Rodents Keep Pest Control Hopping

Professional exterminators across the country have reported a noticable spike in rodent control as rats and mice seek haven from the cold, wet weather. "The rains have definitely pushed activity up," said Steve Anderson from SDA Pest Control. "We're getting calls from customers seeing rodents for the first time."

There are two rat species that dominate the British Isles.

The most common is the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) are typically 7 to 9 inches long. The brown rat is found on every continent except Antarctica, and it's considered the most successful mammal on Earth after humans.

Black or roof rats (Rattus rattus), which are smaller, are agile climbers and spend much of their time in trees or tall and dense vegetation, including bougainvillea or honeysuckle.

An adult male brown rat – also called the Norway rat – can reach 10 inches in length, plus a slightly shorter, hairless tail. It can weigh as much as a kilogram. Brown rats are poor climbers, but they're accomplished swimmers and burrowers. "Roof rats get into attics," Steve said. "Brown rats are found at ground level or below. They love sewer systems." Both species are primarily nocturnal and omnivorous, eating everything from pet food to electrical wiring.

Rats carry or transmit, directly or indirectly, more than 20 diseases, including typhus and bubonic plague. But whatever their faults, rats aren't stupid. The biology of a rat brain is so much like a human's that it's frequently used as a surrogate in neurological research. And rats, like most people, know enough to get in from lousy weather. They don't like it too hot, too dry, too cold or too wet.

"I've been doing this for over 20 years, and an increase in rat calls happens every winter, particularly after big rains," Steve said. "Rats are out there year-round – there's an endless supply of them – and some are always trying to get into houses looking for food, water or shelter. When it's winter, though, they work harder at it."

The remedy for a rat infestation is pretty simple: Discover how they're getting in, take appropriate measures to keep them out and trap the ones already crawling inside the house.

Pest control experts report that a carefully planned extermination program generally takes a week or so to complete. The country's rat problem, on the other hand, may not end with the Spring showers.

In past years, notably wet winters have resulted in lusher, more abundant vegetation in the spring. That means good times ahead for rats and other pests.

Article provided by SDA Pest Control