Spiders In Sugar Land: What Homeowners Need To Know
September 29, 2023
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Rats! That’s what comes to mind when we think of Plano pest control. One of the most notorious pests around, rats are common in the area, and if you’re discovering them in your home for the first time, you might not know where to start. The good news is that this article has all kinds of useful information about what rats look like, the health risks they bring to the home, and, of course, how to prevent rats and expertly control a rat infestation. Join us for a quick look at these potentially dangerous neighborhood pests.
Physical Characteristics of Rats: How To Identify A Rat
Different types of rats sport slightly different physical features, but for now let’s focus on their common, shared features. When you picture a rat, you’re probably picturing a roof rat. Roof rats have long, hairless tails, they’re gray in color, and they can get pretty large, up to eight inches or so.
Other types of rats commonly found in the U.S. have similar appearances. They might be a slightly different size, for example, and their heads might have a slightly different shape, but they’re typically gray or brown, possibly with some white mixed in, and they have long tails. Rats are much larger than mice, also, so if you spot pests that are just an inch or two long, you probably have mice, not rats. If you manage to see a rat scurry away, you’ll probably recognize it as a rat right away. Trust your gut. And if you want confirmation, ask the pros.
Health Risks Posed By Rats: Understanding The Hazards To Humans
Having a rat problem in your home also means that there’s a health risk present, period. In fact, rats have become associated with disease at a historical level. Rats can carry a range of diseases that can affect humans. While bubonic plague isn’t as major a health problem as it was hundreds of years ago, rats can still bring disease into your home. That’s bad news for everyone under your roof, to say the least, and it’s especially dangerous if someone in your home has a compromised or weakened immune system. If you’ve seen rats inside your home, be sure to clean kitchen surfaces and other eating areas every day with antibacterial cleaning products.
Rat Prevention Tips: Eliminating Attractants And Sealing Entry Points
The best way to deal with rats in your home is to keep rats away to begin with. The following tips can help:
- Don’t give rats access to your home. Close up any gaps in your walls or around your windows. That includes the garage door and the chimney, too.
- Keep lids on your trash cans at all times.
- Don’t leave out bird food.
- Make sure your roof doesn’t have any damaged shingles.
- Store piles of wood at least 20 feet from your home and keep plants and shrubs trimmed back from exterior walls.
Rat prevention for your home is as simple as following these steps on a regular basis. Falling behind with these preventive measures is practically inviting rats into your home, especially if there are nearby rats moving through the area.
Call The Rat Control Experts: Ensuring Safe And Effective Elimination
Pest control for rats is a science to us. At All-Safe Pest & Termite, our rat control services are effective and safe. We use modern rat control products to make sure that the rats won’t want to return to your home. We can also help with your rat prevention efforts, giving advice and, if necessary, coming back for further treatment to give you the peace of mind you’ve been missing. If you have rats in your home or want an inspection, call us today to get things started.
