January 21st, 2013 by Shaun Day

As the nights draw in and the temperatures drop, one particular pest comes to the fore in terrorising our homes and gardens. The question is "How to get rid of rats?"

We all would like rats to look like this:

''Awwwwww, so cute!!!!''

Most of the time, your problem looks more like this:

''Aaaaaarrrrrrhhhhhhhhhh darlinnnnnnng???!!!! Come here and get rid of that now!!!''   Whether it be urban, rural, inside or out, throughout the UK we all know the dangers and the inconvenience associated with rats. This includes the spreading of diseases.  Continue reading to learn how to protect yourself from this common problem that is blighting the UK at the moment. Whether you own a country cottage or a suburban home, rats can become the domestic predator nobody wants: gnawing on your wiring or even causing a stink in the lounge. In reality, rats can physically abuse but also mentally frustrate driving us all to exhaustion, until we can take no more. HSDonline.co.uk gives you ;within this article; some precious advice in order to show you how to get rid of rats.  

How to get rid of rats: Why did they choose you?

"I am tidy, my home is clean and I have never had this problem before!" Well... they are spontaneous creatures and will jump at any opportunity to call our home, “their home”. There is no specific reason as to why rats select their homes. These intelligent creatures have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell so any number of reasons can entice them to your home and garden.

Rats + advice = ratvice!!!

1. We all enjoy feeding birds in the back garden however ensure they cannot drop their seed or fruit onto the ground, this is a magnet to local rats hunting for a new home...The best option is to stop feeding birds, that way you'll avoid any trouble.
2. If you have a pet, ensure its food is not left out for an extended period as rats love to steal pet food.  Plus your dog won't be happy either by the way...
3. Strategically place bait boxes, they will attract rats and therefore kill them. Plus, if you have got pets, bait boxes will protect your pet (dog/cat) from eating the poison. You don't want to poison your pet instead of the rat!
4. Ensure there are no gaps in your exterior walls. The term 'batten down the hatches' has never been more telling...
5. Make sure to not leave any waste in your garden (plastic bags, or bin without the lid etc...) rats love it!! If there are no areas for the rats to enter your home they cannot get in, simple really.

How can I tell if I've got some?

• • If you can smell a distinct musty smell, particularly near your refrigerator or food cupboards. This is a sign that they are established indoors, you may also have noticed more signs.

• • Burrows in your garden, however, this may be difficult if you’re in an urban area.

• • From our consultation with previous customers who suffered from rats, the easiest to spot was rat droppings:
  (-Approximately 1-2cm long and black in colour.-We recommend pulling out your refrigerator if possible and searching food cupboards, and even emptying them.-If you can see these droppings, you have a rat problem).

• • Broken pipe work can lead to rats climbing into your home through sewer pipes.

How to get rid of rats: Poison, ultrasonic repellers or basic traps?

There are a number of ways to deal with an established rat problem. If the issue is limited to outside, your solutions are:

• Rat Poison:

We do recommend this method as it's quite powerful and therefore really efficient. A key point to note, do not place poison inside the home. Poison can be placed outside the home and is proven to be very effective in both rural and urban areas.  

• Ultrasonic Repellers:

Repellers Ultrasonic repellers can also help keep rats at bay but will not affect already established rodents. It repels the pest by emitting high frequency pulse acoustic waves and electromagnetic waves which stimulates the pest’s nerves. Most ultrasonic repellers provide an auto sweep facility which automatically changes the frequency constantly to prevent the pest becoming immune to one fixed frequency.      

• Basic Traps:(Human traps)

Basic rat trap The method of treatment for a rat problem inside the home is to add baits to traps in your affected area such as your kitchen. We've had feedback from one of our customers who said: ''I personally added bait to traps near my fridge in the kitchen and near my food cupboards and I managed to solve my problem quickly, and equally as important, cheaply.'' Both the typical traps and human traps are available too for those who are not fully comfortable with harming the pests. To summarise, each situation has got its own way to eradicate rats or mice. It depends on a few factors: if it's inside your home, if it's in your back garden, if it's under your decking etc... The good news is that many solutions exist and HSDonline specific products can eradicate these little evil creatures and our pest control specialists can give you more tips on how to get rid of rats.  

 **Thanks to Josh Hulme (our business development executive /Pest Control specialist) for his interesting guest post**

Josh is also the author of "Hotels and bed bugs: prevention Vs eradication"

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