Bucks County, Quakertown Rat Control Situation:
Hi David, First of all, thank you for your beautiful website, absolutely great! My wife and I are looking into renting an older single family house in a rural area near Quakertown PA, actually closer to Pennsburg. However, the house has been empty for 3 years, and the attic, crawl space, and older wooden garage show a lot of rat poop and urine traces, particularly visible in the garage. The previous renters also confirmed that they had a rat problem. The house interior walls and ceilings will be re-painted and it well get new floor coverings. Pending painting and new floor coverings, the landlord had the garage power washed and, although we have not seen it yet after the power wash, this seems to have washed away (washed to where?) the rat poop, etc. The landlord is also willing to hire a professional to help get rid of the rats and seal the access holes; since the house may need to be tented for termites, the thought is that this may also kill most of the rats. My questions are: 1.Will the termite tenting in deed also kill the rats? 2.Even if most rats are caught, and/or killed during tenting, and the access holes are sealed, what are the health dangers of rat cadavers that may be under the attic insulation, or inside the walls? 3.What is the health danger of remaining rat urine and poop traces in the attic (insulation), crawl space (dirt), walls, garage wood work, yard, etc.? 4.Aside from health danger issues, how long will the smell of rat urine and poop be around, and can this smell still penetrate through newly painted walls, ceiling, and new tile/wood floor coverings into the living spaces? 5.Last, but not least, do you know anyone in the Ventura County area who has experience with the humanly removal of rats? (Catch alive and release somewhere else?). 6.Alternatively, is there anyone you could recommend in the Ventura County area to help us with this?
So last December had Taurus fuel pump replaced and yes, a nice nest to sleep when not chewing wires discovered upon dropping fuel tank. As 2001 older car and with USAA for 36 years, talked them into homeboy rewire with junk yard wire harness vs. salvage car. With rat feeders ten feet from outside condo parking,they really love my car's wires! (actually worse as 4-5 years ago spent a small fortune on recurring shorts and wires-mechanic loved me but of course would not bust the rats- $1200 later) Heck only have 100k miles on the 2001 Ford and about to retire and need some help to keep the vermints elsewhere-maybe another older Taurus 2 chew on-trained cats-stuffed giant rats nearby!!! Attice boys we have-no prob-they come in sometimes in winter-car is prob 1.
Quakertown Rat Control Tip of The Week
Best Ways To Keep Rats Out Of Your Garden
Controlling rats is the initial step in the right path, but it is not a long-term solution. Spying on rats in your home or property will increase your awareness, and there will be a need for a lot of effort focused on getting rid of them. This can reduce the population to a point, but if efforts are sustained for months and months, it will create a cyclical pattern. Once people or homeowners see fewer rats, they reduce rat-proofing efforts, then the population grows, and the problem starts again.
Tips For Handling Rats In The Garden:- Don't leave uneaten pet food outside. Keep pet food stored in plastic containers.
- Store food indoors properly, in containers, if possible. Don't leave food unattended on counters.
- The dense brush that provides shelter should be removed.
- Keep the birdseed off the ground with the help of baffles. Bird feeders should be hung away from eaves or fences that provide easy access for rats.
- Make use of a closed, contained, and secured compost process. At the very least, make sure the food scraps are out of open compost piles.
- Clean up the fruit that falls to the ground.
- Repair gaps greater than 1/4 inch around doors, windows, crawl spaces, screens, attic vents, and anywhere else holes may provide access to inside your home.
- Keep garbage in a secured plastic container with a lid.
