly.
You should always store food in secure containers and sweep away food debris at the end of each night. Avoid storing any type of food item on the floor. They only eat 50 grams of food a day, which means that even the smallest scrap is attractive to these furry pests.
Deploy Pest Control Experts
Get on top of rodent infestations at the very first signs this winter. Signs of rats in your home include faeces, which look like large grains of rice; gnaw marks; musty smells; footprints in dust; greasy smear marks on the walls or skirting; scratching, scuttling, chittering.
There are plenty of ways to avoid a rat infestation Brisbane, but if you spot any of the signs above, have a physical rat sighting or notice any other pests, reach out to a reputable pest control company immediately.
As tempting as it may be to DIY it, the truth of the matter is rats multiply quickly, and the quicker you get a handle on the problem, the better off you’ll be. Rats are happy to gnaw on whatever they can, which is bad news for your home as they can create heavy damage, and with so many of them, destruction occurs quickly.
Of course, rats also carry diseases, which could potentially be passed to your family or pets. Not to mention the lost sleep if you can hear them scuttling around the house during the night. A great pest control company like Brisbane City Pest Control will also help you get to the bottom of where the pests entered so you can take a multi-pronged approach to prevent repeat offences.