The other day we were working for a client that knew they had rats. They could hear the rats, and they could see droppings. But they couldn’t find them, and unlike some rat infestations, even we will admit that this one took a bit of time.
Rats are excellent at hiding, and can fit through holes the size of a quarter. But they’re large enough to be pretty destructive, and sometimes you can determine where they are by looking for holes, areas with concentrated droppings or chewing marks, etc.
But these rats were a challenge.
Their droppings were pretty well spread out. There was no easily apparent hole for us to locate. There were also *so many rats* that all of our traps were filling up, which meant that we couldn’t locate them by wear the rat traps were going off.
So here’s what we did:
- We started by slowly examining the outside of the home. We took a look for any immediately obvious holes, but found none.
- We then looked over the ground for droppings or signs of urine that may indicate that rats congregated there. Nothing.
- We then looked behind the gutter spouts. Here is where we found our first clue. Right in the back of a gutter spout was what looked to be dark oil. Rats are notorious for having oil on their fur, so when they go in and out of the same hole, there is an increased chance of that oil building up into something we can notice.
- We then went to the inside of the property and sure enough, right behind a piece of metal near the water heater, there was another hole. We then looked around the water heater and found the last hole we were looking for – the one that went into the walls of the property, which is where the homeowners heard them the most.
We first sealed the exterior holes, not the interior holes. We don’t want to trap rats inside of the walls, because that can lead to smells and disease, but we also don’t want them coming in and out anymore.
Once we sealed the exterior entrances, we put a large number of traps near their interior entrance point. Rats that lived in the property were prevented from going outside, so they’d have to forage inside, where they’d be trapped. We’d then come back and remote the dead rat and replace the trap until no more rats were getting trapped, and then we sealed the interior hole.
It is a process, but with our expertise, we were able to find the problem and make sure that the rats were dealt with as quickly as possible.
Ready to Switch Your Pest Control Company?
You’ve probably noticed that everything is getting more expensive. That’s why it’s time now to consider how you can save money. We might not be able to reduce the price of eggs, but you can cut costs on existing services – and possibly get better care at the same time.
That’s why now may be the best time for you to consider switching your pest control company.
Many people find that they stick with a pest control company for years because it’s comfortable. They know them. They’re familiar with their work. But, over time, not only does the cost begin to add up, but the quality is not always there. Maybe you’re still seeing pests. Maybe you’re finding they’re not coming as often.
At Fillmore Termite and Pest Control, one of our main goals is to ensure that you’re always getting the *BEST* possible pricing. We combine the most thorough pest control in the area with