WHAT DO RAT DROPPINGS LOOK LIKE?
AND A TON OF OTHER WAYS TO FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE RATS
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6 Steps to get rid of Rats for GOOD
1. Inspection
Nothing beats a solid inspection. When inspecting for rats it's important to check all zones where activity is possible as well as all entry points
Attic
House
Garage
Rooftop
Yard
Fruit trees
Sheds
Where are they coming from?
Where are they nesting?
How are they getting in?
What have they damaged?
And where are they getting food and water?
2. Sealing the Home
Did you know rats can squeeze through an opening as small as your thumb? It's important to find all of the entry points into your home and attic and seal them up!
You don't want to go through this more than once. Rats cause damage when they are inside a home or an attic. Keep them out for good by inspecting with a fine tooth comb to seal every possible entry point.
3. Trapping
Do you like fishing? Trapping is a lot like fishing. Knowing which traps to use, what bait they like, where to place them, how long to wait before moving, what smells attract and deter them, etc...
The only thing that stinks about this scenario is when you don't catch a fish, it doesn't destroy your house. Rats, on the other hand, pee on insulation, chew holes in the AC ducts, leave droppings everywhere they go, damage water pipes and electrical causing floods and fires, and all of that happens while you wait for your traps to work.
4. Baiting
Baits are great at eliminating several rats at a time. But they should only be used outside. Do not make the mistake of putting bait/poison in your attic. You will end up with a dead rat somewhere in your attic or walls and they smell so bad you'll wanna move out!
When using baits, make sure to place the bait in the path that the rats travel. And be aware of the type of bait you use. Some baits are an instant kill and others take a couple feedings. We recommend the baits that take a couple feedings when you have pets - just in case :)
5. Sanitization
After the rats are gone, you will be left with the mess they left behind. If you keep storage items in the attic, their droppings and urine may be mingled with your items. They also make it a disgusting place for attic workers, like HVAC technicians, to do their work. And if they have chewed holes in any of your air ducts, you could be breathing their droppings and urine and any parasites they were carrying will use them to find a new host.
So sanitize the attic using a shop vac and vacuum up all the droppings they leave behind as well as any soiled insulation. It can be hard to track down all of the droppings because rats like to be UNDER the insulation as well. (That's why you can hear them so well in the night) Then use a cleaning agent and wipe down all of the urine. And if you spot any damage to pipes, electrical, or HVAC while you are in the attic, call the appropriate company to come make the repair.
6. Insulation
In the long term, the #1 defense against rats in the attic is having insulation that they hate. If they can't find a place to nest, they will leave on their own.
We use TAP insulation to keep the rats out of attics because they absolutely hate it. It has a boric acid mixture which kills bugs (including scorpions and termites) and it irritates the rats. It is highly rated for keeping your electric bill down, and it is also great at soundproofing if you are near a noisy railroad/airport/street corner.
Most homes are under-insulated anyways, so you can add TAP insulation as a topper to give you a few extra inches, or remove all of the soiled insulation and start fresh. It's your home and your comfort :)
NO PESTS + HAPPY TECHS
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Every customer that invites us into their home deserves a smiling technician that is ready to solve their problem. That's why we are so selective about the professionals we hire. We are stepping into your home so we bring our A Game when it comes to observing your problem, inspecting and identifying the pest issue, and creating a solution that will not only eliminate the issue, but also keep it from happening again.
We will reach out to you when we are on our way so you aren't waiting around
Call to schedule an appointment
(480) 468-7775
We only use the BEST products on the market
When you want something solved, you don't like having to try several times to solve it. We don't either. So we only use the best products on the market. We don't try to go cheap for the possibility that it will work 30% of the time.
Cory Hodnett
Owner - CEO
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I call a professional?
When you feel uncomfortable, and you don't know what to do - or you don't want to deal with the issue yourself, that's when you call a professional. For most people that starts right when they think they might have an issue. Most people don't want to go in the attic, crawl through insulation, know how to walk through the attic without falling through, don't know how they would get it or what to do about it. So they call someone with experience that can do a thorough inspection and create a plan that will successfully get rid of the problem.
What is involved in getting rid of rats?
R - The obvious place to start is trapping the rats.
R - Sealing up all entry points.
O - Treating for parasites they carry - fleas, mites, and ticks will need a new host to survive
O - Sanitizing the areas where they have left urine, grease, and droppings, vacuuming soiled insulation, etc...
O - Repair of damage (ductwork, sheetrock, electrical, water pipes
O - Outdoor bait station upkeep - because rats are never a one time event
O - Fresh Pest Control Insulation - not only are most attics under insulated, but when we vacuum out soiled insulation it's best to refill
R = Required
O = Optional
Note: The earlier you catch the problem, the less of the optional services you will require
Does the bait at Home Depot or Lowes work?
In the many years we have been doing rodent services, we have only seen one of the Tomcat bait stations have ANY of the bait eaten. We feel it is because when you give poison to consumers, it needs to be brought down to a level that is somewhat "safe" if it is misused. So the potency is not there. On top of that, those baits need to be able to sit on the shelf for quite some time before a consumer buys and uses them. So they have a really high wax content, making them far less desirable. We are not saying they are a bad product, we just have not seen consumers have luck with them
What should I never do?
Never put poison in the attic. Just don't do it. The rats or mice will eat the poison and then die somewhere in the attic. And then the smell... oh the smell! Then you will have to go hunt through your attic to find the decaying body or you will pay a professional to do it because the smell can be so bad you won't be able to sleep.
Note if a professional tells you they are going to put a "bait station" in your attic, ask if it has poison in it or a trap. If it has poison, you hired the wrong person.
How often do you find damage in the attic?
About 50% of the time we find holes in the air ducts, which means rats have been pooping and peeing in your air ducts and when your AC kicks on you get to breathe that. We find chewed wires, chewed pipe insulation sheathing, holes in pvc pipes like your AC drain lines. We frequently get called out to jobs where the Restoration company was called first because there was a water leak in the attic and it flooded the house and in the investigation they found it was rats that started the leak.
Not all homes have damage or these worst case scenarios. If you take anything from this, it should be to take action early when you think you have rats.
Office: 5930 S Sossaman Rd
Suite 105
Mesa, AZ 85212
Call (480) 468-7775
Email:sales@greenmachinepest.com
Site: www.greenmachinepest.com