Exterminators

Successful long term rat control is not simple; a continuing commitment to whatever solutions are adopted is required. Some rats will be easy to control, some are difficult. Complete rat control is often not possible in old barns and similar structures. Rat populations may also be a consequence of community wide activities over which control of improper garbage disposal, dog waste in backyards, building demolition, and poorly maintained bird feeding stations.

Rat problems and infestation in homes or commercial business building

Many people want to know how to kill rats, but the reality is that killing the rats may not be the best solution to a rat infestation problem. Rats are a nuisance species for many reasons. Most residents and business owners overlook the noise, scurrying and scratching until the rats break into the living space and start to chew on and contaminate food items in the house.

The most obvious sign of a rat infestation is the presence of dead or living rats. Rats prefer to hide, given enough space, so if rats are observed in plain sight, it is likely that a full-blown infestation already exists. When space becomes limited due to increased population, rats are forced out into the open.

How to identify rats – Types of Rats: Common Rat Species Found in Homes or commercial business buildings

The most commonly found rat pest in Seattle metro king county area is the Norway rat. Norway rats, sometimes called brown or sewer rats, are identifiable by their stocky, gray-brown bodies. Their tails are shorter than their body length and their ears and eyes are small relative to their body. Norway rats are larger than most other rat species. They burrow in gardens and fields, as well as beneath building foundations, trash or woodpiles. Norway rats line their nests with fibrous materials, such as shredded paper and cloth. These rats tend to inhabit the lower levels of buildings.

Roof rats, sometimes called black rats, are superb climbers that tend to nest above ground. In the wild, roof rats inhabit shrubs, trees and dense vegetation. In domestic environments, they seek out secure, elevated places such as attics, walls, sheetrock ceilings and cabinets. They may enter homes through trees close to windows or eaves.

What Do Rats Eat? Rat damage that should by of serious concern: 

Rats have caused more human suffering and more economic damage than any other vertebrate pest. From causing plague epidemics to rat-bite fever, whether feeding on stored grain or gnawing electric wires. From pest control service reports estimate that rats destroy 20 percent of the world’s food supply every year by feeding, and indirectly through contamination.

In most instances, rats are very wary. Hundreds may be nesting in a city block in underground burrows, in sewers, on roofs, inside buildings with few people in the area realizing it. Store human and animal food in rat proof buildings, rooms, or containers. Rats are very capable of chewing through heavy duty plastic garbage cans. Use metal garbage cans where this is a problem.

Prevent raccoons and other animals from making garbage available. Keep your garbage can lid on tight by securing it with rope, chain, bungee cords, or weights. Better yet, buy garbage cans with clamps or other mechanisms that hold lids on. To prevent tipping, secure side handles to metal or wooden stakes driven into the ground. Or keep your cans in tight fitting bins, a shed, or a garage. Put garbage cans out for pickup in the morning, after raccoons have returned to their resting areas.

Prevent access to fruit and compost. Don’t put food of any kind in open compost piles; instead use a rat-proof composter or a covered worm box. If burying food scraps, cover them with at least 8 inches of soil and don’t leave any garbage above ground in the area including a smelly shovel. Pick up fruit that falls to the ground. Don’t allow garden produce to rot on the vine. Compost it into the soil.

How do rats and mice gain access to buildings? The attic, basement, crawlspaces and anywhere food is stored, That is why it is important to make sure those cabinets and pantries are secured. Finding mice droppings or mouse droppings check all food items to make sure that they have not been tampered with, if they have been, then throw them away. Clean the place where the droppings were found with a good cleaner. It is time to call rat exterminator.

Feed dogs or cats inside and clean up droppings. 

One of the most common attractants around homes is pet food. The strong smell attracts rats from a distance. Once they get a taste of these nutritious foods they will try to feed there daily. Pick up food and water bowls, as well as leftovers and spilled food, before dark. Also, clean up pet droppings rats can subsist on a diet of droppings.

Prevent access to bird feed and feeders. Pet food and birdseed are the two items that attract the most rats around buildings. Once rats get a taste of these nutritious foods they will try to feed there daily. Place baffles above and below feeders to prevent rats from gaining access to feeder foods. Rats are attracted to the smell of seed hulls, so rake up the shells or offer birds hulled sunflower seeds. Eliminate access to water. Fix leaky outdoor faucets and, where practical, eliminate access to other sources of ground water.

Rats control service: How to get rid of Rats in Walls & Attic

Rat control & removal services requires an integrated approach that includes non-lethal tools such as careful inspections, sanitation, and rat-proofing structures. Lethal control often combines the use of rodenticides with non-toxic control measures such as snap traps or glue boards.

These are often under a building foundation or a concrete slab which provides a sturdy roof and prevents collapse of the tunnel. They are experts at benefiting from man-made structures. For example, in many cases, the dirt under a sewer line will settle creating a natural burrow under the pipe. Norway rats will follow these and gain access through the foundation wall into a crawl space because the hole in the foundation can be larger than the pipe.

Crawl spaces are favorite nesting areas, especially in the winter because they can get up in the insulation or even nest on top of heater ducts to stay warm and dry. Norway rats also nest in buildings, unused vehicles, woodpiles, discarded furniture, and other sheltered locations near food and water.

Crawlspace rodent clean up of Rat Droppings & Urine: Diseases from Rats Rat Bites: Dangers, Symptoms 

Rats are responsible for the spread of many diseases. Sometimes they transmit the disease directly by contaminating food with their urine or feces. Sometimes they transmit disease indirectly, for example, when fleas first bite an infected rat, then a person. Some of the more important diseases associated with rats include Rat-Bite Fever and Leptospirosis. These diseases often share similar symptoms, and medical professionals must perform the proper diagnoses.

Rat Exterminators Traps & Baits for Effective Control of Rats

Pest Control’s exclusion service prevents rodents from entering homes instead of controlling them after they are already inside. The service is environmentally friendly. Exclusions are performed with the best materials to ensure rats, mice, raccoons, or any other animal cannot chew their way into homes or place of business.

Rat exterminators are properly trained in how to get rid of rats and the elimination of rat problems using a variety of rat control techniques. These techniques include improving sanitation for the affected location, eliminating hiding places, exclusion and may also include lethal methods such as traps and rodenticides. 

Rodent control Service for Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Renton, Everett, Bothell and Issaquah specializing in rat extermination, exclusion, and attic & crawlspace clean-up, deodorization, and sanitation.

Piles of dog poop in a backyard is surely something to avoid, for rats, it’s a delicious meal, all is left is to find shelter near by which could be a home or business. Rats and mice thrive when they have food, shelter and water, pet waste in a backyard is a reliable food source in neighborhoods without restaurants, commercial dumpsters and where uncovered trash isn’t a widespread problem.

The idea of living with a furry intruder like a mouse or rat is unpleasant to say the least, but many people who find out there is a rat or mouse in the home are concerned about the price of mice and rats removal. Read on to learn more about the price of rats and mice removal and why a homeowner should seriously consider hiring a professional for reliable rodent control solutions.

Determining the price from Signs of a Rodent Problem

The first step toward dealing with mice or rats in a house is recognizing that the rodents are there in the first place then where and the size of the Rodent infestation is  giving a mice exterminator how to price the mice control service. The following are all signs of rodent infestations:

• Small unevenly shaped holes in walls or boxes

• Rat and mice droppings (poop)

• Sounds of movement in the walls or ceiling. These are likely to be loudest and most noticeable at night when mice and rats are most active.

• Unpleasant odors confined to one area of a basement, crawlspace or room that persist despite cleaning

Factors Affecting the Cost of Rat Control and Mouse Control

The cost to hire mice and rat exterminators for services in a home will range from $250 to $900 in most cases. Factors affecting the cost include:

• Type of Rodent Removal Services. An exterminator can try to capture rats and mice alive or eliminate them with poisons. What type of rat removal method is right will depend upon a wide variety of factors unique to an individual situation, and the cost of getting rid of rats or mice will be largely determined by what steps must be taken.

• Number of Mice and Rats. The size of the infestation will affect the cost. The more rodents there are in a home, the more costly the services to remove them will be.

• Location of the Rodents. If rodents are located in an out-of-reach area like within the walls or above the ceilings, the cost to remove them will usually be higher than it is to remove them from a basement, crawlspace or other more easily accessible area.

• Amount of Mouse and Rat Damage Incurred. Often, rat and mouse removal will also include repair of damage, particularly damage that resulted from rats and mice gaining entry. Extensive repairs will add more costs to the price of rodent removal.

• Amount of Mouse and Rat Prevention Needed. Rat and mice exterminators don’t just eliminate rodents. They also provide advice and assistance with preventing re-infestations. In some cases, home improvements may be required to prevent mouse or rat entry. The costs of these improvements will add to the overall price of the extermination.

Should a Property owner  Hire a Pro for Commercial Rodent Removal Services?

Quite simply – yes! Mice and rat exterminators know best how to deal with rodent infestations safely and can help families avoid becoming sick due to the diseases that rodents carry. Commercial Pest control mice and rats removal techniques can be complicated, and most homeowners fail to fully eliminate rodents on their own. Hiring a Commercial Rodent  Removal professional will ensure that the job is done right and allow a homeowner to prevent the return of rodents in the future.

Commercial rodent control expertise to take care of your current rodent problem and provide effective, proactive protection against future rats, mice, squirrels, infestations. Eliminate any rodent infestation, Creating an effective plan to keep them out of homes and businesses for good. Having an expert on site help reduce the risk of property damage and regulatory fines immediately.Rats and mice threaten company’s property and reputation. A regular commercial mice inspection removal service will protect home and company investments. 

For more information about rodent control solutions in the Seattle, Kent, Redmond, Tacoma, Federal way, Everett, Kenmore, Kirkland, Bellevue, Issaquah, Samammish, bothell, Woodinville, Mercer island or Renton areas, contact AM/PM Exterminators.