Pests are a horrible thing to find in any home. Beyond the upset they cause to anyone house-proud, they bring real health and safety risks with them.
Plenty of pests can infest a home, from birds to insects to rodents, but few are as unwelcome as the rat. Rats carry germs such as salmonella and E. coli, and they can transmit diseases including tuberculosis. None of it is anything you want anywhere near your family.
Rats are forever on the hunt for food, warmth and shelter, which is how they end up in drainpipes and waste disposal areas or burrowing into compost heaps. That is why you most often find them in the garden. Even outdoors they are a problem, though, because they spread disease and can work their way inside.
Courtesy of Liftarn
Poison-resistant rats
Rat infestations used to be controlled with traps or poison, but years of heavy poisoning have left some rats immune to standard poison pellets. Worse still, the widely available poison is now simply being eaten as food, which helps these rats survive rather than killing them.
The Metro reported that there are an estimated 10.5 million rats in Britain, breeding rapidly, with 70% of the species now resistant to the poisons used in everyday pest control. If the problem goes unchecked, those numbers could climb sharply.
Poison-resistant rats are thought to have been around for about 50 years, and they are now spreading through the southern counties of England.
Getting the better of the super-rats
The ability to shrug off poison has given rise to a creature the press has nicknamed the super-rat: a rat that resists traditional control methods and grows stronger and more numerous because of it.
Several people across the UK have told the national press they have come across giant rats, some claiming to have seen rodents up to 2ft long, which has surprised even seasoned pest controllers.
To keep up, the methods used to deal with these rats have had to change, with new traps and baiting techniques. Most households only have access to the poison pellets that these rats now ignore, so if you find yourself facing an infestation it is best to bring in professional help.
Spotting a rat problem
Rats can be tricky to detect at first. They are nocturnal, so you rarely bump into one during the day, but there are several signs to look out for that point to rats on your property.
The most obvious clues are droppings and holes chewed through walls, doors or carpets. Look out for gnaw and bite marks too. A rat’s teeth grow throughout its life, so it constantly gnaws to keep them filed down, and it will happily do that in your home. Because rats have very greasy fur, you may also notice smears or a build-up of grease along the routes they travel.
Scratching is another giveaway. It is easy to dismiss as creaking floorboards or groaning water pipes, but it can be the sound of rats living in your wall cavities.
If you find, or even just suspect, that rats have moved in, it is well worth dealing with it as soon as you can. Get in touch with our team. We are open every day except Christmas Day, from early until late.