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
Is It Common For Rats To Die During The Winter?
Nature gave rodents characteristics to survive different times of the year. A very useful feature in rats when winter is coming is being more aggressive to make sure they obtain greater amounts of food.
These animals will eat a portion of their food but will save the other part in their burrows. Among the most common provisions are pet food, dead animals, paper, plastic, fabric, and seeds.
If Rodents Do Not Find Shelter And Food, They Will Not Survive Winter
Rats have the capacity to generate extra energy through different activities that help them to keep their core temperature. However, eventually, this mechanism is harmful since it can cause inflammation in their muscles and stress for generating that amount of heat.
During summer, these rodents at 4 months old have already had their first litter of pups. Throughout their lives, they can reproduce at least 10 times. When a population is exterminated, this can regenerate in a short period. However, during winter, their reproductive capacities slow down, so if a population is exterminated, it may not be regenerated.
Be Watchful
It is important to remember that these rodents easily adapt to any warm place in your home. They can invade the majority of places that surround you and move in the dark. Although you do not see it, your house might be infested with dozens of rodents.
Each rodent has an extra store of energy during the winter that will increase their need to feed. They will also shelter and organize in colonies with a very specific hierarchy.
With winter arrival, you must be watchful. One of the best options is to find a specialist to guide you with the most effective ways to avoid unwanted guests.
