While Mickey Mouse and Speedy Gonzales are cute and charming fictional characters, their real-life companions have no business being part of your domicile. I mean, your house should be your castle and a few other things are as distasteful as having your sacred abode desecrated by these callous rodents.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to an entire colony of rats overrunning your house. If not eradicated, they can inflict severe damage to your home. And this includes chewing through drywall insulation, electrical wires, car wiring and in some cases, transmit diseases. So, what’s the solution? With no doubt, getting rid of them!

Similarly, dealing with a rat infestation can be a frustrating and overwhelming endeavor. I do not deny that there are DIY rat pest control tips on the internet. The question is, do they work? Probably not! Luckily, that’s where professional rat pest control services come in. And this is for several reasons.

First and foremost, their methods are effective, safe, and most importantly tried and tested. If you want to learn more, this is how rat pest control services do it the professional way.

Integrated Rat Pest Control Solutions

Effective rat pest control services employ an integrated pest management solution when getting rid of rodents like rats in your home. IPM is an environmentally friendly approach which involves using fewer chemicals and only targeting infested areas.

It comprises four modules which include:

• Determining actionable rat pest control thresholds: Every rat infestation is special. As a result, professional rat control services evaluate its severity and also how environmental factors might be contributing to the menace.

• Monitoring and identifying rat routes: Rat pest control also conducts a custom inspections and use monitoring devices to establish the population, routes, and causatives in your premises.

• Rat infestation prevention: This is perhaps the most effective technique of getting rid of rats. When you use professional rat pest control services, they put into place practical measures to prevent rats from infesting your house.

• Getting rid of rats: Depending on your environment and the severity of the infestation, a rat pest control specialist will evaluate the situation and you on the most effective method of getting rid of rats from your premises. Such techniques fall into 3 categories:

• Mechanical (use of traps)

• Chemical (baits laced with rodenticides)

• And Biological (not toxic tracers)

Mechanical Rat Pest Control

Mechanical elimination of rats typically consists of sanitation and rat removal.

• Sanitation: This gets rid of rat attractants such as water, nesting materials, and food sources that help rats survive. After sanitizing your house to make it rat unfriendly, pest control goes ahead to get rid of the rats.

• Rat Removal: Unlike sanitation which is generalized, removal will vary based on the severity of the infestation, structure of the premises, and your personal preferences. This implies that there are several methods and techniques that rat pest control can use for both outdoor and indoor rat pest control.

Indoor Rat Pest Control Methods

Method 1: Trapping

Rat control services prioritize trapping when it comes to getting rid of rats in your house. And this is for several reasons.

• Trapping doesn’t use rat poisons.
• You can monitor the effectiveness of the trap
• Quickly get rid of rotting carcasses to prevent noxious odors secondary and insect infestations

Snap traps

A snap trap consists of a metallic, wooden or plastic hinge with the sole purpose being to trap and kill the animal once it snaps. These use some kind of bait to entice rats to climb on the trap.

Before using a trap, eliminate food sources and use the right bait. This includes aromatic foods such as canned tuna, bacon, or peanut butter. Since rats navigate using their noses, the aroma produced by these foods easily lures them on the trap.

Glue Traps

A glue trap consists of a flat piece of plastic, cardboard or paper smeared with a unique adhesive then placed flat on the ground or wall where rats frequently travel through. When they come into contact with it, they get stuck and ultimately die. Such traps can also be scented with aromatic flavors to lure rats and are very effective when placed on predetermined routes.

Live Catch Traps (Popularly known as humane traps)

Typically, they look like small cages with a door on one side. When a rat gets in to eat the bait, a trigger closes the door, and the rat gets trapped inside unharmed. This makes an ideal way to get rid of rats, especially if your local authorities allow catch and release. Even so, live catch traps are not effective if a huge population of rats infests your house.

By now, you could be wondering, how much is pest control for rats when you have an indoor infestation? Well, that depends on:

• The population of rats
• Methods used
• Follow up services such as clean up and rat proofing
• The area infested

Method 2: Baiting

Baiting rats typically involves using chemicals known as rodenticides with a sole intent to kill them. There are several forms of such poisons. This includes single and multiple-dose baits. With single-dose baits, only one dose is necessary to kill a rat. While several doses of bait are necessary with multiple-dose rodenticides. Chemical baiting comes in handy when dealing with a large population of rats.

And though they are very effective, don’t use them in your house unless nothing else is practical and this is for the following reasons:

• They are very toxic.
• Other animals in the house can consume poisoned bait and die.
• It will be hard to get rid of carcasses, especially if a rat dies in an inaccessible place.
• Consequently, your house could end up filling with noxious smells from rotting carcasses.

However, if this is the only practical method for your situations, rat pest control professionals will build centralized stations out of reach for pets and children. Such stations will also help you get rid of carcasses.

How much is pest control for rats when dealing with an outdoor infestation?

Well, this largely depends on the number of traps necessary. If the infestation is severe, you might have to pay more.

Outdoor Rat Pest Control

Getting rid of outdoor rat populations necessitates bait poisons enclosed in tamper-resistant stations to prevent unintended poisoning. Despite being tamper-proof, they are instrumental when it comes to catching rats. This is due to the reason that rats are always foraging and looking for habitats. Once they eat, they end up dying in no time.

Setting such baits in areas with high rat activity increases their potency. They are also perfect for large populations and work fast to eliminate rats. A rat pest control specialist will evaluate your environment, then determine the best place to build stations. Once built, they get tamper-proofed to prevent pets and children from accessing the poisoned bait.

Stations need regular checking. Say after every few days to remove carcasses and add poisoned bait as necessary. If the bait is being consumed, the rats are definitely dying. But this depends on the type of dose used in the baits. In some cases, results will begin in 5 to 10 days.

PRO TIP: For infested roofs, there are special bait stations which are effective in high locations. Be sure to speak with your professional rat pest control specialist on the matter, and you will get advice accordingly.

Method 3: Non-Toxic Rodent Bait (Biomarkers)

These non-toxic rodent baits are new entrants into the market of rodenticides. They will come in handy if you don’t want to kill the rats since they don’t have any toxic ingredients. More often they act as tracers to establish rat routes and where they nest. Once monitoring is over, other methods such as baiting and trapping will come in handy when getting rid of the rats.

Rat prevention

After getting rid of rats, it also very important to ensure that they don’t come back. This involves eliminating nesting materials, water, food, and other things that help rats thrive. And that’s where sanitation comes in. To prevent future infestations, these sanitation tips will come in handy:

• Instead of storing bulk food items in boxes and wrapping papers, use metallic containers with tight-fitting lids. This way, rats will not be able to access the food, hence discouraging them from infesting your premises.

• Never leave pet food such as dog food in the open more so at night. You can use rubberized or metal containers to enclose the food at night when rat activity is high.

• Get rid of anything that rats can use as nesting materials or store it away safely. This includes old clothes, blankets, grass clippings, and debris within or near your premises.

• Trim bushes and shrub such that you can see them below. And ensure that they are not in contact with your house. This will prevent rats from nesting and hiding inside.

• Firewood and anything that rats can gnaw on should be inside your house. Keep such things outdoors and regularly check the area to see if any rats have nested there.

• Pick nuts and fruits that fall near your house regularly since they present potential food for rats.

• Once you’ve identified routes and entry places in your house, tightly close them to prevent rats from getting inside the house. Rats are always looking for a secure and a warm place to live in, and unfortunately, houses are such.

• Never leave food in the open even if you’ve locked it kitchen cabinets. Rats are sleek and slender animals, and they will always find their way in.

•  If rats have infested inaccessible spaces such as basements and attics, they get there using exposed frames and ramps. To combat them, use special traps designed for this purpose. And don’t get tempted to use chemical baits since retrieving carcasses will be difficult.

• Some rats can be trap or bait shy. If you realize that they are avoiding your baits or traps, narrow down to their routes and where they are most active.

• You can also camouflage your traps with natural materials like straw. These will make them look as typical structures and rats wouldn’t get scared to get on them.

• Let no one lie to you that they can lure rats to leave your house or that they don’t have an odor when they die. Both of these are not true.

How much is pest control for rats on a general scale?

Well, since every infestation is unique with different challenges, it is hard to give a definite answer. However, this will depend on:

• The size of your premises, the level of infestation, the method used, and environmental factors.

• In the case of a large population of rats, you might have to pay more. Likewise, you will have to fork more money for a more effective method.

• Last but not least, your service preference will also matter. For instance, if you want a professional rat control company to deal with everything from trapping to clean up, expect to pay more.

Bottom line

Indeed, rats can be a nuisance, and the best way to get rid of them is by using professional rat pest control services. If you attempt to do it yourself, you will just end up killing a few. And since rats reproduce rapidly, this will be ineffective.

Alternatively, it is always a good idea to engage a professional rat control company for the total eradication of rats. If you need excellent services, paying more will be a good investment now and even after five years.