San Bernardino County, San Bernardino Rat Control Situation:
Hi. I hired a Pest Control Company in San Bernardino on Feb 14, 2012 to come out and find what was going on in my walls behind my pillows where I sleep. I mentioned it first to my neighbor and told her that it sounded like birds making a nest and this awful chirping/screeching noise at night when I went to bed. It was very hard to sleep and after speaking with her, and her telling me that it might be roof rats, I called the Pest Control. They came out and inspected the property, went in the garage, walked the perimeter of the house, went into the attic, went into the walk in basement and found no droppings anywhere. He put 6 bags of poison in the basement and 6 bags in the attic. He hope that this would get them as he told me that they eat the poison and then go out to get water and they will die. This cost me $125.00 which I felt was fair as he was here over an hour. He said he would be back in on March 5th to see what had transpired as it takes that long for the rats to feel comfortable eating the bags of poison and go out and die. While waiting this period of 3 weeks, the noise never stopped and the rats were still alive and had eaten none of the bags of poison in either the attic or basement.. I called to tell him this and he took some of the poison and put it in a hole in the roof line where the gutter is and hoped for the best. He said he would be back to put all screening on anything that looked specious on March 19 and did so. He deodorized the attic and crawl space and sealed the structure/holes vents, wherever he thought they might be getting in...............He then put 2 live traps in the basement and the attic and would be back in a week. He charged me $460.00 more for this service. One week later, March 26th he sent another man to check out the live traps.................NOT TOUCHED. He put 2 sticky traps in the garage up high so the dog wouldn't get to them. It is now April 10 and they have travelled from my bedroom wall to the office wall that backs up to my bedroom wall. I hear them in the morning and even in the early evening. It is like they are on some kind of treadmill, right above the heater vent on the bottom of the wall. It isn't as noisy as it was, but then they are in the office wall now and not above where I am sleeping. He gave me a 24 month guarantee................but, I don't know what to do as I really didn't want my walls ripped apart to get to them...............and there are no droppings anywhere. He tells me they have to go out to get water.........but he screened any holes he saw, and was on the roof also. SO HOW ARE THEY GETTING WATER?? CAN YOU HELP ME? Thanks Sandy
San Bernardino Rat Control Tip of The Week
Using Exclusion Funnels To Get Rid Of Rats Without Killing Them
Rats are probably the second most common species of rodent to be found in our towns and cities after rats, and like their larger relations, they can also often find their way into many different areas of the domestic property. Because rats can carry diseases, and can also transmit them by soiling food and water sources, it is natural to want to get rid of them as soon as possible. Exclusion funnels are one approach that can be used to try and get rid of rats from your home.
How Do The Exclusion Funnels Work?
Ultimately, the funnels are designed so that the rats can easily get in through the wide end of the funnel, and can then push themselves out of the narrow end of the funnel when they are leaving a particular area of your property. However, when they try to get back in the narrow end of the funnel the entrance is too small and cannot be prized open, meaning the rats are not able to get back into the area where they are causing the problem. The key aspect with exclusion funnels is that the rats really do need to be contained in one area of the home.
Preparation Work To Install Your Exclusion Funnels
The first step before you install any exclusion funnels in your property is to carry out a detailed search of where they are active, and then to identify all of the holes the rats are using to get in and out of that area. The reason for this is that you need to be able to deal with each entry point the rats may use so that when you install the funnels, they cannot simply come back in through another entry point. While carrying out this work, it is usually a wise precaution to wear long sleeved clothing and gloves, along with a breathing mask and goggles to protect yourself from any disease transmission.
Where To Place Your Exclusion Funnels
It is usually best to only place one or two exclusion funnels, and then seal the remaining access points that you can find in the area where the rats are nesting. When choosing which entry points to install your exclusion funnels, the best options are usually those that have the heaviest traffic, and should be indicated by a greater buildup of rat droppings and urine stains.
Monitoring The Rat Activity In Your Home
Once you have installed the exclusion funnels, the next step is to monitor the area to see how effective the funnels have been. In some cases, this part of the work can actually prove to be quite trial and error, as the rats will often have other secret entry points that you may not have found on your first search of the area. In this instance you will then have to search the area again, and try and find the other access point the rats are using to get in and out.
The Challenges Of Using Exclusion Funnels To Deal With Rats
One of the key benefits of using exclusion funnels to deal with rats is that it doesn?t kill the animals so you don?t have to dispose of any carcasses. However, this also means that the rats can try and find other ways to get into your home, which means it can take longer to deal with them than if you were to use lethal means to deal with a rat infestation. The other issue with using exclusion funnels for such small animals is that because of their size, it is very difficult and detailed work to actually find all of the holes they are using to get in and out.
