Cobb County, Marietta Rat Control Situation:
Hello David, I just happened upon your website and found it to be the most informative site of any I've seen regarding rat infestation. Everything you said makes sense to me. My problem involves rats in my crawl space (under my house) over that past 5 years. It continues to be an absolute nightmare. In 2008, they did so much damage that it was necessary to do a complete restoration ($3,500) and since then, I've had no insulation under my house for fear that they will start nesting in it again. For over two years now, it's been a constant problem and no one has been able to get it under control. I'm on a regular maintenance program with a pest control company (Alpha Ecological) and they told me I have the worst infestation of any customer they've ever dealt with! It seems the rats are mostly burrowing in from a distance and coming up under the vapor barrier. (I have an adjoining neighbor who's backyard is a mess and my pest control guy found evidence of rat holes and bird feeders, but the neighbor is doing nothing to combat the situation because he said he's never seen a rat.) There is a bait station in my crawl space now, and it sounds like that should be removed. I also have three traps set up down there. But I'm wondering if I need to take more drastic measures like cementing the crawl space which would cost a fortune, and I'm not sure how effective that would be? It's so depressing, my real estate person won't even list my house until this problem is resolved. I don't really want to move, but am so depressed over hearing the relentless activity, it's makin' me crazy. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. I left a message with the wildlife person in my area that was listed on your site. (Alpharetta GA/Cobb County) Thanks so much for your time and offering your knowledge!
Marietta Rat Control Tip of The Week
Can Rats In An Attic Destroy The Insulation?
If you have rats in your attic, one of the things you need to be concerned about the most is your insulation because these rodents are capable of destroying the insulation of your home. Being the major part of your roof that helps to absorb the heat coming from outside and prevent it from escaping into your home, you can't afford to keep having those rats nesting in your attic.
Maybe you are wondering what the rats in your attic have to do with your insulation to the point of destroying it? Right here, we will be enlightening you on how the activities of rats in your attic can destroy the insulation of your roof.
The first reason why rats will seek out to destroy the insulation in the roof is that the soft material of the insulation is good nesting material. As a result of this, they will continuously tear the insulation, remove the materials, and then use it to build their nest in the attic.
If the rats are not removed from your attic quickly, they will multiply in number and that will increase the rate at which they tear and remove material from the insulation in your roof, leaving the insulation void.
Apart from the physical damages that rats cause to insulation, these rodents use the materials of the insulation as latrines, which usually causes stains on the surface of the insulation. When this accumulates over time, the dusty particles of the feces on the surface of the insulation will begin to escape into your house and begin to cause several airborne diseases.
Having shared this, you need not waste any more time to get rid of the rats in your attic. If you don't swing into action quickly, the damage they can cause will cost you more than you ever expected.