San Diego County, San Diego Rat Control Situation:
Hi David, Is a UV blacklight still useful, exterior-wise, if it rains after the rodents leave their urine stains? I am in the process of performing exterior maintenance to better exclude my roof rats. 1) I have a 25 year old cedar shake roof in San Diego California with openings under each shake along the rake edge of the roof at the gable ends of my house. There's no drip edge, i.e. under the shakes I have roofing paper (now somewhat curled) that runs more or less up to and rests right atop the fascia board. Because I have skip sheathing, and since the cross section of a shake is a wedge that is up to one inch at the upper, thick end, this appears to create many huge entry points along the rake edges even though the sheathing is rabbeted into the fascia board. As a result, I'm thinking of getting a UV blacklight to use outside the house to sleuth for urine stains along the upper edge of the gable end shakes and fascia boards. My question is, how easily does the winter rain wash away the urine, rendering this a pointless exercise? 2) I noticed a new product called "rat-out gel" and was thinking of applying it along the rake edges mentioned above. Or, maybe I should just buy many rolls of X-Clude and use that instead. Or maybe both. Any comment? Thanks very much for your website, Doug
My response: First off, I do not have experience using UV lights to detect rat urine. But I do suspect that rain will severely limit the effectiveness of this approach. I have never heard of Rat-Out Gel or XClude, but I typically stick to physical barriers rather than repellent type devices. If your roof makes this impossible, you might have a tough time keeping the rats out.
San Diego Rat Control Tip of The Week
What Is The Cost Of Rat Removal?
Having rats in your home comes with the immediate need to get them removed if you don't want them to cause damage that you can't afford. And to remove them permanently, you have to get it done properly.
The first thing you need to do is hire skilled professionals. We have seen many homeowners choose pest control companies where they are asked to pay a sum monthly just to remove the rats in their homes without getting the results they desired.
You can't afford to make the same mistake. If you want to hire a professional to help remove the rats in your home, you need to choose a wildlife removal service. Apart from getting rid of the rats in your home, they will find and seal off all possible entry holes and prevent further reentry. With their services, you will be able to get it done once and for all.
There is no exact fixed cost for removal. The amount you will be paying depends on several factors. Ideally, if the rat problem you are having in your home is not a complex one, the total cost of removing the rat might run between $300 to $500.
The cost of a rat removal service depends on the part of the country you reside in, the number of rats that need to be removed, the number of service traps that will be needed to remove all the rats, the number of repairs that need to be done, and if cleanup is needed after removing the rats.
The initial cost you will have to pay might seem expensive but you need to understand the fact that it is worth it.
