Essex County, Newark Rat Control Situation:
I ran across your website and was hoping to gain some professional insight. My husband and I live in Newark NJ. I believe I have a mouse(mice) in our bedroom ceiling. It has been going on for several months and will stop periodically and re-surface. There is no way to get access into our ceiling, unless you cut it open. I hear the scurrying at night and yesterday during the day(which I thought was unusual) when I took a nap. We set some traps in our garage and caught a couple. We tried to look outside around the house to see where they might be coming in, but it is impossible to tell. The house is in excellent condition and very well maintained. I want to address this before the problem gets worse. What would you recommend ? Please help !
Besides the generally it's gross reason, I did not see why or what urgency I should attack the mice in the attic problem. I see plenty of mouse poo but have no idea how long it's been there, less than a year for sure, but temperatures have been in excess of 100 here and I assumed that would chase them out to cooler areas or just bake the things. How concerned do I need to be about the vermin and how aggressive do I need to be? Mind you my attic is packed to the rafters and the heat is extreme. I hear it or them in the attic at night but haven't trapped or killed them yet. I don't see scat. I've got rat traps, mouse traps and have-a-heart traps baited with peanut butter. For two weeks they've been loaded and placed in the areas where I hear the rodents. Twice a mouse trap was sprung, but no mouse. How to proceed? Time and patience? I was wondering if something like a set of rotating emergency lights with strobes might run them out. What do you think?
Newark Rat Control Tip of The Week
Rat Damage In The Attic
Having rats in your attic is substantially more than only an irritation. These rodents can cause a lot of harm, mainly because they are generally social animals that live in groups. There is a chance of the rats in your attic putting your family in danger of getting a disease, and these animals will likewise cause physical damage to your attic.
Leaving Feces
The essential harm that rats will cause in an attic is leaving their waste products behind, especially excrement. Depending on the number of rats in the attic and how long they were there, there can be a significant measure of these waste products, requiring serious clean-up. In some cases, the urine may even drench into planks of flooring or other wood structures and compromise their integrity. At the very least, the urine and excrement will debase your attic, spreading illness and causing a foul smell. If you don't deal with this smell, it might attract more wildlife to the attic.
Chewing Wires, Pipes, Insulation, And More
Like mice, rats will bite on almost anything you have in your attic, regardless of whether it is a wire, funnel, or something else. Rats are famous for their gnawing behavior and will bite on anything in your attic. In the case of chewed wires, this can result in a serious fire hazard, especially if you don't know that the wire has been compromised. Rats may likewise damage your pipes and insulation from chewing. Without the insulation fit as a fiddle, your home won't manage temperature as effectively, making you spend more cash to run your cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. If you have anything stored in your attic, for example, books or old furnishings, you can expect these also to be damaged by rats. They will likely be chewed and may even end up covered in waste products.
