The Trick To Keeping Rats Away From Your Durham Property

As winter approaches, many Durham property owners may be thinking about preparations for the coming colder months. It is important to remember that while you are preparing for winter, so are the rats in your community. Rats are incredibly destructive pests to have around, and they are pretty dependent on humans for survival. When the temperatures are too hot or too cold, they seek shelter out of the elements, often within an artificial structure.

Rats use your food for their food sources, both discarded food in the trash and what’s in your pantry. They use your materials to build their nests. These pesky critters can vary in size from six to ten inches in body length, with a hairless tail that often is as long as their body. They have long ears, a pointy nose, large eyes, sharp claws, and teeth that are perfect for chewing and burrowing their way into your home.

Just How Dangerous Are Rats To Your Home & Family?

When a rat enters your home, a door of destruction opens up that can become every Durham homeowner’s nightmare. Rats are not only dangerously destructive in your home, but they carry a plethora of potentially harmful diseases and parasites. Rats are notoriously known for the role they played in spreading the bubonic plague during the middle ages. Fleas that they carry can bite humans, thus spreading this deadly and hard-to-treat bacteria.

Rats are also known carriers of salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and rat-bite fever, just to name a few. Just by coming in contact with a rat’s saliva, urine, or feces, you can become ill from some of the diseases they carry. It is imperative to keep your pantry tidy and your food sealed up in airtight containers.

How To Prevent A Rat Infestation In Your Durham Home

In addition to the potential for bringing disease into your home, rats can also cause much physical damage. Rats are notorious chewers and often chew their ways right into your walls. When they gnaw on your electrical wires, they create a fire hazard that often goes undetected. It is important not to let a rat infestation grow.

If you suspect you may have rats in your home, don’t hesitate to address the problem. Rat’s can gain access into your home through the smallest of holes and cracks. An opening the size of a quarter is large enough for these destructive pests to make their way into your home and start setting up their nests. Rats also repopulate at alarming rates. The last thing anyone wants is a family of rats taking up occupancy in their attic.

There are steps you can take to prevent their takeover:

• Inspect your home regularly for possible entry points for unwanted rats. Cap off vents and seal up any holes or crevices where wires and pipes come into your home. 
• Install weather stripping to doors and windows to ensure a tight seal to keep the rats out.
• Trim back shrubs, trees, and other vegetation that is close to your foundation. This reduces the chance of rats building nests so close to your home.
• Look for signs of an infestation. Rats will leave behind droppings wherever they go. Their urine and droppings are telltale signs, as well as their chewing. Rats will make nests out of any soft fabric or paper they can sink their sharp teeth into.
• Call The Eco Man Pest Solutions, LLC if you suspect a rat infestation has occurred in your home.

What Should Homeowners In Durham Do If They Encounter A Rat In Their Home?

The safest and most effective treatment for a rat infestation is to call our professionals at Eco Man Pest Solutions, LLC immediately. Don’t waste precious time and money trying to rid these pesky rodents yourself. Let our rodent control specialists take this burden off your plate and get you back to enjoying the changing of the seasons in no time.