Harris County, Houston Rat Control Situation:
Dear Pest Control Agency, My name is Juan and I am working on my doctoral dissertation in Biology at Rice University, Houston, Texas. I have an undergraduate researcher who helps me with my research, and we both work in the laboratory of Prof. Michael. We have studied rats and mice in Europe, and we use the information to study a number of questions, including how rodent populations are connected between continents or within countries. One part of our work deals with the question of whether rats and mice in the US have developed resistance to rodent poisons, about which little is known. Our hope is that during pest control you will be able to obtain the tail tips (about 1 inch) of rats and mice that can be found at rodent infested sites. These could be collected from dead animals, and of course, we would send you everything you would need (scissors, tubes, gloves, prepaid shipping, etc.). If you decide to help us in our research, we would like to offer you a Domino's giftcard as a thank you for your efforts! We have received a large amount of support from a few pest control agencies so far. It would be wonderful if you would also consider helping us! Attached is a simple spreadsheet where a few details on the sampling are described. We do not need any specific information regarding locations where sampling was done, and no names of owners or of employees, etc. are needed. However, if you would like we would be more than happy to promote your company name in our research paper! Please feel free to contact us by email or phone if you have any other questions or concerns. Thank you so much for your consideration, and I hope to hear from you soon! Sincerely, Juan
Houston Rat Control Tip of The Week
What To Do If A Rat Got Inside My House?
Rats are considered as one of the most dangerous household pests due to their destructive nature and their ability to carry diseases and other disease-causing organisms. If you happen to have a rat invasion in your home, you need to find a way to get them out without any further delay.
Rats are naturally sneaky and will always find a way to move around your home without being noticed. As a result of this, getting them out of your house might be quite difficult to do. To help make this easy for you, we will be sharing the simple steps you can take to handle the situation if rats get inside your house.
1. Locate All Their Entry Holes
Rats getting into your home means there are holes around your home big enough to allow their easy passage. Having realized this, the first thing you need to do is to find those holes and seal them up. By doing this, you will be preventing more rats from getting into your home.
2. Clean Your House
Even though rats do infest the cleanest of houses, it important for you to make sure your house is unattractive to rats by clearing all dirt and clutter in and around your home. To do this, take your time to clean your kitchen floor, clear out hidden places that you don't clean regularly, and vacuum the floor of your home to remove food particles. Also, when cleaning your home, you need to make sure your food is kept in a rat-proof container or cupboard.
3. Keep Their Natural Predators
When it comes to getting rats out of your home, one of the best ways to do this is to get their natural predators in your home. For instance, you can get a cat to help hunt them down and keep them away.
4. Trap And Remove
Although the use of lethal traps is an inhumane way to get rid of rats in your home, it is the most efficient method to use. To use this method, all you have to do is get traps from a local store and place them along the route of the rats.
Repeat this same process until you can remove all of the rats in your home.
