Will Pest Control Get Rid of Rats — Jordan’s student essay
Will Pest Control Get Rid of Rats?
Growing up, my best friend’s dad owned a pest control company, Go Pests, so I decided to interview him to gain some insight for this scholarship submission. The short answer is yes, pest control will get rid of rats.
Ironically, when I think of rats I think of the cute characters from the Disney-Pixar film, Ratatouille, however, rats are rodents that often carry diseases and can cause a lot of damage to your home and property.
Even though rats may be cute critters on screen, they are not so cute in real life and certainly not in the home. Whether you are having problems with one rodent or an infestation, pest control is ready to take on the job for you.
When pest control comes in they will first try and locate the nesting area based on the rat dropping or other debris. Rodents often rip into furniture, clothes, chairs, and tables. Either way, locating their droppings is essential to find where they are nesting.
Their droppings are shiny black and usually ½ to ¾ of an inch long. A few other things to keep in mind are small footprints or chew marks on furniture. After locating the nesting area, it is time to block off any exit and entrance points.
Rats are highly intelligent creatures and are often used in psychological studies to help understand human behavior. It is important when trying to get rid of a rat infestation to be clever.
If blocking off any entrance or exit points does not work, the next method would be to use bait. Bait and bait stations can be found at any local hardware store. Since rats are scavengers, the most effective attractant is food like fruits and grains. The bait contains poison and the smell of the bait will attract them to the food and after a few servings, the bait’s side effects will start to kick in. Using bait is more effective than traps because rats tend to avoid new objects.
Once the bait is consumed, the rat’s body will start to process it. The poison thins out their blood and essentially starts to kill them from the inside out. They often will retreat back into their nesting area or hole to die or sometimes will die near the rat bait station or in your yard.
Another option for killing rats is smoking them out of their nesting area, however, if this method is not done correctly it can cause more unnecessary issues. When trying to get rid of rats it is important to consider other factors like pets and children. If the bait is not used safely it can be very harmful to house pets and humans so it is important to keep that in mind.
Even though I would like to believe all rats are as cute and creative as the ones in Ratatuollie, the unfortunate reality is rats are not the ideal house guests. Calling local pest control is the first step for getting rid of unwanted company and ensuring they do not get too cozy.