New Spin On Rodent Control

With the summer season seemingly a distant memory, rodents are beginning to secretly invade homes and offices looking for suitable shelter to tide them over the colder months ahead.

Reported sightings of rats and mice have dramatically increased over recent weeks as the habitats of rodents and humans increasingly overlap, and often it is the DIY solution that people turn to when a rodent is spotted. However, all too often the DIY solution is a temporary fix to a problem, which can be permanently cured.

Poisons are purchased for rats and mice that come in pellet or spray forms. While these poisons may seem like they're working, the pest knows that a specific area is off limits to them so they will create a new route to avoid the repellents. And if you have a family pet that could get into the area that has the pellet or has a high spray dosage, you may be poisoning your pet and not the vermin.

Rat infestations are always a problem. Rats can carry diseases like salmonella, which can be acquired through contact with an infected rodent or it's urine. In addition, when cornered, rats will fight to survive and are not adverse to biting a human hand.

A popular rat / mouse poison seen in a yellow, blue or green pellet has been used as bate for rodents, but these pellets are found to be poisonous to domestic animals. The poison is an anticoagulant, which tastes sweet to household pets. The pellets are made from a substance called Warfarin, which can cause blood clots and cause an animal to bleed to death. Also hemorrhaging in the gums of the mouth or skin may be a symptom or blood passing in the animal's stool or urine. Many homeowners unaware of the dangers have experienced death and sickness among their pets and their rat problem still went on unabated.

Rodents are habitual species. They continue to come back unless an environment sparks danger or is undesirable. If you suspect that you have a rodent infestation, is important to learn the dangers of using poisons before they are applied.

There are a number of things that you can do to make your home or office undesirable for rodents:

Ensure that your rubbish bin is unaccessible to rats and mice. Simply checking that the lid on your dustbin remains closed will deter rats from scavenging.
Remove tall grasses and low shrubs from around your house. Mice, especially, have an aversion to mint, so that's a good plant for both pest control and also cooking.
Keep sheds and garages free of clutter that might create nesting areas.
You should also inspect the perimeter of your property, looking for holes within 2 feet of the ground. These should be filled with concrete or similar. In addition, look for holes inside your cellar and loft, especially where pipes enter the livingspace. These gaps can be filled with steel wool.

In addition improving and sanitising the areas of infestation, there are products available that can, in certain circumstances, reduce rodent populations. Ultrasonic devices, for example, use high frequency sound waves (above human hearing) to deter rodents and have seen success in trials.

Of course, your local professional pest control company will always be onhand to provide information, advice and assistance on rodent control. They will also guarantee the removal of your infestation and have access to a number of pest control methods that you, the homeowner, do not.

SDA Pest Control, "Long Acre", Bluntisham Road, Needingworth, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire
01480 465684