Berks County, Reading Rat Control Situation:
David, Thanks for having such an informative website. We've recently gotten over our second round of rats in the basement. We have had a pest control group helping us, pretty much with bait throughout the basement. It's certainly worked, but boy is it not fun to follow the smell to the dead guy. It seems we have been free from seeing any droppings for a few weeks or any signs of activity. The strange thing is that in the past week we have had hundreds of house flies that we are dealing with in the basement. I'm assuming the problems are related. We've been going down to vacuum all visible flies (every 4-6 hours). Each time we easily find another 20 to suck down. We aren't smelling the familiar smell of a dead rat, is it possible it's there but beyond the stench phase? Any suggestions? The flies aren't congregating in one spott, they tend to hover around the windows. Any chance you service Reading PA? Could really use someone as yourself to complete the inspection of the basement for possible other entry points and removal of any additional insulation that may be harboring feces. Ok, I appreciate any input you could provide.
We have 5 cats, three are usually indoors all the time. Sometimes they bring in a mouse or rat and it gets away. And then the rodents can live in the house for a long time and the cats don't care one little bit unless the rodent just happens to make a dash across the room in broad daylight - and gets spotted. Otherwise, it's home sweet home for the rodents until I snap-trap them into oblivion. I would add that if you know you have mice or rats, deal with it as soon as you can. We had a mouse get up inside our washer and chew through 7 of the little control wires to the control panel, killing the washer and necessitating a $50.00 replacement part, and later causing a flood from a leaky hose that cost me $200.00 to fix. Had we taken care of him earlier this could have all been avoided. I agree with you about glue boards. Seems needlessly inhumane. Just put yourself in the position of the rat: you want to go out quickly or be stuck on a glue board until you starve to death?
Reading Rat Control Tip of The Week
What Materials Can Rats Chew Through?
A rat problem in the home can be a genuine headache for individuals to manage. Rats can pollute food supplies when they get into kitchens, and they can spread sicknesses to people through bites if they feel threatened. They can destroy furniture and chew through most materials in the house. Rats can bite through nearly anything, and they reproduce quickly within short time frames. This implies one pregnant rat can easily lead to numerous rats. This isn't acceptable because all of the potential health hazards associated with rats, and the harm they can cause to property and belongings can cost you a lot of time and cash.
One of the most striking facts about a rat's teeth is the way their incisors grow constantly! Imagine having a couple of front teeth that keep growing long and strong all through your lifetime. Rats need to chew through a wide range of materials to wear their teeth out. Otherwise, their teeth will grow too long, making it impossible for them to eat or close their mouths, ultimately killing them. So, what exactly do they like to chew through?
Rats' Favorite Things To Chew
Rats chew constantly. This can be a frustrating discovery for a homeowner, particularly one who has exhausted all endeavors attempting to keep rats out. We've listed some of the most common and frequent items that rats like to chew on:- Wood
- Cement
- Plastic
- Brick
- Aluminum
- Lead
- Cinder Blocks
- Asbestos
Although rats can bite through some quite strong materials, there are still ways to block the rats from coming inside.
